Migos

While their rise to fame was somewhere between fast and meteoric, the Atlanta trio Migos are steeped in the Southern tradition of hip-hop groups, having come together over their shared love of acts like the Hot Boys and OutKast. Members Offset, Quavo, and Takeoff, who are all related, grew up together and first started making music in 2009 under the name Polo Club, with the name Migos becoming official in 2010. In 2012, they released the mixtape No Label, which featured the cut “Bando,” a regional hit that caught the attention of producer Zaytoven and Kevin Lee, aka Coach K, the manager who launched the careers of Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy. The year 2013 was a whirlwind, as June saw the group drop their Young Rich N*ggas mixtape, which featured the instant hit “Versace.” That same year, Coach K got them on the Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash, a popular Atlanta festival where Migos came across their newest fan, Drake. The rapper added a verse to the “Versace” remix and put the cut on his 2013 album Nothing Was the Same.
Featuring the hit single “Fight Night,” 2014′s No Label II was Migos’ next high-profile release, as it was a mixtape distributed by major-label Atlantic. In 2015, the label released their debut album, Yung Rich Nation, which featured the single “One Time.” Later that year, the trio issued the mixtape Back to the Bando, which included their hit song “Look at My Dab.” In addition to securing a Hot 100 entry for the group, the track kicked off the dabbing trend, a viral dance phenomenon that became so popular by 2016 that, in addition to athletes and musicians, even politicians were dabbing. As mixtapes continued to drop, Migos released the 3 Way EP in the summer of 2016. By the end of the year, their collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad & Boujee,” began its ascent to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, hitting number one at the beginning of 2017, just in time for the release of their sophomore set, C U L T U R E. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. That year, they also scored chart hits guesting on tracks by Calvin Harris (“Slide”), Gucci Mane (“I Get the Bag”), and Katy Perry (“Bon Appetit”).
In 2018, Migos released a sequel LP, Culture II, which featured production by Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Metro Boomin, and more, as well as guests 21 Savage, Drake, Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B. The set topped the Billboard 200 and spawned the platinum hits “MotorSport,” “Stir Fry,” “Walk It Talk It,” and “Narcos.” In the lead-up to the third Culture installment in 2019, the trio issued a series of singles, including “Pure Water” with Mustard, “Position to Win,” and “Stripper Bowl” from the label compilation Quality Control: Control the Streets, Vol. 2. In February 2020, Migos released “Give No Fxk” as the first track off 2021′s full-length Culture III. Also included on the album was “Need It” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, which hit number 13 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Takeoff died on November 1, 2022 following a shooting incident in Houston, Texas; he was 28 years old. ~ David Jeffries