Atlanta’s Migos was a supergroup. Offset shooting further complicates its future.
Music groups are always on the brink of a breakup. Members disagree or leave the group altogether, launching solo careers. But those circumstances are rarely enough to obfuscate the group’s legacy and relevance or stifle individual success.
Destiny’s Child, the Beatles and TLC, among others, are groups that have retained solo success or cultural relevance even after tragedy and infighting.
Yet, Migos, arguably the greatest rap group to debut this century, is currently at a crossroads over a decade after emerging onto the scene — both as a group and as soloists. In the 2010s, the Lawrenceville-bred trio significantly shaped hip-hop in Atlanta and beyond, garnering numerous chart-topping hits along the way.
But so far this decade, an amalgam of cloudy solo efforts, internal conflict, external controversies and the 2022 shooting death of group member Takeoff have plagued the rap stars.
This month’s shooting of Migos’ Offset, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries outside a Florida casino, further complicates the group’s future — making it nearly incorrigible. Where does Migos go from here, if anywhere?
“I do know that they seem to be better together than they are apart,” said Joycelyn Wilson, a hip-hop studies professor at Georgia Tech. “I also think about their mental health. I wonder how they’re doing. These are still human beings and Black men navigating a pretty tough terrain. I’m sure they’re still grieving the loss of their brother. So it sucks. It really does.”
A Migos flow
Migos, comprised of Takeoff, Quavo and Offset, debuted in 2011 with the release of their “Juug Season” mixtape. In 2013, the group signed to Atlanta-based label Quality Control — dropping countless mixtapes that helped shape rap in the early 2010s.
The trio became known for popularizing the triplet flow. Also known as the Migos flow, the rap style is defined by performing three syllables as one sound. The Migos flow is best demonstrated in the group’s 2013 breakout hit “Versace,” garnering a remix from Drake.
Wilson, known as the “hip-hop scholar,” recalls teaching Migos’ signature triplet flow and ad-libs in her classes, drawing parallels to the Black oral tradition of call-and-response.
“They came out as a trio, and they vibed off of each other, and it was new, and it was fresh,” Wilson said of Migos’ debut.
Migos hit bigger strides with the release of 2016’s “Bad & Boujee,” the group’s first No. 1. The single was a pop culture behemoth — from the many memes its lyrics inspired to fellow Atlantan Donald Glover shouting out the group during his Golden Globes acceptance speech.
“Bad & Boujee” was the lead single for Migos’ sophomore album “Culture,” which also hit No. 1.
Atlanta hip-hop journalist Yoh Phillips described the trio’s ascent as a “breath of fresh air.” He said although the group was from Gwinnett County — a part of metro Atlanta that wasn’t wholly represented in rap until Migos — they felt symbolic of Atlanta in every way.
Phillips said Migos was successful in carrying the trap music torch similarly to T.I., Gucci Mane and Jeezy in the decade before the group’s debut.
“I think that even if they weren’t going to be these big, major mainstream artists, Atlanta loved them almost immediately. ... They hit every aspect of the zeitgeist, from online to offline to the streets to pop culture,” Phillips said. “They had real impact.”
In 2018, Migos dropped another No. 1 album: “Culture II,” boasting hits like “Stir Fry” and “Walk It Talk It.” Shortly after, the group tried their hand at solo careers, with each member dropping debut solo albums, mostly to critical acclaim.
In 2021, Migos returned with “Culture III,” in what would be the trio’s final album. The following year, apparent internal drama among group members prompted an unofficial hiatus. Quavo and Takeoff formed the duo Unc & Phew (Quavo is Takeoff’s uncle) and dropped an album, “Only Built for Infinity Links.” Offset, who sued Quality Control over rights to own his solo music, seemed more focused on a solo career (he has since dropped the lawsuit).
Later in 2022, Takeoff was fatally shot at a Houston bowling alley, exacerbating previous tensions and thrusting Migos’ future into question.
Since then, neither Takeoff nor Quavo has publicly shared details about the origins of their beef. Nor have they declared the end of Migos. In 2023, the pair reunited for a Takeoff tribute during the BET Awards. Offset has hinted at possible collaborations with Quavo and making amends.
Still, reunion and reconciliation don’t seem to be a priority. Offset has dropped three solo albums in the past three years, touring behind them. Yet his personal drama, mainly his on-again-off-again marriage to Cardi B, often overshadows his talent.
Quavo dropped one solo album in 2023. He’s collaborated on a handful of genre-bending singles with Lenny Kravitz, Lana Del Rey and Teddy Swims that mainly confound his musical identity. The rapper seems more interested in expanding his portfolio beyond music, whether that’s starring in films, owning a lounge or launching the Rocket Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing gun violence.
But, as soloists, neither artist has yet to reach the same heights as they did together.
It’s unclear whether Migos is even a group anymore. And whether Quavo and Offset can ever revert to Migos’ glory days remains even more unclear.
Phillips said the group’s collective energy was integral to their chart-topping success, something he still yearns for as Quavo and Offset continue their respective solo paths.
“It’s impressive how good they are together. ... I’ll hear Offset songs and be like, dang, a Takeoff verse here would go crazy, or a Quavo hook would go crazy. I feel like that’s the magic of the Migos. You put them together, and something else happens that you just couldn’t get no other way. It’s really disappointing that we don’t have that magic anymore.”
‘Better together’
Phillips is sad to see Migos’ current trajectory, but he understands that groups are hard to maintain.
With Migos, though, the negativity and violence that’s now become almost synonymous with the group feels “surreal” for Phillips.
“It’s like, wow, the Migos just can’t catch a break.”
The sadder part for Phillips?
“There’s no sense of next year being promised,” Phillips said about a possible Migos reunion. “What just happened to Offset is so insane, and it could have been so much worse. It could have been so tragic. Who says it’ll ever happen?”
But he asserts that a reunion is necessary, not exclusively for Offset and Quavo but for a broader hip-hop culture that’s currently stained by social media’s obsession with rap beef (see Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B, Young Thug vs. Gunna).
“I want to see you get better,” Phillips said. “I don’t want to see you get worse.”
For Wilson, the possibility of a Migos reunion relies on Quavo and Offset’s ability to lean on each other to effectively handle the “layers of grief” they’ve experienced: the loss of Takeoff, the loss of their friendship that’s not as close and the loss of the meteoric success that defined their prime.
A Migos reunion becomes a matter of reinvention or “carrying the weight of all this history,” Wilson noted.
“People have not turned their back on Migos,” Wilson said. “Folks are kind of just waiting on them to decide what’s the next move. ... They could do another album. And it’s not so much like catering to the consumer. It seems like it would be healthy for them.”
About the Author
DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia's work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
