The album falls short of its predecessor, “Culture,” producing none of the trademark Migos bangers.
“Culture II,” released January 26, is a 24-song track that gets boring around the 12th song. With a few listens of the full hour-and-forty-minute album, the overall tone is monotonous and misses the previous flow and ferocity of the original “Culture.” Inevitably a sequel is inevitably going to be compared to the former, but no matter if the comparison is made, the album still lacks any true cultural significance.
The album is overinflated from the start with songs, lyrics and dull beats. “Higher We Go” is a repetitive anthem to nothing, entirely devoid of the lyricism and creativity of “Culture” and it’s follow-up song “T-Shirt.” A semblance of flow later appears on “Narcos” with some absolutely destructive 808s. Unfortunately, noteworthy songs like this are rare on this album, and even “Narcos” is a middle-of-the-road song with a semi-catchy hook and a decent but typical Atlanta beat. “Bad Bitches Only,” featuring 21 Savage, is just hard to listen to.
The consensus from several TU students I questioned and from the charts is that “Stir Fry” is the stand-out song of the album, but by the time I had gotten to it, the album had grown so monotonous, it was increasingly difficult to listen with any true attentiveness. “Stir Fry” did catch attention though. The quirky, upbeat tone with whistles and bells lays a unique foundation. Unfortunately, the hook doesn’t catch anyone, and the lyrics don’t capture the gumption of the previous hit single “Bad and Boujee.”
Overall, it’s pretty easy to dislike this album. All of the star-studded features mean absolutely nothing and add little to the overall feel of the album. The album’s greatest problem is its lack of unity. It doesn’t feel coherent. It’s most likely a collusion of past projects thrown together for fans. But nobody benefits from this release. Yes, a few songs are enjoyable, but nothing about them has me running back for more. None of the captivating juxtaposition of high and low culture that made the significance of Migos’s name choice so apparent.
The album quickly jumps from slow to hard beats with seemingly little warning or reason. The three amigos are singing on several tracks, which is interesting, but poorly executed. Nothing about these songs is interesting except for the fact that “Takeoff” is passionately about the love of nachos.
To anyone who hasn’t listened to six hours of this album, avoid it. Listen to the singles: “Stir-Fry” and “MotorSport,” and then go through “Narcos” and “Made Men.” The rest of the songs on this album are more akin to the “Age of Federalism” my dad would read to me when I went to sleep at night. Don’t get me wrong, I love Migos. I loved “Culture,” maybe too much, and that is perhaps my personal downfall. Maybe I am being too harsh on this album, but no can deny it’s a test in patience with its lengthy running time featuring only twenty minutes of truly interesting beats and lyricism.
“Culture II” by Migos released January 26 and is available now.
