There are 11 musicians and band credited as performers on “Culture 2.” (Photo courtesy of Quality Control Music)
Matt Kaiser
Connector Staff
Last year, the Migos trio changed the music industry with their debut album “Culture,” and their first number one single “Bad and Boujee.” This year, their new album “Culture 2” is not making the same splash that their previous music was able to accomplish. In the past year since “Culture” was released, countless artist have tried to imitate the sound that made these Atlanta rappers huge stars.
Unfortunately for the genre of rap as a whole, this resulted in lots and lots of trap songs that sound relatively the same. This is one of the reasons that “Culture 2” is not being received as well as expected, because their sound is no longer original and the formula is no longer fresh. With that being said, “Culture 2” is not a bad album by any means.
There are lots of standout songs that have interesting beats and great verses, but the real problem here is there are far too many songs, 24 in fact. The album as a whole is one hour and 45 minutes, which is honestly way too long. The outcome of this is lots of forgettable songs, and lots of sounds that seem indistinguishable.
The production on the album is influenced by many different people, from Metro Boomin and Murda Beatz to Zaytoven and Buddah Bless. Kanye West himself is even credited with “additional producing” on the track “BBO.” There are lots of new sounds on this album as well, from the saxophone on “Too Playa” to the up-tempo guitar on “Narcos.”
“Walk It Talk It” is another standout song, with the verse from Drake being nothing ground-breaking, but still good nonetheless. Offset and Takeoff both have excellent verses on this track, and their fast flow goes quite well with the background. Unfortunately, the chorus is extremely repetitive almost to the point of being annoying, and consists of Quavo saying, “Walk it like I talk it,” over and over again.
“White Sand” is one of the more colorful songs of the album with features from Travis Scott, Ty Dolla Sign and Big Sean. This collection of artists provides a diverse and varied sound throughout the song, and it is a shame that Travis Scott was not on more of the album because his voice and vocals accompany the Migos sound quite well.
Two songs that deserve extra praise are “Too Playa” and “Narcos.” “Too Playa” features 2 Chainz, who has an outstanding repertoire of providing great guest verses for a whole host of artists. The saxophone in the beat delivers an original sound, giving the song an interesting vibe. Quavo’s hook on the song is catchy as well, and his voice goes well with the overall atmosphere. “Narcos” is one of the best songs of the album, and the beat on it is excellent, featuring a Latin sounding guitar with accompanying drums. Takeoff has an especially fun verse here, and his fast flow and lyrics are delivered well.
One of the singles released before the album, “Stir Fry,” is one of the best Migos songs to date. It is a rather different sound than typical Migos, with a happy, up-beat instrumental and very catchy chorus. The music video was recently released, filmed in an Asian restaurant with the Migos comically acting as ninjas in a movie-style kung fu scene.
As a whole, the album is filled with interesting and forgettable tracks alike. Had the album been cut nearly in half, it would have been received much better and contained less unmemorable filler songs. However, with 24 songs total, there is definitely a lot of music to like here. With the Migos also recently teasing new songs with Kanye West, there is no shortage of Quavo, Takeoff and Offset for fans to enjoy.
Final Grade: B+
