L to R: Takeoff, Quavo, Offset
Influences:
Migos were a hip hop trio originating from Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of rappers Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff. They became major figures in the rap scene in 2013 with the success of their hit single “Versace,” which was followed by a string of mostly well-received mixtapes and their debut album, Yung Rich Nation. They skyrocketed to the mainstream with their single "Bad & Boujee" from their critically and commercially successful sophomore album Culture in 2017.
Migos have widely credited across several media outlets as one of the most influential hip hop acts of the 2010s. Most notably, they made the triplet flow the style du jour, which was later controversially dubbed "the Migos flow" in spite of having been used prominently for decades.
Rumors of a rift between members Quavo and Offset began to circulate in 2022 when Quavo and Takeoff (who mostly stayed out of the drama) began to release music as a duo. This was later confirmed with Quavo accusing Offset of "disloyalty."
On November 1, 2022, Takeoff was tragically shot and killed at a private party in Houston, Texas after being hit by a stray bullet from an altercation which he was not involved. He was 28 years old.
Quavo and Offset made amends in the spring of 2023, performing a medley of "Hotel Lobby" and "Bad & Boujee" as a tribute to Takeoff at the BET Awards. In spite of the reunion, the two have no plans to release more music together.
Members
- Quavo (Quavious Keyate Marshall) (born April 2, 1991)
- Offset (Kiari Kendrell Cephus) (born December 14, 1991)
- Takeoff (Kirshnik Khari Ball) (June 18, 1994 – November 1, 2022)
Discography
Studio Albums
Mixtapes
Extended Plays
Solo And/Or Collaborative Projects
- Yung Rich Nation (2015)
- Culture (2017)
- Culture II (2018)
- Culture III (2021)
Mixtapes
- Juug Season (2011)
- No Label (2012)
- YRN (2013)
- No Label 2 (2014)
- Rich Nigga Timeline (2014)
- YRN 2 (2016)
Extended Plays
- Trap Symphony (2015)
- Three Way (2016)
Solo And/Or Collaborative Projects
- Streets On Lock (with Rich The Kid) (2013)
- Streets On Lock 2 (with Rich The Kid) (2013)
- The Green Album (with Gucci Mane) (2014)
- Streets On Lock 3 (with Rich The Kid) (2014)
- Still On Lock (with Rich The Kid) (2015)
- Streets On Lock 4 (with Rich The Kid) (2015)
- Without Warning (Offset, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin) (2017)
- Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho (Quavo and Travis Scott) (2017)
- Quavo Huncho (Quavo) (2018)
- The Last Rocket (Takeoff) (2018)
- Father of 4 (Offset) (2019)
- Only Built For Infinity Links (Quavo and Takeoff) (2022)
Tropes applying to Migos:
- Absurd Phobia: Quavo jokes that his reason for never having a Ghostwriter is that he's afraid of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
- The Alleged Boss: Quavo often carries himself as the boss of the trio, as he often speaks on behalf of them in most interviews. However, it appears they all treat each other as equals.
- Appeal to Familial Wisdom:
- Quavo recounts his mother telling him not to sell drugs in "T Shirt."
- Takeoff lets us know his momma told him the importance of drinking water in his guest appearance on A$AP Ferg's "Back Hurt."
- Auto-Tune: Mostly used by Quavo, sometimes used by Offset, and rarely used by Takeoff.
- Badass Family: Quavo and Takeoff are related as uncle and nephew. They referred to Offset as their cousin, though he clarified in 2023 that he was not a blood relative, but a very close lifelong friend.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Takeoff had a reputation for being a friendly person, but on the microphone, his lyrics were aggressive.
- Broken Record: Mostly on their older songs.
- Boastful Rap: The vast majority of their songs contain boasts, with many simply being songs about boasting. Exceptions are extremely rare.
- Butt-Monkey: Takeoff suffered from this after "Bad and Boujee" became their first number one single and he had no verse on the song. People joked on him being the least favorite and always being left out.
- The Captain: In spite of having the lowest public profile, Takeoff was considered the backbone of the group and was the one who convinced Quavo and Offset to join him.
- Cold Ham: Takeoff is the most even-tempered and mellow one out of the trio but has the second loudest catchphrases and uses the most adlibs after Quavo.
- Dance Sensation: Their single "Dab On 'Em" created a dance craze that swept America in the mid-10s after being performed by football player Cam Newton.
- Darker and Edgier:
- Offset has the darkest output of the group, most notably Without Warning, which is helped by the fact that it also features 21 Savage and dark production from Metro Boomin.
- Also, it was released on Halloween 2017.
- Father of 4 deals with more personal and serious themes than Migos’ usual output.
- Dead Artists Are Better: Takeoff talked about wanting to be acknowledged more while he is still alive and relevant. Unfortunately, he had more people acknowledge his skills as a rapper after his passing.
- Drugs Are Good: Averted. Despite talking about cooking, selling, and doing drugs, they remain neutral rather than talking about their negative or positive side effects.
- Freudian Trio:
- The Id: Quavo
- The Ego: Offset
- The Superego: Takeoff
- Fun Personified: Even though he is considered a gangsta rapper, Quavo's lyrics often have a more light hearted and fun style.
- Gangsta Rap: Type 2.
- Without Warning leans more into type 3 territory.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Quavo and Travis Scott as explained in their song, “Eye 2 Eye.” Quavo and Takeoff fall into this trope as well, since they knew each other longer than they knew Offset.
- Jive Turkey: They are also known for their use of their own slang, popularizing the terms "bando" (an abandoned house used to sell drugs) and "cap" (lying).
- The Lancer: Offset plays this role, as he has the second most guest features.
- Large Ham: Quavo often gives very energetic and loud vocals on every song he is featured in. He also often stretches out the duration of short words in ad-libs.
- Lighter and Softer: Quavo's lyrics are much lighter and less violent in tone than Offset and Takeoff.
- Lyrical Tic: Like most trap rappers, they utilize ad-libs frequently. However, they don’t usually reuse the same ad-libs, with a few exceptions.
- Mr. Fanservice: Quavo is often referred to by female fans as being very attractive.
- No Indoor Voice: Quavo is easily the loudest member of the group.
- The Smart Guy: Takeoff is looked at in this light, since he was considered by many to technically the best rapper out the group and consistently stayed out of trouble.
- Soul Brotha: The trio began to be seen in this way after the release of their sophomore album Culture.
- The Quiet One: Takeoff spoke the least in interviews and had the lowest public profile.
- Tagalong Kid: Inverted. While Takeoff was three years younger than Quavo and Offset, he was the catalyst that led to the trio's formation.
- Technician vs. Performer: Quavo is the performer, Takeoff is the technician, and Offset is both.
- Trap Music: While DEFINITELY NOT the Ur-Example, they are the Trope Codifier.
- Trope Codifier: Helped cement trap’s place in the mainstream.
- Uncle Tom Foolery: Many people looked at them in this light in the beginning of their career because of their repetitive and simple lyrics, which people considered mumble rap.
- Yoko Oh NO: Both Offset's wife Cardi B and Quavo's ex-girlfriend Saweetie were accused of causing the group's breakup.
