Watch Rise of Migos-Mania in New Doc on Rap Trio’s Breakout Success
Atlanta rap trio Migos chronicle the wild success of their Number One debut album, Culture, in a new Tidal documentary.
The film positions Culture as the start of Migos-mania. “A year ago today we released Culture,” explains Kevin Lee (Coach K), who runs the trio’s label, Quality Control, with Pierre “Pee” Thomas. “We knew what we had, and we wanted the world to hear it. But we honestly didn’t know what was about to happen. Two million albums sold, 15 million singles later and we still here.”
Cameras follow Migos through New York City in 2017. During an interview with premier rap radio station Hot 97, host Peter Rosenberg enthusiastically crowns Migos “the hottest thing in the game right now.” Later, Migos are honored at New York University, where they discuss their origins and the signature cadences of their rapping. Quavo, Takeoff and Offset cap off the evening with an exultant, sold-out show at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan.
Migos released the expansive follow-up record, Culture II, at the end of January. The album sold 199,000 album-equivalent units opening week. Thanks to the trio’s streaming power, they also appeared on 14 different songs on the Hot 100 that week, matching the Beatles’ record for the most simultaneous Hot 100 hits by a group.
In the Tidal documentary, Thomas hints that Migos may expand beyond rap on future projects. “They’re not making music for just one particular group,” he says. “… Don’t be surprised if you see ’em making a rock album one day or an EDM album.”