I shall not pretend to be a big fan of Migos. In fact, I’ve spent more time being confounded by their inability to disappear into the hip-hop ether than I have enjoying their trapcoctions. Also, the fact that these are some “trappers” from Gwinnett County – aka "the North, that way" aka where you move to in Atlanta when you’ve made it and need to stay away from family – always rubbed me the wrong way. I realize that being “real” in rap is a long overrated requirement, however, sometimes knowing too much can ruin a thing.
Though MC Breed was wrong when he proclaimed that there was no future in frontin, I can openly admit to enjoying several songs created by not one migo, but all three of the Migos. Moving on, because of them, in 2013, I said the word “Versace” at least 2,000 more times than I otherwise would have. The hook to “Fight Night” is WAAAAAAY more fun to recite in any venue than you’d believe. And while I’m not both “Handsome AND Wealthy”, one out of two ain’t bad. I guess the Migos ain’t so bad.
Which brings us to the Golden Globes from a few weeks back, when Donald Glover, in his infinite wisdom, made this statement while receiving one of his two awards:
“I really wanna thank the Migos, not for being in the show, but for making ‘Bad and Boujee,’” Glover said. “Like that’s the best song ever.”
Which was hilarious for a few reasons: 1) this statement likely helped drive “Bad and Boujee” to the number one spot on Billboard the next week, and 2) they panned to Stevie Wonder in the audience who looked confused as if to say, “I don’t see it.”
Ahem.
Thing is, I might agree with Donald Glover. Hyperbole? Yes. But listen, that song is infectious. Here are 10 reasons why Donald Glover just might be right.
1. I came to know “Bad and Boujee” the same way MOST of us did: I kept hearing mothefuckers referencing rain drops and drop tops and had NO clue what the hell they were talking about. The straw that broke the camel’s back and made me do the googles was some meme about what some fellow was leaving in 2016 and taking into 2017, and he was bringing “rain drops, drop tops”. Once I googled and saw it referenced a Migos song, my first inclination was to be like, “oh that makes sense, what’s on NPR?” but I listenededededed to the song for what was the first of maybe a solid, I don’t know, 1,000, over the past few weeks. No lie.
Point is, “rain drops, drop tops” is the gateway to that song and whether they knew it or not, it’s motherfucking brilliant because it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SONG AND MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER but holy shit. You’ve heard no shortage of people you know and respect say “rain drops, drop tops” in the past few weeks sending you to the breaking point where you have to google it and then life.changes. I may or may not have said this in a meeting at work recently. My boss may or may not have said, “I keep hearing this, what is that?” Only one of the preceding sentences is false.
2. The beat isn’t anywhere close to being one of Metro Boomin’s best beats. However, something about that slow, plodding beat is sympatico with asses clapping on stripper poles, rolling down the street smokin' indo sippin' on gin and juice, sweeping, mixing up cake batter, stapling, doing a chemistry experiment, etc. It's multi-purpose. If you walked into your progressive church and heard the beat playing as the ushers sat you down, would you be surprised? Probably not.
3. Much like Waka Flocka Flame's "Round of Applause," "Bad and Boujee" is fully appreciable by watching an ENTIRE room full of educated professionals say, “my bitch is bad and boujee, cookin’ up dope with an uzi…”, most of whom have never seen an uzi in their entire lives and don’t even realize that the very gun STOPPED BEING MANUFACTURED ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO.
4. Let’s talk about uzis since the Migos talk about uzis, a lot. While I’d like to think that is just drug dealers talking about their hardware, I’d put all of my money on the fact that because “uzi” rhymes with “boujee” it’s the firearm of choice for our friendly neighborhood Subway-restaurant trappers from Lawrenceville, at least on this song. However, again, brilliant. It’s got me talking about uzis again and that’s almost always a good thing.
5. Offset bodies both the hook and his verse. And until this song, I absolutely could not tell Offset from Takeoff, two niggas with some of the most non-awesome rap names in a long time, which is saying something because I just mentioned Waka Flocka Flame. Like, you cannot see yourself buying an album from a nigga named Offset. Or Takeoff for that matter. Quavo has the best name and is the clear standout of Migos, except on “Bad and Boujee” where, again, Offset goes for broke and puts his foot all up in this song.
6. “Yeah, that way” has been on my soul for the past three weeks. I say this whenever I can. Seriously. I stood outside Metro one day asking pedestrians if they needed directions JUST so I could say, “YEAH, THAT WAY.”
7. I’m about to get real meta for a second. There are three members of Migos: Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff. In some odd Black family way, they’re all actual family, like cousins and uncles and nephews or some shit. It’s Black as fuck. However, on “Bad and Boujee”, only Offset and Quavo are present along with a HORRID verse from Lil’ Uzi Vert (we’ll get to him later). In my head, there was a decision that had to be made where they were determining who wouldn’t make the cut for “Bad and Boujee” and they decided to take off…TAKEOFF.
Bruh.
They taked off TAKEOFF off the song. Mind.Blown. I almost wonder if they were sitting around and had a moment of divine inspiration at the realization and Takeoff just stood up and walked out the studio. It’s almost poetic. The lesson here: don’t name yourself Takeoff unless you’re a plane.
8. Lil’ Uzi Vert is on this song. He sucks. Tremendously. According to the social medias, he is apparently the hot nigga on the song. I contest that stress. I don’t even hate the Tiny Green Gunna Boy. His song “Money Longer” is a straight banger. I think he looks odd and even in this video he some how decides to tuck his t-shirt into some extra small sweatpants, which is decidedly unhip-hop. But even though his verse is the worst on the song – he doesn’t say “that way” not even once, the lazy tiny bastard – because the song itself is so awesome, I can live with it. He’s just lucky his name isn’t some shit like TakeOff. But on some EXTRA meta shit, Migos were like, we took off Takeoff, and Offset was dancing around singing about uzis and I’ll bet Quavo said… “bruh, there’s a rapper named Uzi…let’s get him.”
Mind. More blown.
9. Quavo says the word “ratatouille” like rat-a-tooly. Let that sink in. He says to call him Quavo Rat-a-tooly. That happened. You and I both know he’s seen the movie Ratatouille because who hasn’t. Yet and still he added in the “l” in what can only be described as an eff you to the French. And it was awesome. I’m here for France, tho. Because lineage.
10. The term “bad and boujee” itself is alliterative perfection. Offset says is in the most serendipitous way possible. They should get a Grammy for best sound recording in 2017. They won’t. But they should. It works. It’s employed. The Migos told me to tell you, “you’re welcome.” And no, serendipity didn't work up there. But neither does "rain drops, drop tops" and they have the number one song in the country. I'm a Migo(s).