For some reason or another, my timeline has recently been bombarded with a ton of Tweets and Instagram posts claiming that the Migos are better than The Beatles. As most logical rap fans can attest, there are definitely better ways to champion the trio as leaders of this new school in rap than to compare them with arguably the greatest group in the history of popular music. But as outrageous as it sounds, that outlandish claim would be slightly justifiable if their latest release, Rich Nigga Timeline was a stellar offering. Though the mixtape should certainly satisfy the core Migo-fan base, it probably won't attract many new fans.
Migo-haters may try their hardest not to acknowledge that the rap group has had an obvious impact on the current landscape of the rap game, and that’s okay, because Quavo, Takeoff and Offset do their best to remind listeners of their influence throughout Rich Nigga Timeline. This is rightfully so, seeing as how the Migo-flow has popped up on just about every major rap release that followed Drake’s “Versace” remix. The trio is well-aware of the copycat flows out there. In an interview with Life + Times, the group spoke on not only their role as trendsetters, but they also promised to introduce a new flow. That sentiment is revisited on the tape’s opener, “Cross The Country,” where Quavo declares, "Came in the with the formula, sold it / Now I gotta switch it up on you phonies."
A title like Rich Nigga Timeline should almost guarantee a bunch of songs about fast money and fast lifestyles, and there are surely more than enough of those records here. "Can you believe we made a mil off of ‘Versace’ money?" asks Takeoff on "Can't Believe It." But since stumbling upon their newly found fortunes and fame, it hasn't only been new flows and new riches for the Migos crew. As the age-old adage goes: more money, more problems. This is seen on the track, "Wishy Washy," where their new money attracts new attention and some of it is from gold diggers that can't wait to spend all of their bread.
They do take a break from their young, fly and flashy agenda throughout Rich Nigga Timeline, especially towards the project’s end. Songs like “What Yall Doin” and "Struggle" take on a more serious tone with the threesome addressing coming from nothing, making a difference in their hood, having to pay for a friend’s funeral and wanting to make their mothers proud. They also cater to their female followers, who may need a break from all of the trappin’ out that bando and turnin’ up with records like, "All Good" and "Take Her."
One thing hip hop purists may be surprised by is the lyrical abilities of the Migos. By no means are we saying they are the second coming of The Lox, but throughout Rich Nigga Timeline they do prove that they can be surprisingly clever with their rhymes. This is especially true when they are being compared to some of the other new era rappers currently out there. The problem is that on this project their lyrical talents are often overshadowed by lines like, "Treat you like a cow, nigga you better mooooove."
Rich Nigga Timeline features no big name producers or collaborators, which is a letdown. The mixtape could have use the added energy, mostly at moments where the production is bland and melodies get repetitive. Even in an era where over-saturating the market with music is applauded, the concept of quality over quantity still reigns true. There are too many songs here, and it doesn't help that Migos already have records like, "Fight Night" and "Handsome & Wealthy" in regular rotation on radio and in the clubs.
In a little over a year, Migos have emerged as faces at the forefront of what's being helmed the "New Atlanta". They've collaborated with a bevy of artists from Meek Mill to R. Kelly to Justin Bieber, and have seen their Migo-flow be ridiculously overused by everyone from T.I. to Usher. The release of this year's No Label 2 tape proved that they could not only come up with contagious flows and craft street bangers, but that they could also make hits, when the mixtape's single "Fight Night" peaked at number 69 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. This Migo extravaganza, however, is somewhat uneventful. Rich Nigga Timeline finds the rap crew not straying too far away from the formula that put them on the map, which is one of the reasons why it doesn't quite pack the punch of their previous efforts.