Unc & Phew – “Only Built for Infinity Links” review

Unc & Phew are a trap duo from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of Quavo & Takeoff. Both of whom came up as 2/3 of the Migos with their cousin Offset & would see huge success during the early/mid 2010s, most notably when Y.R.N. (Young Rich N****s) & C U L T U R E both dropped. But as Offset prepares for a follow-up to the best Migos solo effort to date Father of 4 next month, the other 2 members have seen fit to form a duo of their own & put out a full-length debut.

“2 Infinity Links” opens up the album with a horn-laced trap beat from Buddah Bless describing the strongest links in the world bonded by blood whereas “Tony Starks” takes a more cavernous route thanks to Murda Beatz talking about putting holes in your chest kin to that of Iron Man. “Hotel Lobby” has a more twangier vibe to it dropping some braggadocio just before “Bars into Captions” samples “So Fresh, So Clean” by OutKast welcoming y’all to the ATL.

Meanwhile on “See ‘Bout It”, we have Unc & Phew bragging about stealing hoes over a hyphy instrumental from DJ Mustard leading into YoungBoy Never Broke Again tagging along for the slick “To the Bone” describing how bad their bitches are. “Not Out” shoots for a cloudier sound provided by DJ Durel talking about popping out, but then Gunna & Young Thug both come into the picture for the acoustic/trap-laced “Chocolate” getting in their hustler bags.

“2.30” has a wavier sound to it even though the Percocet-heavy lyricism just doesn’t do it for me personally while “Look @ This” fuses trap with orchestral talking about all the shit they got. “Mixy” with Summer Walker is a moody little trap/R&B fusion with the trio of course tackling the themes of love while “Messy” talks about the main reason why not to let a bitch in their crib over a glitchy trap beat with Quavo apparently airing out Offset for fucking his ex Saweetie along with a reference to Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Continuing from there, “Nothing Changed” was clearly made for Huncho Jack down to the psychedelic instrumental even though I don’t mind the subject matter addressing that ain’t shit change but the ice while the mellow “Integration” brags about having white everything. “Big Stunna” is a fun little boastful trap banger as Birdman comes through with a decent verse while the song “Us vs. Them” with Gucci Mane finds the trio aggressively talking about how it’s them against the world. The penultimate track “Hell Yeah” shoots got a more stripped back aesthetic as Unc & Phew chase a bag together with “Tools” though is a shimmering finisher encouraging you to spread the cash.

For as much shit that C U L T U R E III got last summer, I still think it was a more enjoyable listen than C U L T U R E II & that it would’ve been more well received if you got rid of 4-5 cuts. As for Only Built for Infinity Links, it’s a solid debut from Unc & Phew. Both Quavo & Takeoff manage to take it back to the basics are some more interesting ideas with the production this time around. Here’s to Blame It on Set next month!

Score: 3.5/5

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Migos – “C U L T U R E III” review

The Migos are a trio from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of blood relatives Quavo, Offset & Takeoff. They’ve proved themselves as one of the biggest trap acts in recent memory ever since their 2013 smash hit “Versace” & this was exemplified with their 2017 sophomore album C U L T U R E, which is undoubtedly one of the best trap projects of the previous decade whether you like them or not. However, the sequel C U L T U R E II was a bloated rushjob & their solo debuts weren’t all that well received either other than Offset’s Father of 4. But after this 3 year gap, the Migos are reuniting to finish out the C U L T U R E trilogy.

“Avalanche” starts things out with DJ Durel & Quavo sampling “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations as the Migos look back on their early days but then there’s “Havin’ Our Way” with Drake, which has an symphonic instrumental from Kane Beatz as the quartet talk about getting theirs. The official WWE Day 1 theme song “Straightenin’” has an eerie instrumental with the lyrics detailing how “you don’t get shit straight if you don’t straighten it” while the Murda Beatz-produced “Type Shit” with Cardi B is a vigorous anthem about how this song might make you feel.

Meanwhile on “Malibu”, we have Polo G accompanying the Migos on top of a synth-horn loop detailing their adventures in the titular California city & I almost wanna say that the beat OG Parker whips up for “Birthday” has a west coast trap feel to it, backing the trio calling out a bitch lying to them about it being her birthday. “Modern Day” is a mystical banger that tells listeners to put respect on the trio’s name whereas the victorious “Vaccine” details them making money during the pandemic referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

Future tags along for the guitar-driven “Picasso” comparing themselves to the iconic painter of the same name leading up to them getting on some drug dealer shit for “Roadrunner”, in which the Zaytoven instrumental is tension-building as Hell. Following this, we have Danny Wolf taking the Migos into acoustic territory on the sensual “What You See”, but then “Jane” details the titular character working it for a Birkin bag with stellar Latin trap production from both Tay Keith & Gordo.

I thought the late Juice WRLD’s hook on the cavernous “Antisocial” is perfect given the lyrical concept of the track while “Why Not” finds the trio talking about getting money for fuck’s sake & the beat kinda has that cloud rap quality to it. The instrumental on “Mahomes” is incredibly dramatic as the Migos express their gratitude while OZ works in some synths & keys for them to “Handle My Business”.

The song “Time for Me” is an atmospheric cut about their bando days while the penultimate track “Light It Up” with the late Pop Smoke feels like a leftover from Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon given that it’s in Pop’s signature drill sound down to 808 Melo’s production. To finish it off, “Need It” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again touches down on self-defense & the way Buddah Bless absolutely killed it flipping “Get In My Car” by 50 Cent.

Although I had my doubts going into this album, I’ll argue that it’s what C U L T U R E II should’ve been because the Migos are back in full form on here. It’s only a half hour shorter than their last album was, you can tell the thing actually feels complete rather than spending 15 minutes to make each song & a good portion of them were fun to listen to.

Score: 3.5/5

Takeoff – “The Last Rocket” review

Takeoff is a 24 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who rose to prominence in 2013 as 1/3 of the Migos with his nephew quavo & his cousin Offset. The first of whom Quavo is arguably the most notable member & he actually happened to drop his solo debut QUAVO HUNCHO just 3 weeks prior. Now if that wasn’t enough for you, Takeoff here is now next at bat.

The album kicks off with “Martian”, where Takeoff talks about his success throughout the years over some prominent hi-hats from DJ Durel. The next track “She Gon’ Wink” by Unc & Phew sees the 2 getting boastful over a spacey trap instrumental while the song “None to Me” introspectively talks about the famous life over a gloomy beat from 808 Mafia members DY, Gezin & TM88. The track “Vacation” pretty much speaks for itself over a trap beat from Murda Beatz & Cubeatz with some faint keyboards while the song “Last Memory” is a painfully bland braggadocious tune. The track “I Remember” vividly recalls drug dealing days over an eerie Murda Beatz instrumental while the song “Lead the Wave” talks about being a leader over a vibrant trap beat from DJ Durel.

The track “Casper” talks about him & his girl cruising down in a wraith over a somber Nonstop da Hitman instrumental while the song “Insomnia” is a boring freestyle over the beat from the latest Juicy J & Travis Scott song “Neighbor”. The track “Infatuation” is an awkwardly buttery love story while the song “Soul Plane” marks a returns to the braggadocious lyrics over a bass-heavy trap beat. The album then ends with “Bruce Wayne”, where Takeoff tells the audience to picture him rolling over an atmospheric beat from Cassius Jay & Wheezy.

This was better than I had anticipated, but it’s still decent. I can appreciate Takeoff for handling a good chunk of it on his own, but it really weighs it down because it tends to get monotonous after a while.

Score: 2.5/5

Migos – “C U L T U R E II” review

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Atlanta, Georgia trap trio Migos celebrates the 1 year anniversary of their sophomore album C U L T U R E a day early by putting out the long-awaited sequel. The album starts off pretty well with “Higher We Go”, which sees the trio talking about their staying power over a wavy trap beat from Metro Boomin’. The next song The next song “Supastars” talks about their lives now over a futuristic trap beat from Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & while the track “Narcos” does reflect on their drug dealing days, the production is so mediocre. The song “B.B.O. (Bad Bitches Only)” pretty much speaks for itself & the jazzy horns on here were a pretty nice touch.

The track “Auto Pilot (Huncho on the Beat)” brags about the lavish life over a video gamey trap beat from the trio’s standout member Quavo & while the song “Walk It Talk It” with Drake sends a message to all of their haters, the hook is super lazy. The track “Emoji a Chain” talks about being all decked out over a decent Metro Boomin’ beat & while the song “CC” with Gucci Mane is a futuristic sex tune, it deadass sounds like an unreleased Travi$ Scott song down to Quavo’s auto-tuned delivery. The song “Stir Fry” touch down on about their success over an infectious funk/trap fused instrumental from Pharrell & despite “Too Much Jewelry” having a nice verse from Takeoff & the Zaytoven production is pretty atmospheric, it’s not structured all that well. We should’ve gotten verses from Offset & Quavo right after because when Takeoff’s sole verse ends, we’re then lead into the hook alongside a robotic bridge from Quavo that’s hilariously bad & then a short interlude before going back to the hook to end the track.

The song “Gang Gang” is an ode to themselves with a settle trap beat from Murda Beatz while the track “White Sand” with Big Sean & Ty$ talks about the celebrity life over a mediocre video gamey beat from Wheezy. The song “Crown the Kings” talks about how they’re living the dream, but the only distinct characteristics about the instrumental is the faint “ Get Up, Stand Up” sample that’s buried in the mix along with piano that comes in around the second half. The track “Flooded” sounds like a murkier, better structured version of “Too Much Jewelry” & the song “Beast” is pretty much a better version of “CC”.

The Cardo produced “Open It Up” is a sinister-sounding banger about their drug dealing past & despite “Motor Sport” being a pretty decent tune to cruise around to from all 3 members’ flows to the laidback beat from Murda Beatz & Cubeatz, the guest verses from Cardi B & Nicki Minaj ruin it for me. The track “Movin’ Too Fast” talks about their drug dealing lives over a gloomy Quavo instrumental isn’t too bad & the song “Work Hard” talks about their work ethics over a moody beat.

The track “Notice Me” talks about their new lives yet again over a laidback beat & the song “Too Playa” with 2 Chainz is a boastful look into the celebrity lifestyle over a somewhat jazzy trap beat. The song “Made Men” talks about their success over a mellow instrumental & the penultimate track “Top Down on da NAWF” reflects on their younger days in Northside Atlanta over an atmospheric beat. The album then closes with “Culture National Anthem”, which surprisingly gets conscious over a piano-trap beat.

To be quite honest, I’m pretty disappointed in this. There are definitely highlights on here but the final product here is so bloated, that the album becomes an inconsistent listen from start to finish. It’s definitely more listenable than the new Chris Brown album Heartbreak on a Full Moon or even the Control the Streets compilation that Quality Control Music (to which Migos are signed to) dropped last month but if they kept 12 tracks for the album & saved the other 12 in the vault, then I’d enjoy it a lot more than what we really got

Score: 2/5