Migos : NPR

How Atlanta became the center of the rap universe

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Alberto E. Rodriguez / Josh Brasted / Scott Gries / Paras Griffin/Getty Images

How Atlanta became the center of the rap universe

July 19, 2023 • The current rap capital thrives on a thrilling contradiction: Its best music is at once hyperlocal and globally accessible, true to its roots but built for scale.

A man has been charged with murdering Migos rapper Takeoff

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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

A man has been charged with murdering Migos rapper Takeoff

December 2, 2022 • Houston police announced Friday that Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, has been charged with murder in connection with Takeoff's fatal shooting outside a bowling alley last month.

Literally speaking, there would be no Migos without Takeoff. Rich Fury/Getty Images for Global Citizen hide caption

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Rich Fury/Getty Images for Global Citizen

Takeoff knew who he was

November 4, 2022 • The rapper, with his endlessly evolving flow, was the Migos' ultimate ambassador. He was at his most charismatic and comfortable going back and forth with his family.

Houston police are searching for witnesses after rapper Takeoff's killing

Rappers Offset (from left), Quavo and Takeoff of the group Migos appear at a Met gala in 2018. Kirshnik Khari Ball, known professionally as Takeoff, died early Tuesday morning after gunshots were fired at a party in Houston. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images hide caption

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Music News

Houston police are searching for witnesses after rapper Takeoff's killing

November 2, 2022 • Kirshnik Khari Ball, known professionally as Takeoff, died early Tuesday morning after gunshots were fired at a party in Houston. "We are looking for anything to help us," a police official said.

Takeoff, member of Atlanta rap group Migos, has died at 28

Takeoff of hip-hop group Migos, performing onstage during Global Citizen Live on Sept. 25, 2021 in LA. Rich Fury/Getty Images for Global Citizen hide caption

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Rich Fury/Getty Images for Global Citizen

Obituaries

Takeoff, member of Atlanta rap group Migos, has died at 28

November 1, 2022 • The rapper, part of Migos, the Atlanta group that was hugely commercially popular and both formally and culturally influential, was reportedly shot and killed in Houston on Tuesday.

NPR Music's 100 Best Songs of 2021 (40-21)

Renee Klahr/NPR

Music Features

NPR Music's 100 Best Songs of 2021 (40-21)

December 2, 2021 • Think of the best songs of 2021 as a playlist catering to the most basic human urges. Within it, booties were called, muffins were buttered and bloody revenge was contemplated. It was quite a year.

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NPR

Tiny Desk

Migos: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

August 25, 2021 • The trap superstars perform three songs at Gallery Dept. in Los Angeles for this pandemic edition of Tiny Desk.

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Quality Control Music LLC

#NowPlaying

Migos, 'Avalanche'

June 11, 2021 • The cadence of The Temptations masterpiece "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" — laid bare with some 808s and sampled in Migos' latest single, "Avalanche" — was begging for the triplet flow.

The South Got Something To Say: A Celebration Of Southern Rap (2010-2014)

Joelle Avelino for NPR

Music Features

The South Got Something To Say: A Celebration Of Southern Rap (2010-2014)

August 3, 2020 • Our list of the best songs, albums and mixtapes by Southern rappers is a celebration that recenters the South as a creative center of hip-hop and honors the region for all that it has given to us.

This Season's 'SNL' Musical Guests, Cruelly Ranked

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All Songs Considered

This Season's 'SNL' Musical Guests, Cruelly Ranked

May 21, 2018 • With the 2017-18 season of Saturday Night Live now a wrap, we consider all 21 musical guests from this year — from worst to best. Apologies in advance to Sam Smith.

Migos Brings Trap Trendsetting To 'Saturday Night Live'

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YouTube

All Songs Considered

Migos Brings Trap Trendsetting To 'Saturday Night Live'

March 4, 2018 • The Atlanta trio performed two cuts from 'Culture II' on the stage of Studio 8H.

Migos Transcend The Trap On 'Culture II' Album

Migos' third studio album Culture II is available now. Paras Griffin/Getty Images hide caption

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Review

All Songs Considered

Migos Transcend The Trap On 'Culture II' Album

January 26, 2018 • The Atlanta trio looks to extend its run on top by adding to a proven sound without subtracting what works.

5 Dream-Team Grammy Collaborations We'd Love To See Sunday Night

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World Cafe

5 Dream-Team Grammy Collaborations We'd Love To See Sunday Night

WXPN

January 26, 2018 • Drawn from this year's list of nominees, these are the live performances we'd program if we were in charge of Sunday night's award show.

Laura Marling On World Cafe

30:04

21 Hip-Hop Albums That Reflected The Politics Of Race, Space And Place In 2017

Courtesy of the artist

Best Music Of 2017

21 Hip-Hop Albums That Reflected The Politics Of Race, Space And Place In 2017

December 28, 2017 • Many of the year's best challenged America's record on race, critiqued widespread cultural erasure, or broke conventions of genre, gender and identity within the space of rap itself.

NPR Music's top five albums of the year. (Clockwise from upper left) Process by Sampha, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar, Melodrama by Lorde, Crtl by SZA and Capacity by Big Thief. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

Best Music Of 2017

The 50 Best Albums Of 2017

December 12, 2017 • Consensus wasn't easy to come by in 2017, but the best albums of the year were bolts of clarity, sonic companions for joy, grief and redemption, for battles hard won and for reckonings still to come.

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B Collaborate For the First Time

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All Songs Considered

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B Collaborate For the First Time

October 27, 2017 • Minaj and Cardi trade bars on the brand new Migos song "Motor Sport," the first single from Migos' new 'Culture II' album.

Roséwave is less about a genre (that does not exist) and more a lifestyle (that very much exist Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

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Becky Harlan/NPR

All Songs Considered

Roséwave: 75 Songs To Kick Off A Faux-Luxe Summer

June 21, 2017 • This summer, unapologetically enjoy something that's maybe a little basic but makes you feel good.

Why Can't Atlanta Embrace Its Greatest Cultural Export?

Migos performs at a nightclub in Las Vegas in February, following the release of its album C U L T U R E, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. David Becker/Getty Images hide caption

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David Becker/Getty Images

Cover Stories

Why Can't Atlanta Embrace Its Greatest Cultural Export?

March 15, 2017 • Atlanta has been the center of innovation in hip-hop for at least two decades, but the city has failed to turn musical success into growth for the communities that create it.

Migos Rapped A Children's Book. It's Funny, But It Makes Perfect Sense

Migos rappers Quavo, Takeoff and Offset at the studios of Power 106 on Monday. YouTube hide caption

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YouTube

The Record

Migos Rapped A Children's Book. It's Funny, But It Makes Perfect Sense

January 27, 2017 • The three MCs behind the current No. 1 song in the country have a knack for finding the sensuous contours of the English language — a trait they share with the author of Llama Llama Red Pajama.