Coming off the success of Migos’ “Culture 2” Quavo steps out on his own to deliver “Quavo Huncho.” Courtesy of Quality Control Music
By Bryce Lawson
Over the past few years, Migos have taken over the rap game.
With numerous hit singles and features, group member Quavo decided to take a shot at dropping a solo album titled “Quavo Huncho.” Since he’s known for his hooks and ad-libs, I was dreading listening to 20 of his songs.
The album’s production stands out. For a majority of artists, production is what holds their songs together. If the beat is trash, then I probably won’t vibe with the song.
Beats from the industry’s top rap producers, like Murda Beatz and Tay Keith, allow Quavo to shine with some of his best hooks.
On the trap love ballad “Shine,” Quavo sings, “We can make diamonds shine on the darkest nights. She make diamonds shine on the darkest nights.” It might sound corny, but after hearing numerous songs about how many girls he hooks up with, it was refreshing to hear a song about a girl he actually cares about.
After you get halfway through the album, it becomes repetitive.
The songs all sound the same because of the no-substance braggadocio lyrics.
There are some standout bangers like “Workin Me” and “Flip The Switch” featuring Drake, where Quavo borrows rapper Juvenile’s flow from his 1998 hit “Ha,” but 20 songs was to much Quavo for me.
Many of the songs clock in at two minutes with majority of them just being the hook. At points I couldn’t tell if the hook was the beginning of a verse, but then he just kept repeating himself.
In the streaming era, many artists are creating lengthy albums to pad sales and streams. The Recording Industry Association of America counts 1,500 audio or video streams as one album sold.
“Quavo Huncho” is projected to sell 5,000 to 7,000 copies in its first week, a huge disappointment for one of the rap game’s hottest artists. If you are a fan of majority of the mainstream hip-hop out right now, check out the first half of the album and skip the rest.
2.5/5 stars
