Culture III

by Migos

Released June 11, 2021 via Capitol Records / Motown Records / Quality Control Music

Reviewed June 22, 2021

Top tracks (based on community voting)

Avalanche (69%), Need It (34%), Straightenin (26%)

Culture III did well enough to surpass expectations, but unfortunately, the expectations were low enough to begin with. Each Migo does well enough to have some of the best performances of their careers, especially on songs like “Vaccine,” “Roadrunner,” and “Avalanche.” And the sum of their parts, combined with their chemistry, is a great reminder of what made them shine to begin with. Additionally, the production is one of the best off any Migos album, and definitely the type that takes them out of their comfort zone the most. But it’s far too long to be anything other than individual tracks used for playlist fodde. There are plenty of quality tracks to be found on Culture III, but unfortunately, it’s clear as day that we’ll never get prime Migos again. – Alan (6.7/10)

On Culture III, Migos experience a creative trend upward in their return to group form after a three-year hiatus. Granted, you won’t find much worse from the trio than the abysmal 105-minute Culture II, and now Culture III serves as a modest rekindling to a flame that once stood ten feet tall. Three years is nearly an eternity in the scope of trap music trends and standards, thus returning to pole position in the subgenre is easier said than done for this stable of emcees. In their best moments, such as “Avalanche,” or “Need It,” Migos engage the listener in the manner of a three-headed monster and stand out with instrumentals that are unique to the rest of the album. Bookended by Drake and Pop Smoke features that provide massive momentum to the record, Culture III is a valley of songs that range from okay to solid, for an album that is once again bloated, but more memorable than not in most places. It’s not the elite trap status from their mixtape and early album days, but Culture III is worthy of a few rewinds. – DeVán (6/10)

With the third installment of the Culture series, it is safe to say the Migos lost their flare. For several years they dominated the music scene with albums, singles, features, and solo spin-offs. Unfortunately, they don’t captivate like the Migos of old. Takeoff deserves the award for his performance on this project, as he brings bar after bar and offers a nice break from Offset’s tired flow and Quavo’s braggadocious hooks. For all intents and purposes, this album is exactly what we should have expected; it is listenable and contains a couple of repetitive club hits, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing new or all that impressive. – Daniel (4/10)

The first installment in Migos’ Culture trilogy consisted of back-to-back hits that revitalised their sound—and in turn, a lot of mainstream trap—but the hype seems to have got to them. The best moments of Culture II were infrequent amongst a bloated tracklist, and Culture III continues this downward trend; it sacrifices originality for harmless, run-of-the-mill trap that streaming services can sneak into playlists to bulk them up. This is really disappointing, especially since there’s no trace of engaging with the “culture,” save for anything that’s already been repeated numerous times on previous records. The features don’t contribute much either. Posthumous shoe-horns like Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD offer some exception, especially as the latter appears over string embellishments toward the tail end of “Antisocial.” The slick samples on “Avalanche” are nice too, but considering this is the first track on a 75-minute album, getting the good stuff immediately and suffering for the rest of the runtime isn’t the best approach. There’s nothing profound to say about Culture III, and that’s because it doesn’t really say anything itself. – Cam (3/10)