Since Migos broke out with “Versace” in 2013, Quavo stood out. His melodies and penchant for making trap records sound as divine as gospel hymns naturally made fans gravitate towards him. When he was featured in the criminally underrated deep cut, "Oh My Dis Side," off Travis Scott’s Rodeo album in 2015, an industry-wide lightbulb went off. His star potential was realized and requests for guest appearances came by the dozen. Nonetheless, no solo body of work was released and there was no timetable for when a project, if ever, was actually coming out. Instead, he chose to lend his voice to other artists.
Following a strong string of solo features in 2016 and Migos’ Culture LP catapulting the trio into superstardom, Quavo went on an insane, Golden State Warriors-eque run. It began with assisting on 2 Chainz’s “Good Drank," which peaked at No. 70 on the Hot 100, and continued with Post Malone’s "Congratulations" (peaking at No. 8), DJ Khalid’s “I’m the One” (peaking at No. 1), Drake’s “Portland” (peaking at No. 9), Liam Payne’s "Strip That Down" (peaking at No. 10) and Major Lazer’s “Know No Better" (peaking at No. 87). He showed versatility, range and a knack for creating catchy melodies and memorable lyrics.
The Migos frontman discusses stepping out on his own with his forthcoming solo album.
The three records are coming off a project of my own. We’re all getting a good month of expressing ourselves and doing our own thing. It’s just an intermission for us to get out our expressions off equally.
Yup.
We’ve always had music stocked up, each of us on our own. That’s how we always had worked, the previous Migos records. We always go work on them first and then one person would be on the song and then we just make each other do homework. So now it's just like we completing our own songs.
Takeoff growing, he the youngest one out camp and we always want to make sure he that golden child, he the one. To me we look at him like he’s our franchise rookie player, you know what I'm saying?
He likes to work and mind his business. He doesn’t like to be involved in a lot of things, he just just likes to make good music for the people.
That was never calculated. It was just about me having all these features out and everybody assuming that I was gonna do like a solo career. I got too much music. I got to channel it somewhere. So dropping the solo project is a good way to do it.
It doesn’t bother us at all. We brothers, we talk about everything. So if I got [to] answer by dropping a solo project and we can do it.
Perfect timing but then again, like I had another project, it was just like with somebody else on it. So we just trying to find each Migo and then that'll make the group a lot stronger. We’re going off on this quick journey to make our group stronger.
Oh, we've got a project with a different artist, it's just wasn't the right time for it to drop. And before we was dealing with a label problem, but it was a great album and it was Migos.
I'm thinking about putting it on my project.
It did good, but we waited too long. We were the first ones to announce the duo since Future and Drake did theirs. We waited too long. I think it was just about timing.
We were together a lot. We made a lot of projects. We made a lot of songs. We still got some big records.
Fasho, we’re going to keep working. We got a lot of stuff in the bag.
Modern day top five.
A lot of influence and I’m a resource. If we take it away, it [will] be a domino effect. Like a natural resource, if you take it away, it's going to effect essentially the world. If you take me or the Migos away from this game, a lot of changes. A lot of people won’t be around.
When I was coming in and everybody taking our flow, I didn't really try to diss everybody ‘cause I knew on my way up I was gonna have to see all the artists and see the people who I was influencing. It's all money at the end of the day. If they want to work, we go get the bag. We came from the struggle. We came from a whole another type of struggle. We came from a different side where we were doing other things to get the bag. So if you want to take my flow, I was just gonna eat you up on the track and take it to the top and we’re going to kill.
It’s been happening this year real good, this really my first year. It's kinda weird to me to see some people make the music because I ain’t never did it. I like it though.
Nah, I just put my sauce on the music.
I just try to be humble as possible. You might see me in Mcdonald's or something and be like, “wow, he in Mcdonald’s.” We all came from the same spot, you know what I'm saying? Ain't nothing was handed to me. I grind for everything that I got. I worked for everything I got and I want to show the people that it can be done. It can be done through sports, it can be done through rapping, however avenue you do it. You always got personal rapper you can look up to, me, because I'm always helping you out or giving you good advice. I’m down to earth. I ain’t bougie but I’m bad.
People getting too caught up in looking at numbers and blogs — caught up into looking at numbers besides the music. When I’m making music, I ain't never chased no charts. Ain't never looked at no charts or worried about who's doing what. The music is going to sell itself. Once you put your product out, you gotta put it in whatever hands you believe in. I put it in God's hands. I don’t put it in no charts, no billboards, no blog sites hands and worrying about what it is doing. Music grows, it's like a seed. You plant the seed and you go watch it grow. You never watch no tree jump straight out the soil.
I just need to be wealthy and I’ll be alright. I’ll figure it out later. I’m trying chase my goals and making my parents proud of me and keep working and dropping new music and keep creating. I can’t never stop creating, when you stop creating you’re dead.
[Laughs] Just discovering.
Probably the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
When I played ball I wanted to be in the basketball Hall of Fame, when I played football I wanted to be in the football Hall of Fame, now we’re doing rap. Rock and Roll is all music so I’ll do that.
Feels good. It's a blessing. It just natural though because I kinda grew up in same vicinity as all those guys that’s playing in the league now. I either ran into him playing ball or seen them growing up watching them play. So like all the guys that’s in the league now we all kind of grew up doing the same age or even close to each other or even sometimes playing against each other. I played against a lot of cats in high school that’s in the league in football. In basketball, I would just pop up on different tournaments and checking in with the boys before they even started their careers.
We all played ball in high school, we played AAU, and I couldn't really play basketball in high school because my grades always slipped during that second semester. So first semester I play football then it would get tough for me I guess at the end of the semester. So by second semester I always never made team and then I’ll go play AAU and they be like, “damn this dude can really hoop.” I used to play all the guys.
I run with my boys but lately we've been playing against Drake. Travis be pulling up. [We] had a game yesterday. He won one, we won one. But it’s just fun. It's good to see everybody want to play sports too. So I kinda think that I’m starting that wave up, getting everybody back on the court and everybody to do something other than just sitting in the studio all day. You got to enjoy life.
Drake can hoop, Drake and his team can hoop. He got a nice team. Tubbs can hoop, over there with Drake. Travis got a nice shot but he fouls a lot. Don't let him guard you cause he foul too fuckin’ much. I wanted to punch the shit out of him yesterday. [laughs]
That’s his real shot.
He ended the game yesterday at the end of the game. Only bucket he made. He ain’t made no bucket all day. [laughs]
Lil Durk is pretty good too, I just ain't played against him. I was about to play against him in Chicago and the Goddamn police was outside. But it's all, it's all fun and games and everybody can hopp, everybody is my partnas. I look at it like my family, my brothers, my boys and so we step on that court and all the ego out of the way. We just ballin’.
I think being [that] Colin [Kaepernick] is one of my close friends, I feel like fighting for what's right is the best thing you’re supposed to do, whether you're getting paid playing or whether you’re just playing. Rules is rules and what’s right is what’s right. Standing against something that's causing issues in community helps way more than just being on the field because of the whole community come see play and the whole in our community to come buy your tickets and the whole community buys your jersey. So I feel like having people behind you is way more important than just standing for something you get paid to do.
Yup, later down the line. Hopefully if I could I could be the youngest. I got good friends over there at the Atlanta Hawks so I just play my role and just staying focused on my job and being the best artist I can be and it will all fall into place.
Instead of dropping a solo album, Quavo linked up with Travis Scott to drop the collaborative LP Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho and followed that up at the top of 2018 with Migos’ Culture II. But after a few detours, it's finally time. Five years after exploding onto the scene, fans get to finally get an entire project led by his vision. Quavo Huncho, his upcoming solo debut album, drops later this year.
He has always put the emphasis on being a team player but Quavo is ready to step into the spotlight on his own. “I ain't never held back about nothing,” Quavo tells HYPEBEAST. “The only thing you're going to get is Quavo Huncho on this album and that's it.” Below, Quavo discusses the process behind making Quavo Huncho, what’s next for Migos, his maturation, playing basketball with Drake and Travis Scott, plus Colin Kaepernick.
Frames- Fairfax Optical Lab, Coat- Louis Vuitton, Track Jacket- Margiela, Track Pant- Margiela
Opposite: Frames- Fairfax Optical Lab, Jacket- Prada, T-Shirt- The Webster SOHO @THEWEBSTER, Pant- Stylists Own
Frames- Fairfax Optical Lab, T-shirt- Acne Studios, Jacket- Doublet
Hat- Alyx, Glasses- Stylist’s Own, T-Shirt- Chrome Hearts, Pants- Alyx
Sneakers- The Webster SOHO @THEWEBSTER
