From the start, it was pretty obvious that Quavo was the commercial star of Migos. He’s always had that ‘IT’ factor to me, dropping off some of the groups best hooks and shining on every song he was asked to feature on. After about seven years, he’s finally gotten a chance to shine all by his lonesome with “QUAVO HUNCHO.” 

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STREAM

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TOP 5

SINCE ALL THE TRACK TITLES ON THIS ALBUM ARE WRITTEN IN CAPITAL LETTERS, I’VE DECIDED TO WRITE A GOOD CHUNK OF THIS REVIEW USING THE SAME FORMAT.

 

 

HONORABLE MENTION. FLIP THE SWITCH

“FLIP THE SWITCH” kinda/sorta sounds like some vintage Juvenile s**t. On Quavo’s verses, he emulates the Cash Money Legends flow, using it to let himself and his chick know how much cooler they are compared to everyone else (How pompous is this n***a?). The pace he raps with is erratic, but still very infectious.

Drake is featured on this song, and he drops a dull/highly forgettable verse in which he talks about all the clout he currently possesses and the power he has to make a chick end up on his lap. the flow he raps with is decent, but I can’t get past the fact that he sounds like he’s sleep deprived throughout.

I would love to see a stripper flip the switch! Does she turn into venom or something?

 

 

 

5. BIGGEST ALLEY OOP

“BIGGEST ALLEY OOP” IS SMOOTH AS S**T! IT FEATURES SOME HUMMING BY MONA LISA THIS UNIDENTIFIED CHICK THAT SEMI-SCARES ME AND SEMI-EXCITES ME AT THE SAME TIME (IT’S WEIRD)! IT ALSO CONSISTS OF THIS FLUTE-HEAVY INSTRUMENTAL THAT IS SIMILAR TO WHAT HAS PRACTICALLY KEPT THE MIGOS AFLOAT FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS IN THEIR MUSIC. I LOVE HOW QUAVO NAVIGATES THROUGH THE INSTRUMENTAL RELYING ON A CHOPPY FLOW AND PURE SWAG, LYRICALLY DISMISSING HIS COMPETITION AND LETTING EVERYONE ELSE KNOW HOW REAL HE IS DESPITE ALL THE MONEY HE HAS EARNED THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

IN MY OPINION, THIS SONG IS THE PERFECT WAY TO OPEN UP THE ALBUM.

 

 

4. PASS OUT

ONLY TWO SONGS IN AND QUAVO HAS ALREADY GOT THE WRIST MOTION IN MID-SEASON FORM.

“PASS OUT” IS THAT ONE TRACK YOU WAVE OFF BIG BOOTY CHICKS THAT WANT TO DANCE WITH YOU TO IN FAVOR OF FOLDING YOUR ARMS LIKE BABY DID IN THE BREAKFAST CLUB INTERVIEW AND DOING THAT UGLY ASS SQUINTY FACE WITH YOUR HOMIES AT THE CORNER OF THE CLUB. THE BEAT TO IT IS INFECTIOUS, MAJORITY OF THE RAPS QUAVO GIVES US ARE ON SOME CATCHY S**T, AND SOMETHING ABOUT HIS LYRICAL CONTENT IS DAMN-THERE HYPNOTIZING. FOR A GOOD AMOUNT OF THIS SONG, I FELT LIKE I WAS UNDER HUNCHO’S SPELL!

21 SAVAGE IS FEATURED ON THIS SONG, AND ON THE REAL, HE PUTS UP A DAMN GOOD VERSE. HIS PUNCHLINES ARE ASTUTE, THE CHANGE OF PACE ON HIS FLOWS ARE IMPRESSIVE, AND AS USUAL, HIS PRESENCE IS FELT. BRAVO TO 21 FOR HIS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT!

ALL THAT ‘SKIRT, SKIRT, SKIRT’ QUAVO IS DOING ON THE HOOK MAKES IT SOUND LIKE HE’S MAKING A PAN OF MEAT LOAF FOR A FAMILY OF NINE.

 

 

OK, I’ve had enough of these damn capital letters…

 

TIE. RERUN

Travis Scott and Quavo’s chemistry is on point. I feel like they compliment each other’s sound really well, and don’t mind being experimental whenever they collaborate with one another. In “Rerun,” that is exactly what you get, as the ‘Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho’ tandem gives us something smooth with wavy vibes.

The premise of “RERUN” revolves around f**king with a chick so bad that you don’t mind spending money on her, putting up with her sexual preferences or letting her drive in cars that she clearly doesn’t know how to open the trunk to. I love how both Travis and Quavo get lost in the hypnotizing beat on their raps, practically sounding like their women come with a lifetime supply of bacon, too.

Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney duets < Travis Scott and Quavo duets.

 

 

TIE. BUBBLE GUM

Anytime Quavo sounds like a robot on a pop-inspired song, he’s undefeated.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the title of this song was crossover music. Yes, you do get some of that on this song, but it’s tastefully done.

Over this gentle yet heavy-hitting beat, Quavo does everything from give us nursery sounding bars to drop some raw ass lines. Content-wise, he switches between splurging/indulging in/on some chick to giving the middle finger to his competition, literally going back and forth between the two throughout. (Now that’s what I call a two-way player!)

Overall, I think “BUBBLE GUM” is too catchy to pass up (Corny but catchy).

 

 

2. SWING

“SWING” is easily Quavo’s most experimental/complete song on this album. On it, he raps/sings over this electrifying afro-beat that has a rhythm similar to French Montana’s “Unforgettable” hit (French Montana actually co-produced this song). I love the spotty flow he uses throughout, mainly because it fits the topsy-turvy nature of the instrumental. I also like how Quav appeases most of his audiences by mixing gutter lyrics with some club-inspired ones.

Normani takes “SWING to another level on her verse, adding a solid melody and vocal performance to it. Some may mistake her for whispering, but I think it’s her way of sounding sexy. (Everyone knows that one chick that thinks whispering is the only way to sound sexy, right?)

Davido, the most important feature here, closes the song out, and in my opinion, he s**ted out a mailed-in performance. I like how he provided the track with some authentic Naija vibes on his part, but I just felt like he could’ve done more on the vocal side of things. Nonetheless, his presence on this song definitely helps it.

 

 

1. WORKIN’ ME

I know this is Quavo’s joint, and I will get to his contributions on it shortly, but how about the production on this song by Murda Beatz? He killed this s**t, providing our Migos’ star with something that is cooler than the Fonz. Matter of fact, the beat is so good that the duo decided to let it run uninterrupted at the end.

Ok, now to Quavo…

On this track, the Atlanta product is cooler than ever, coasting through his verses without a care in the world. As expected, he gives us something catchy, but I was impressed with his insistence on dropping punchlines and willingness to ride the beat. I also love his bossy lyrical content, but it’s not imperative to his success here.

“Retire with the Bucks — JT” Is one of the best punchlines I’ve heard in a while.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. BIGGEST ALLEY OOP (4.5/5)

2. PASS OUT (4/5)

3. HUNCHO DREAMS (4/5)

4. FLIP THE SWITCH (4.5/5)

5. GIVE IT TO EM (3/5)

6. SHINE (3.5/5)

7. WORKIN’ ME (4.5/5)

8. HOW BOUT THAT? (3/5)

9. CHAMPAGNE ROSÈ (3.5/5)

10. KEEP THAT S**T (3/5)

11. FUCK 12 (3/5)

12. LOSE IT (4/5)

13. RERUN (4.5/5)

14. GO ALL THE WAY (3.5/5)

15. LAMB TALK (3.5/5)

16. BIG BRO (3/5)

17. SWING (4.5/5)

18. BUBBLE GUM (4.5/5)

19. LOST (4/5)

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OVERALL RATING

(C-)

 

Every song title on this album was written in capital letters, so this s**t was destined to be a classic, right? Unfortunately, it wasn’t at all…

Let’s start off with what I liked about Quavo Huncho: For one, the production on it was solid. I felt like it stayed true to what both himself and the rest of his Migos compadres are used to rapping over. For the most part, Quavo shows glimpses of his glaring star appeal on these beats, hammering through them with memorable melodies and undeniable bravado. I also felt like he experimented with a bunch of different sounds, ultimately ending up pretty successful — I’m talking commercial s**t (BUBBLE GUM), psychedelic s**t (LOST), gutter s**t (KEEP THAT SHIT), and whatever the hell you will call “CHAMPAGNE ROSÈ.”  So I definitely believe this album is capable of keeping your attention musically, it’s simply the little things that I have a problem with (Which I will outline in the second paragraph).

I’ve said that Quavo has star appeal a million times in this review (Especially when it comes to hooks and melodies), but in my opinion, that appeal is not enough to keep me interested in listening to him for nineteen straight tracks. I needed stronger content, I needed more energy from him, hell, I needed to hear rapping styles I haven’t heard from him already! Remember, for the last four years or so, Migos have dominated the rap world, dropping an abundance of singles/albums and showing up on just about everyone’s projects in that span. Their style is getting kind-of played out now, which is why I think a lot of people will find this album to be boring to listen to. (This is the exact reason why I wasn’t really rockin’ with “Culture II” like that either) I personally felt like adjustments in Quavo’s rapping approach was necessary, and he didn’t really give it to us much.

There is some really good features on this album: You have the other members of the Migos (Offset & Takeoff), Drake, Cardi B, Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, and even f**king Madonna! Most of them put up really good performances (Madonna, Cardi B, Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Kid Cudi and 21 Savage in particular), while others provided us with mailed-in ones (Drake and Davido). All in all, this aspect of the album was important for the fair-weather Migos fans, but meant absolutely nothing for the true ones.

Some will like “Quavo Huncho,” and some will hate it; I don’t think anyone will love it… It doesn’t push any boundaries or separate itself from the rest of the trap pack, something I expected it to do. You’ll get your opportunity to rock out to some of the bangers on it this week, but in all honesty, by next week, you’ll forget it existed.