“I’m sick of these Soundcloud rappers bruh. When is Migos playing?” said the guy next to me.
That guy had his finger on the pulse of the crowd (which I was part of). We were all restless to see one of the bigger rap groups this side of Future.
Migos played the Coppin State University homecoming and I had managed to snag tickets along with two other friends. The concert took place at the Coppin State University Physical Education Complex and was titled Bad and Boujee!, with its namesake coming from Migos’ chart-topping hit. The event, which took place on Feb. 8, was one of many events heralding Coppin State’s Homecoming, and it was a lively affair.
This homecoming comes on the heels of their Homecoming 2016 that also featured rappers Tory Lanez and Wale (which, gotta say, is pound for pound better than our own offerings of Shwayze and The Chainsmokers, depending on how you stand on the EDM to rap music scale).
Before I go into the show itself, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least give a bit of a prelude to Migos. Well, lets be fair here, if you read our section, you probably listen to Migos. Our own Will Kirsch wrote a review for their album Culture which was released this past January. The rap group is absolutely huge right now, with their hits, “Bad and Boujee” as well as “T-Shirt” making for a great Saturday night for anyone seeking one.
In the hours before the concert, controversy struck. In an interview with Rolling Stone, they came under fire for their comments on fellow rapper iLoveMakonnen after he came out of the closet.
“I mention support I saw online for Makonnen’s decision. ‘They supported him?’ Quavo asks, raising an eyebrow. ‘That’s because the world is f**ked up,’ says Offset.” Rolling Stone’s writer Jonah Weiner wrote.
The internet blew up with news of Migos’ homophobia, and rightfully so. It served as a reminder that even though rap is can be progressive in the ways that it touches certain topics, there is still much prevalent homophobia and sexism in the art form. Migos soon after put forth an apology that was awkwardly worded at best but the sting from their comments is still there.
Makonnen’s response seemed to be more towards spreading love than striking back at the popular rap group.
In the hours before the performance, my friends and I spoke about whether the group would address the controversy at the performance and whether or not the audience would care.
For the most part, they didn’t, but there murmurs about the scandal within the crowd.
Yet, when the group hit the stage after a long period of openers (some were actually really good), they were immediately all that mattered. The group didn’t hit on many of their deep cuts but rather more of their recent hits.
One of the first songs they played however was their earlier hit, “Hannah Montana,” and the crowd shouted the refrain, “I got molly, I got white, I been trappin’, trappin’, trappin, trappin’ all damn night!”
Another big question about the show was: Would Quavo do any solos? He’s seen as the member of the group with the best legs for post-Migos success, and he has a number of features that have seen notable fame.
The answer to that previous question is yes. He played a song that he featured on.
Towards the mid-point of their set, they went into “T-Shirt,” which was inevitable and amazing.
The group finished their set with their biggest hit, “Bad and Boujee,” which went over about as well as you’d assume it would.
The crowd got rowdy and jumped with the group as they rapped and shouted out any of the hundreds of ad-libs for the song. Instant success.
The song went over so well that they played it again, with the crowd maintaining their hype for the song (though it wasn’t close to what was there for the song’s first go-round).
The group left the stage without much fanfare. This show was pretty good. Could’ve been longer, but hey, maybe that’s a sign of a good show.
Or maybe that’s a sign of them playing for around 40 minutes?
Migos play at Echostage in Washington, D.C. on March 12, part of their tour throughout the United States.
