It’s been nearly three years since Quavo’s last solo album. The 35-year-old trap legend in the making is older and wiser now, with a clearer vision of what he wants his legacy to represent. As one-third of Atlanta’s groundbreaking rap group Migos, the bando bandit has helped create flows and cadences that have utterly influenced and shaped Southern hip-hop’s sound after the likes of Jeezy and T.I. And that’s just one of the many contributions Quavo has unselfishly gifted to the culture.
From the lingo to the swag, he’s made a career out of being the blueprint for trappers to follow. With the spirit of his late nephew, Takeoff, guiding his musical efforts, the Grammy-nominated rapper is back with QRÖMELIFE, his third full-length LP. The project also marks the first time Quavo has locked in with a sole producer on an album. With Pharrell Williams steering the production ship, the Athens, Georgia native wasted no time in seizing the opportunity to create his most cohesive, genre-bending body of work to date.
Despite celebrating his album’s release with friends the night before, Quavo arrives early to the nondescript downtown Los Angeles studio with no entourage in sight. Just his security guard, assistant, and publicist. While he once walked into rooms with a football-team-sized crew, the former high school quarterback has traded his boyish habits for grown-man maneuvers. After a quick change into a black-and-white ensemble lined with white fur, Huncho is instantly focused and ready to talk. This is undoubtedly the most important release of his career.
Days before his album’s world premiere, Quavo sat down with VIBE to discuss his evolution as an artist, recording music on a yacht with Pharrell, reuniting with Offset for a new Migos album, and more.
[This interview has been condensed for clarity. Watch the full VIBE Q below.]
VIBE: Quavo, what’s up, man?
Quavo: What’s happening?
I mean, a lot, man. The album’s about to be out.
Yes, sir.
You partied last night in L.A. to celebrate QRÖMELIFE. Take us through that. How was it to be in the streets and see people react to the new album?
It feels good, man. It’s the lifestyle we’re pushing. We’re pushing QRÖMELIFE. That’s the way we’re coming out strong. New music, new sounds, and changing that algorithm again to the good side, to the trendy side of stuff.
People just can’t get over the fact that Pharrell sat down with you, produced nearly every song on the album, and executive produced it.
We recorded in some of the craziest places, like a 150-foot yacht in the middle of the ocean or at the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris. The inspiration was surrounding me. I was engulfed in inspiration, so I had to make hits. We was focusing on making the album short and sweet. 14 hits and no fillers, just all bangers.
And just from that little description, it sounds like it was a lavish process. You were probably seeing things at the Louis store that inspired you on the spot.
For sure. But at the same time, I came from the bando, you feel me? I come from the culture. I come from the greatest group in the world, so you already know what you’re getting when you hear me. You gettin’ that trap sound and Pharrell brings that elevated, skyscraper music. [He brings] some of that elevator music, some of that house music, some of that pop music, and still be trap at the same time. It’s the best of both worlds.
Photograph by MAIWENN RAOULT
And I don’t want to offend anybody, but for our generation, you have to say Pharrell’s almost like a Quincy Jones, right? Were there times when you were like, ‘Man, he’s pushing me too hard, or he’s trying to make me too pop or push me out of my comfort zone?’ Did you have those moments?
Most definitely. We had a lot of those moments, especially with the record “House Music,” but it ended up being my favorite song, and it’s probably going to end up being the world’s favorite song. We got Justin Timberlake on it. I understood the concept, and I had to goddamn get on that.
It’s a global song. They’ll play it at the World Cup. BTS will play it before their concert, etc. But did you know that when you heard Timberlake back in his early 2000s bag, and Pharrell really bringing that early Neptunes sound…
Oh, hell yeah. I seen the vision, and I also saw this documentary where Pharrell was on Justin Timberlake about his new sound and where he wanted to take him. It was kind of similar to what he was saying to me in some of the clips and vlogs we’ve posted. So I felt [I was in a place] where I knew, “Alright, the only way is up from here.”
Were you in the studio with J.T.?
It was an honor. And just knowing he came from being in one of the biggest groups to having one of the greatest solo careers of all time…I kind of see myself in his light or following the same path.
You’ve got some other big records on the album. On “Baby Breath,” you have Pharrell rapping like a 19-year-old trapper. Tyler, the Creator and A$AP Rocky are spazzing on the same record. Where did that song come from?
“Baby Breath” came [to me] like a year and a half ago. [Pharrell] had this beat where he was just popping his shit. We didn’t have no hook or nothing. It was just Pharrell rapping. I’m like, “Oh, I got to make sure I get on this because he ain’t rapped on a record in a minute.” And the way he’s talkin’ just sounds like The Neptunes, but [also] sounds like today. I did a verse the first time, then I did another one because I ain’t like it. I had to step up and go crazy. Then, later we got Tyler and Rocky on it, and they did the same thing. Everybody felt like they had to redo another verse because everybody wanted to say the sickest, craziest, dumbest shit.
Was the vision always to have Tyler and Rocky on the record?
Absolutely. We got to a point where we were like trying to make this motherfucker break the stage. We got a festival song. We got some shit that’s going to part the Red Sea. And then for the visuals, we wanted to set the bar so high and just be in a hundred million dollars worth of shit.
Tyler and Rocky—since day one—they always bigged up the Migos and loved our style, our swag, all the way down to the jewelry and the cadence of our raps. Just having them on the record is a blessing.
Photograph by MAIWENN RAOULT
On the track right after “Baby Breath,” you sampled a huge ’80s record, Shannon’s “Let the Music Play” for “Trance.” Was that Pharrell’s idea or yours?
I think he had the beat, and we was just trying to figure out how we wanted to approach it to make a record that’s going to be super, super broad, and everybody will attack it as soon as they hear the words. And when we came up with “Trance,” I didn’t even know it was an ’80s song till I played the record for P, our CEO.
What was crazy, “Trance” had to be one of the first records that we made, one of the first two records that we started cooking up. “Trance,” “Hit a Lick,” and “BA” were the first three songs that we made. So when P heard it, he got out of his seat and was like, “Man, whatever this record is … you got to finish it up!” I went back and had to do the second half because the first part I only had was [sings] “She started dancing, and her ass had me in a trance.” Then I took it somewhere else, and he was like, “Nah, you got to stay in the cadence.” So we went back and finished it.
I thank them for clearing the record, and it’s an honor to be able to repeat something that’s older. That’s how you know music is timeless.
You just mentioned P, man. I wanted to ask you how he was doing since his recent health scare.
He’s good. God is good. We check on him and make sure he’s good. It’s just another state that’s going to make him QRÖME. I think we’re living for a bigger message. We’re living for something bigger. We’ve done so much for the culture and done so much for the youth — for each other as artists and other artists — that I think this challenge is what’s going to make us QRÖME, and what’s going to push us for the next 10 to 15 years. God bless him. I know for a fact he’s up and running and ready to get back at it.
That’s a beautiful thing, man. I’m glad you brought up QRÖME again because I see a lot of Hypebeast kids getting confused, thinking the album title has something to do with the brand Chrome Hearts. But it has nothing to do with that. Is it about going through the storm and coming out as hard as chrome?
Right! Exactly! And evolving. As Migos would say, “We was in a cocoon and coming out of that shell, what you going to do?” I think I’m like a hologram, legacy [sports] card that you’re searching for in a pack. That one-of-one. What makes you a legend? What’s your stats? What made you chrome? It’s in your body. It’s in your blood. You bleed it.
And people ask us how we do [so much] shit. We’re like, “This is in our chromosomes. We’re just pushing chrome.” It’s in us. It’s a way of life and shit. That’s what we live by. No matter what we go through, we’re solid as chrome, and we reflect chrome. You look at yourself in the mirror. You can look at another person and try to ask him what he’s been through, but you know what he’s been through. You see it on him. You see his battle scars. You see his war wounds, and he’s still standing. He’s still pushing chrome.
Was there anything left off the album? Any songs where you’re like, “Oh, I wish I could have included this”—
No, I think we got it right. Anybody else? We left them [off] on purpose. [There is] only [one] thing, of course: Takeoff. I would have loved for him to be on my album. It was a nail-biting situation [of] whether [or not] I wanted to put it [his verses] on there. I want to value all his stuff right now … I ain’t want to be selfish. He’s on every last one of them [my other albums]. I’m really kind of mad at myself about that.
I want to take it back to the first track, “Backwards.” You got T.I. on it, an ATL legend. Is that Jermaine Dupri doing the ad-libs?
Yeah, I had to have the other ad-lib goat come dress it up. I just wanted to make an ATL anthem, man. And then having Pharrell [involved], there’s all types of legacy on the [record]. I’m just honored to have them on it, and them acknowledge me as the second legend. It’s like we’re passing the torch and just keeping it going. [The song] is saying we ain’t moving backwards. We trying to do shit. We spending so much money. We can spin it backward. We can count it backwards. We want to throw it backwards. That’s what Atlanta is the mecca of … I had to put some nostalgia on it.
How did it feel to reunite with Offset on the album?
It’s a blessing, man. It feels good. The chemistry feels like Kobe and Shaq; they’ve got a goal to reach. [Like] they’re playing for Pat Riley, or maybe he’s not here. Or they lost a soldier that’s on the team. It’s like, “What are we going to do to honor him [Takeoff]? What are we going to do to make everybody feel his presence and, at the same time, feel the energy from us, get that chemistry back, and keep it flowing?” I think that’s where we’re at: getting in the studio and cooking, talking, and relaxing. Going out partying will help comfort that missing piece, but it’ll never fill the gap. We know Migos will never be the same without Takeoff, but we’re going to try our best to feed the fans what we didn’t finish.
And that’s collective verses from Take. That’s verses from ‘Set, verses from me. That’s songs from Migos, songs that we didn’t put out. Songs that we can reconstruct. And I think we’re getting somewhere. Y’all are going to really start seeing how we play it, because it’s not going to feel like [Takeoff] is not here. It’s not going to feel like he’s missing. He’s going to play a big part of the whole thing.
That’s amazing. So another Migos album is definitely going to happen?
We’re gettin’ there.
Photograph by MAIWENN RAOULT
When you guys did your first song with Pharrell — I believe it was “Stir Fry” — critics just couldn’t believe you spazzed like that. They were still doubting the talent.
And then with “Bad and Boujee,” they thought we couldn’t do it again. With Culture, they thought we weren’t going to do another Number One album again. Even with my first album … I think it debuted at Number Two or Three, and I did it [while] on the road with Drake in hotels across 50 states. It still showed that we’re trendsetters, and we’re here to stay.
Speaking of Drake, I know you guys have so many unreleased songs. Are we going to hear a Drizzy and Migos collab on either of your albums?
That I don’t know, but I hope so. I didn’t know “Shebang” was happening [on Iceman] either. He goes Michael Jackson mode sometimes and goes caveman before he drops, so I hope so. I’m pretty sure we got some archive shit that he can release. I feel like [our] relationship has run so deep into our careers that it’s always been love. Whenever we see each other, we’re like good ball player buddies. The interesting thing with me and him is when we go on the road, we’re always competing.
So there’s still friendly competition?
Oh, yeah. They used to call me “superstar” around the [Drake] tour, and he knows I would love to share the light he got and touch the people he touched. That’s how we did it on the road. So shout out to the dog, and he know we all some dogs.
Hip-hop fans who’ve followed Migos’ journey will never forget what you guys have done in music and your influence on other artists around the world. As you’ve gotten older, do you ever think about your legacy?
Not really. I feel like I enjoy the inspiration and people telling me I inspired them. You know when Little Richard was saying that shit [about how] he had Mick Jagger on the couch sleeping? It’s like I’d rather be rewarded now than later for stuff like that. And I feel like us, as a group, a lot of that stuff was taken away from us. Now, as a solo artist, I want to hit those spots again and make that shit. A lot of trendsetters aren’t the ones who get the longevity run; it’s always the ones who take the sauce. I want to be the one to reclaim the sauce and come to for that swag. Give me my swag.
I remember when you all [Migos] were coming up. Young Scooter (rest in peace) was really popping. Peewee Longway, Ralo. You came in with them, but you were one of the younger ones. YSL has a new generation. ØWay, Opium with Playboy Carti, and all that. Do you feel like there’s a whole new guard of Atlanta right now?
I fuck with all them young niggas, man. Them boys cool. They students of the game. You know I’m mean? They respect what we brought to the table. [If there’s] anything they need, I’m there for them.
The Migos “Hotel Lobby” AI trend has been going around, and I’ve seen you repost a few. Which one has been your favorite so far?
I’ve seen two Spider-Men. I’ve seen the Tom Holland one. I’ve seen Batman [and] Joker. The one that stood out to me the most: Michelle Obama and Barack Obama … Elon Musk with the guy who really created AI [Sam Altman]. I think that shit was crazy. That was an out-of-body experience from some other entity. I personally think that came from my brother Takeoff fucking with me. I think that’s where that came from completely, bro. I don’t even know where that trend started. The timing is the reason, I do know.
Something that will also make you tougher is fatherhood. I know you already have a son, but with the birth of your first daughter, how are you handling the change and new responsibility?
Just being that warrior. You got to go out and get it. It gives you fire fuel. I look at life like [what if] we were in medieval times. You would just fend for your family. You would go out and have to kill and bring back [food] and [provide] shelter. So when you look at [parenthood] in today’s world, it’s like you’ve got to make sure you show respect and appreciate the mother [of your kids]. Make sure you’re doing everything you could do for your kids. I think everybody’s learning experience is different. It depends on how you was raised. I just want to be a man in my children’s life because my daddy died when I was four. I just want to be around. I just want to be alive and just be present.
I want to talk about you growing up in Gwinnett County. For a lot of people that aren’t familiar with the North [Atlanta area], that’s probably the most multicultural part.
It [definitely] had an influence on us. Because I came from Athens, bro. It was either left or right, so I got the best of both worlds when I left there in the eighth grade. I cried like a baby because I didn’t understand. But at the time, my mama was on Section 8; she was just trying to finesse [the system]. And I think Gwinnett gave us a chance [to be] in the middle. That’s how I started meeting all my friends. It was so diverse and mixed. There was a lot of Hispanics and Asians. A lot of them stayed in my neighborhood. We had all those different worlds [mixed], which kind of changed my accent, helped me talk a little bit proper because they thought I was country as a motherfucker coming from Athens. And it kind of groomed us until getting into the real world. It was kind of like our college. Just being in that diverse area. I think that’s the beauty of the North. I think that’s why Druski is so big.
One last thing, what advice would you give to up-and-coming rappers right now?
Viral ain’t viral. Viral is really God’s timing at the end of the day. That being said, the perfect example is the “Hotel Lobby” video. Four years ago when it dropped, it didn’t go as big as it did today. You can’t rush time, [but] make sure when you’re trying to go viral that it’s organic and authentic. Just believe in your vision, trust your vision. And even if you got higher powers [behind you] that don’t understand the vision, you just got to prove them wrong. And even at your highest peak, even at the best, craziest part of your life, you still got to prove motherfuckers wrong every time. You can’t just get into a comfort zone to where you think you got it.
