This year’s artists and works

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『Only Built for Infinity Links』
Quavo Take Off
UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN

One thing that rappers have that rock musicians don’t have is that cousins ​​tend to form groups together. The reason is the high rate of single mothers in African-American families. When the mother goes out to work, she leaves her children with her mother (the child’s grandmother), who also looks after the children of the mother’s sisters, so the grandchildren start rapping together and go professional. Sometimes the grandmother is still young and is raising children the same age as her grandchildren, in which case an uncle and nephew form a group. If you don’t get it, just imagine Katsuo and Tara-chan from “Sazae-san” as rappers.

The greatest rap trio ever born in Atlanta, Migos, is a group consisting of Quavo (Katsuo), his cousin Offset, and Takeoff (Tara-chan). Their distinctive features are that they all look alike (because they are relatives), and the combination of the three rappers taking turns to come forward is a strange one. They have been rapping together since they were young, and they can perform complex formations without any prior discussion. Moreover, the lyrics are completely improvised. It is amazing that most songs were written and recorded in less than 15 minutes.

But Migos went on hiatus when Offset, who married Cardi B, the number one female rapper, said, “It’s lame to hang out with relatives forever,” and decided to pursue a solo career. The two remaining members released an album as a duo called “Only Built for Infinity Links,” and spoke passionately about the eternal bond between uncle and nephew, but in November 2022, tragedy struck. Takeoff was shot dead at a bowling alley in Texas while on promotion. He was 28 years old. I can’t listen to those three rappers again. Death by gunfire is “a common thing for rappers,” but I can’t help but wish it would go away.

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