Photo By: Ryan Muir

With a major co-sign from Drake, Migos have officially broken outside of their world in the Atlanta club scene. Quavo and TakeOff are currently operating as a duo since their third member, Offset, is serving time for a probation violation charge. Still, the pair don’t believe that is a setback. In fact, they see it as motivation to work harder, consistently reminding anyone who interviews them that Offset will be home soon. Once their third Bando brother comes out, it’s back to grinding and making moves.

Until Migos is whole again, Quavo and TakeOff will attempt to put everything on their shoulders to try and make it big. Their two biggest singles—“Bando” and “Versace”—have been a strong start, with both records burning up the clubs of late. “Versace” has gained the most traction, with the Zaytoven-produced banger evolving into the most ubiquitous beat in hip-hop. Part of their recent success comes from the recently-released mixtape, Young Rich Niggas, which has over 1.8 million views on LiveMixtapes. Another part has to do with their work ethic, which attracted local artist-manager Coach K—who oversaw the careers of Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane—to assist in guiding the group.

“What really got me was they invited me out to Mansion,” K tells XXL on seeing them live for the first time. “They performed like seven songs. The whole crowd—it was probably like 1,500 to 2,000 kids—the whole club was singing shit, word for word. Every last song. After that I was like, ‘What are we doing? Let’s go.’"

If their buzz is any indication of what's to come, it looks like K will have his hands full soon. XXL had an opportunity to speak with Migos during their week-long press run in New York. While our discussion was straightforward, the duo opened up about building buzz,working with Zaytoven and Soulja Boy, and whether a major label deal is in their sights. After all, it's on to the next one.—Eric Diep (@E_Diep)

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On the Migos Movement

Quavo: We were born in Athens. The movement started in the Northside. Gwinnett County. That started around, I want to say 10th grade in high school. That’s where the whole movement really started. The whole Migos movement. We brought it all together.

TakeOff: That was my 7th grade.

Quavo: We brought it all together when find out more information about Gwinnett County. We [found] out that was the hub for the cartels. We just took it and ran with it and grown with it from there.

TakeOff: Put it on our back.

Quavo: Stay in the clubs. Stay consistent. Dropping hits.

On life in Athens

Quavo: I wouldn’t say [it was easy or hard], you just gotta get it on your own and find your own way. There ain’t too many people making it family. Because it’s so diverse in they county. You got people from New York. You got people from Cali. You got people from here. You can’t really just befriend them. The people I just ran with I just kept it tight.

TakeOff: Same people.

On Offset's prison stint

Quavo: [Offset] has been gone since late January.

TakeOff: We talk to him every day.

Quavo: We keep him updated on everything. He always wants to know what’s going on. He call a lot.

TakeOff: Back to back to back.

Quavo: I’d do the same thing too. [We got] a couple of verses from him. We got one song that’s probably gonna leak with him talking on it, but he ain’t do no verse.

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On their recording process

Quavo: 15 to 20 minutes, you got a song. 45 minutes, you got two songs. Two hours, you got three songs.

TakeOff: It keeps adding up. Full songs, though, not just a chorus.

Quavo: A full day, you have about seven songs. A week, you got a mixtape. And a month, you got a catalogue. Two months, you got a vault. You want me to keep going?

TakeOff: [Laughs]

Influences

Quavo: Pure Southern rap. Just all southern rap.

TakeOff: OutKast.

Quavo: All Southern rap got something to make your head bob. You know? All Southern rap. Every rap from the South we like. I ain’t saying I don’t fuck with [other regions of rap], I just don’t like to listen to it.

TakeOff: I just prefer to listen to the South. It’s all cool though.

Quavo: I ain’t saying what they make ain’t hard.

TakeOff: I really just listen to the Southside, my music.

Quavo: [Gucci or Outkast’s music] was inspiration.

TakeOff: Just looking at them, we wanted to be in the same lane.

Quavo: You can’t put yourself behind nobody anyway like that. You gotta take bits and pieces and put it in your own way. Your own life experiences.

TakeOff: We’ve always liked music.

Quavo: All the Southern rap. We just looked up to everybody and just decided to put our words together and do it. And go in. It was all throughout high school, we was already playing around with it. We just always been rapping. After high school, we just really put out our own money to our sales. Just trying to take it from there and run with it.

TakeOff: Going to the clubs. Every weekend. Every Friday, Mansion Elan. Saturday, Obsessions. Going to get your music played. Showing your face.

Quavo: Even before the big clubs, we just stayed consistent in the little clubs in Gwinnett. Like Flamingo, Luckie’s, Sky Lounge, Liquid Lounge. Like, we took over all the clubs in Gwinnett. Every time, we just graduate. Like graduate to a club, a club, a club.

TakeOff: Staying consistent and keep on pushing.

Quavo: “Bando” is still hot.

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On Y.R.N.

Quavo: We took a couple of songs off, but we had a tape in there for a minute. We only put two new songs.

TakeOff: “Hannah Montana” and "Rich And Famous." Those were the only two new songs on there really.

Quavo: The rest of them, we made them at the house. We mixed and recorded everything. All from the home studio. We don’t try to focus on the reaction. We just try to stay blessed and stay humble and stay working on what we do. I just hope people listen to it.

TakeOff: Third mixtape to get a million.

Quavo: I don’t know how it’s doing, all I know that it says a million. You know what I am saying? I am satisfied with that and I am going to keep making more music.

On working with Zaytoven

TakeOff: We love Zaytoven’s beats.

Quavo: Phenom. Mercy. That’s the home team right there.

TakeOff: We grew up listening to Zaytoven’s beats.

Quavo: It just shows you that hard work pays off.

TakeOff: It just shows you that hard work pays off and we are really grinding. Just thinking about like yesterday, we were just looking at Zaytoven’s beats. And he put us on it and we cooling it. Everything.

Quavo: We got a vault with Zaytoven. We don’t got a mixtape, we got a lot of stuff with Zaytoven. He make ‘em how we just make songs. He makes like five, six a day. Fast.

On working with Soulja Boy

Quavo: Soulja Boy do what he want to do.

TakeOff: He gonna do what he want to do.

Quavo: Shout out to Soulja Boy. We actually got five, six songs with him. We might end up dropping a mixtape with him.

On meeting Coach K:

Quavo: You know he’s a veteran in the game. It’s just like Phil Jackson coming to coach a high school basketball team. You gotta listen to him.

TakeOff: You know he gonna do you right.

Quavo: Somebody knocked on the door and left him in a basket.

TakeOff: [Laughs]

Next steps

Quavo: We indie forever. Because what’s the purpose of [signing to a major label?] I don’t understand the purpose of moving and losing.

TakeOff: What they do, we can’t do. And evening better.

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