QUAVO “ROCKET POWER’ BREAKDOWN

It is impossible to talk about Quavo’s “Rocket Power” without also talking about Takeoff. If you didn’t already know, Quavo was linked to his fellow Migos rapper by blood; they were uncle and nephew. The album is dedicated to him. His passing in November of last year still makes me sad almost a year later. Although there is a chance that justice may be served as a result of his suspected killer’s indictment, Takeoff won’t return as a result. For the rest of his life, Quavo would constantly be troubled by his recollection.

Quavo’s decision to leave the rap game was one I wouldn’t have blamed. It would have been perfectly OK for him to abandon this record unfinished and simply walk away, even if he was already working on it when his nephew was killed. After losing someone so dear to you in an act of senseless violence, how can you carry on? If you don’t agree with my generalization, feel free to disagree. If you’re reading this, you probably enjoy rap music and hip-hop culture. It’s important to you.

It comes from your heart. We receive more physical hits annually that throw off the rhythm of our hearts. It’s reasonable to wonder how much longer you can bear before it hurts too much to go on when one rap artist after another is killed and nothing appears to change.

Quavo managed to finish “Rocket Power” despite suffering more than any of us and even featured his deceased nephew on tracks like “Patty Cake.” Part of what made Migos so contagious was the undeniable connection that “Unc and Phew” had together. Although it was widely reported that the two fell out with Offset, it seems that Takeoff’s passing put an end to the feud because Quavo and Offset got back together to honor him. Even while it’s unclear what this implies for the group’s future, it at least offers room for future collaboration. Notably, none of the 18 songs on this album (which last 51 minutes and change) feature Offset.

However, Future, a longtime buddy and fellow rapper from Georgia, is present on “Turn Yo Clic Up” and “Back Where It Begins.” Rapper Young Thug, who is presently behind bars, featured on “Focused.” The fact that he was imprisoned on RICO charges by the same Fulton County District Attorney who also brought them against… let’s not mention the Devil’s name for fear of invoking his appearance—is the height of irony in my eyes. The 14th Amendment will be all I say before I go on. Hunxho and BabyDrill are the only other notable guests on “Stain.”

This indicates that Quavo’s “Rocket Power” centers on him, as it should. Too many solo albums treat the billed artist like a featured guest on their own album, packing in so many cameos that you start to question who the real lead singer is. Quavo jokes on “11.11” that “All Eyez On Me but I’m no Tupac.” Since he keeps running into references to “Death Around the Corner” everywhere he turns, I’d expect him to be quoting from ‘Pac by now. It’s challenging to contribute much more to the subject of Quavo’s style than what I have said about his earlier albums. He is a singing rapper, but he is not one of the emcees that uses singing to cover up the fact that they have nothing to say. Pooh Beatz, Murda Beatz, Bnyx, DJ Durel, and Buddah Bless are just a few of the producers who go above and beyond to make sure you hear every word.

Quavo doesn’t seem me as being concerned with violence like individuals in his demographic or younger. This could be because of the loss of his nephew or because I’m only now noticing it on a solo album. Although you can’t describe him as a conscious or political rapper, you also don’t get the impression that he uses every song to diss his opps. The majority of Quavo’s “Rocket Power” is wonderful vibrations, especially the title track. I was 17 and kicking doors bright and early. My father had to accompany me to visit my favorite aunt Shirley. I assured my mother that she should not worry. He tells stories. Those stories involve trapping, which occasionally necessitates self-defense, but he isn’t starting fights.

But that gets us right back to Takeoff. I’m going to say it again in general: none of us were present when he was shot. If so, there’s no need to tell me because (1) I don’t need to know that and (2) you should probably keep your information for the case to catch his killer. We are unsure of the precise reason of the incident.

There are many possibilities, but we must trust the prosecution to turn theories into facts and imprison the individual who took Takeoff’s life. Although it is touching to dedicate “Rocket Power” to him and include him in songs, it cannot revive his physical form. We need to do more than just express our condolences for his passing and listen to Quavo’s record in order to address the ongoing violence in rap. Every year, I keep insisting that this thing must change, but it never does.