David Banner has never been shy about telling the truth. This made it easy for him to admit that the Migos created a movement that has changed rap music forever.
During a recent conversation with the HipHop Uncensored podcast, the 47-year-old Mississippi native explained that Southern hip-hop’s contributions are still being overlooked—especially when it comes to etching the younger generation’s impact in the history books. In the process, he praised the Migos while condemning the industry for pretending Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff aren’t their muses.
“I watched the whole industry jack the Migos’ style, jack the way that they rapping, and then they get on TV and act like they didn’t just rip them boys’ style off,” Banner said near the two-minute mark in the clip above. “You know? And we just can’t just say ‘Aye, man. Them folks dope.’”
Although the Migos deserve all of this praise, Banner was using them as an example to explain how hip-hop history is often skewed and undermines contributions from other areas. After explaining that Master P’s No Limit changed the way music was produced and the speed at which it was created, Banner stated that it’s on the residents of these regions to make sure their cultural figures are respected.
“Southerners don’t give Southerners credit so how is anyone else going to give us credit?” Banner said. “I don’t know what’s our disconnect with history and us wanting to give it up. … As soon as hip-hop moves on from the South, I want someone to look back and give us credit.”
HipHopDX also pointed out a Banner tweet from five years ago offering the same sentiment:
When the Migos exploded into the mainstream in 2013, their staccato flow and unique lingo took the game by storm. Now, nearly a decade later, it would be hard to not find a piece of the Migos’ style in one of rap’s popular acts. It can also be argued that without the Migos’ rockstar level success, Quality Control wouldn’t be the dominant rap label it is today.
The Migos understand their impact and they aren’t scared to give themselves credit even if others fail to do so. In fact, it was this confidence that birthed their Culture album series.
“The new album title is about the culture of hip-hop music. It’s time to let the culture be known. It’s time to claim it. And it’s time to claim that we are the Migos, and for people to understand that this is what we did,” Offset said to the Fader when explaining the album’s name in 2016. “We did a lot for music. Migos is the culture. Seriously. There are artists that are way bigger than us that get recognition off our flow.”
After the massively successful Culture and Culture II, the Migos are once again looking to reaffirm their iconic status with their highly Culture III album, arriving more than three years after the last entry.
Watch David Banner’s full comments about the Migos up top.
