I never thought of the Migos as “rappers.” Sure, they rap but they are no lyricists. And on most tracks, the trio gets out rapped by their peers. On Without Warning, the new album with Offset, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin, I kept waiting for 21 Savage’s verses. 21 has the ability to command a track. He doesn’t say much but he can tell a story and he’s charming; you kinda perk up when he comes on.
The Migos’ lack of storytelling, charm and flow is apparent on their new single, “MotorSport” featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. Cardi B and Nicki both outshined the Migos. After almost two minutes of typical Migos back-and-forth, radio-ready verses, Cardi B comes on decent. Best line: "I get upset off/ I turn Offset on/ I told him the other day/ man, we should sell that porn.”
Cardi then finishes her verse by calling herself "the trap Selena" and references the Daddy Yankee classic "Gasolina." It was a cute verse.
But when the "queen of rap” bka as Nicki Minaj comes on, the song comes to life. Nicki always comes through with the fire innuendos and shade. Nicki can switch flows at least three times within one verse.
"Rap's Jackie Chan/ we ain't pullin' them fake stunts"
"I ain't tryna be violent/ But if Nicki on it, it slaps hoe"
"If Quavo the QB, I'm Nick Lombardi"
Nicki even goes on to reference a recent scandal in the Hip-Hop world — the feud between Young Dolph and Yo Gotti. Dolph was shot in Los Angeles in September, and many suspected Gotti was the culprit because of the rappers' long-standing beef. Minaj's verse aligned with popular opinion: "'Hey yo Nick, didn't you just do a hit with Gotti?'/ That too, but my n—-s send hits like Gotti."
Takeoff didn’t stand a chance with his own verse after Nicki.
The strength of Nicki’s verse blows him out of the water — his lines are just a skippable afterthought.
Although Minaj's lines follow the same themes as her work normally does — she's rich, successful, the best in the game, etc. — it's still impressive and enjoyable. Her cleverness and ability to reference hot topics on a whim make her verse stand out.