There couldn’t be more of a dream live bill for hip-hop circa 2018 than Drake and Migos. Drake is inarguably the most popular rapper on Earth in the 2010s, having inherited the throne from his predecessors Kanye West (2000s) and Jay-Z (1990s). Migos is arguably the most influential act on the rising new generation of MCs, from laconic style and nihilistic lyrical content to cutting-edge clothing. The two acts enjoyed synergistic success when Drake rapped over a remix of Migos’ 2013 single “Versace,” then earlier this year Drake was featured on “Walk It Talk It” from Migos’ third studio album Culture II.
Now they can perform both songs together night after night during the Aubrey & The Three Migos tour, which is in full swing after production issues caused some dates to be rescheduled. Drake could be touring stadiums right now, as many tour stops involved multiple dates, but the stage design is built for the center of arenas and is sufficiently state-of-the-art to make fans appreciate why it had to be fine-tuned for the tour. Transparent curtains that video images are projected on surround a bare stage, capturing smoke for a hotbox effect before being raised and leaving the rappers to work the crowd with their energy and ability.
And work they do. Toronto native Aubrey Drake Graham has been a prolific recording artist since going from fame on Canadian television’s Degrassi: The Next Generation to releasing his first free mixtape in 2006. Supporting Lil Wayne on tour in 2008 and the release of his third mixtape, So Far Gone, led to acclaim and a bidding war won by Lil Wayne’s label Young Money.
Drake’s first album Thank Me Later was released in 2010, debuting at No. 1 and setting the course for an astonishing recording career. He’s set records for most charted songs by a solo artist in the Billboard Hot 100, the most simultaneously charted Hot 100 songs in a single week and the most consecutive weeks on the Hot 100.
He’s also had eight No. 1 albums including his latest Scorpion, which reached the top spot after its release in July. His presence on Migos’ Culture II may have helped the Atlanta trio gain its second No. 1 album in February, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of Migos’ meteoric rise decelerating any time soon. Once Takeoff, Quavo and Offset hit No. 1 in January 2017 with “Bad and Boujee” they became an institution, helping out their Atlanta hip-hop brethren and turning a dance they popularized, The Dab, into a phenomenon.
Migos opens up the show but returns during Drake’s stage time to perform a mini set that includes “Walk It Talk It,” “Versace,” “Workin’ Me,” “Drip,” “Stir Fry” and DJ Durel’s “Hot Summer.” More than 60 songs are performed between the two acts at each concert on a tour that will likely be remembered by hip-hop historians as the best of 2018, at a time when Drake and Migos were in the prime of their long and successful careers.
MGM Grand, 7 p.m. Oct. 5-6, starting at $59.50 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
