On Sunday, Migos — the Atlanta-based rapper group made up of Takeoff, Quavo, and Offset — premiered the video for their single “Walk It Talk It,” from their album Culture II. While it isn’t unusual for the group to lean all the way into a theme for the sake of a strong visuals (see: “Motorsport” and “T-Shirt" as proof), there was something special about how the trio was able to do it for the culture, paying homage to Soul Train, the music-dance TV show on the air for 35 years, with its own Culture Train and ‘70s-style fashion.
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The video was a wonderful ode to the decadence of the decade and the trio looked the part of a funkadelic band, but according to Migos’ stylist, Zoe Costello, there wasn’t time for vision boards and custom looks. In fact, she tells Refinery29, everything came together in just three days. “It’s a little unusual,” she says, noting that things moved even quicker once everyone was on set.
Jamie Foxx makes an appearance in the video as the show’s host, as does Drake (wearing a Saint Laurent jacket over his white suit), but we're mostly impressed with the lengths Migos is willing to go to present themselves in a way we don’t usually see Black male rappers in mainstream media. They’re wearing afro wigs, white platform boots, three-piece pastel suits, and statement sunglasses. Granted, the outfits they're in are costumes, but with a few tweaks, they could easily be red carpet-ready.
The final looks of the video were very much a collaborative effort, Costello explains. Take Quavo, for instance, who said he wanted to wear ruffles. “So we kind of built a look based around the ruffles and then I suggested this denim to go with it” she sys. “It's always a collaboration. They have a very strong opinion. They have a very strong idea of what they like and they don't like which is really great.”
“We’re really trying to broaden [what people think a rapper is supposed to look like],” Costello adds. “If that makes people feel a little bit uncomfortable or whatever, it's good. They are not afraid to take risks,” she says, noting that Migos counts Prince and Michael Jackson as inspirations. “I love pulling from those [sort of] references. It’s different than what other artists and rappers are doing right now.”