"Straightenin" is a song by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

trio

Migos Migos () were an American hip hop group founded in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2008. The group was composed of rapper Quavo, his nephew Takeoff, and their "cousin" friend Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia, while Offset and Takeoff were bo ...

. It was released through

Quality Control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach plac ...

and

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

on May 14, 2021, as the second single from their fourth studio album, ''

Culture III ''Culture III'' is the fourth and final studio album by American hip-hop group Migos. It was released on June 11, 2021, by Quality Control Music and Motown. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Cardi B, Polo G, Future, Justin Biebe ...

''. Straightenin was the Migos last single to be released before the death of their member

Takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a tr ...

the next year in 2022.

Background

In March 2021,

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the now-defunct hip hop group Migos. Formed with his nep ...

previewed the song's music video on social media. The track and the accompanying video were released on May 14, 2021 with an announcement of the album ''Culture III''.

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

rapper and producer Big Spoon accused Migos of copying his 2020 song "Magic Show 魔術表演", which he compared to "Straightenin" in an

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

video, saying, "I composed and produced the song by myself, did all the rapping, and played all the instruments so there are no samples or loops taken from elsewhere. I tweaked their song to the same tempo and key for comparison."

Composition

The song features "triplet flows and ad libs" quickly rapped over "booming bass, crisp percussion and a woozy synth line". Quavo mentions acting alongside

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

in the 2022 film ''

Savage Salvation ''Savage Salvation'' is a 2022 American thriller film directed by Randall Emmett and starring Jack Huston, Robert De Niro, and John Malkovich. Cast * Jack Huston as Shelby John * Robert De Niro as Sheriff Mike Church * John Malkovich as Pete ...

'' ("I'm counting dineros with Robert DeNiro / He telling 'em that Cho amazing"), and also raps, "Turn a pandemic into a bandemic / You know that's the shit that we on".

then raps, before Offset raps the third verse with a "silky flow talking about his days spinning the block."

Critical reception

Althea Legaspi of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' described the song as "classic Migos".

Music video

The official music video for "Straightening" premiered along with the song on May 14, 2021. It was directed by Keemotion. The Migos are joined by friends and expensive items, such as luxury cars and vehicles.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– vocals, songwriting **

– vocals, songwriting ** Offset – vocals, songwriting * DJ Durel – production, songwriting, programming * Atake – production, songwriting, programming * Sluzyyy – production, songwriting, programming * Slime Castro – production, songwriting, programming * Nuki – production, songwriting, programming * Osiris – production, songwriting, programming *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing, studio personnel * Chris Galland – mixing, studio personnel * Jeremie Inhaber – assistant mixing, studio personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs Migos songs Songs written by Quavo Songs written by Takeoff (rapper) Songs written by Offset (rapper) Motown singles