Roughly a month before they dropped their fourth studio album, the Migos started to get listeners ready for Culture III by releasing their first single of 2021, “Straightenin.” For those who have somehow not yet heard the song, the DJ Durel-produced track features an infectious hook in which Quavo repeats “Straightenin” over and over before rapping, “Don’t nothin’ get straightenin’ but straightenin’.“
Months following the song and the album’s release, however, many people still seem to be confused as to what “straightenin” actually means. Complex’s Speedy Morman, who interviewed the iconic Atlanta Hip-Hop trio upon the release of Culture III, asked the group to define the phrase, but even he didn’t look satisfied with their explanation.
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Now, it appears that comedian and night show host James Corden has found himself in a similar position. In a new video posted by DJ Akademiks, the Migos are seen explaining the concept of “straightenin” once again, but now, they seem to be making a joke about the fact that everyone seems to be confused by the lyrics in the first place.
“So if we don’t know what’s going on,” Quavo says. “We have to straighten it.”
Offset co-signs Quavo’s explanation saying, “We gotta straighten that sh*t first.” However, Takeoff then throws off the whole definition by flipping it on its head, saying, “You gotta straighten the issue, but you’ve gotta get an understanding before you get a straighten.”
“You can’t get no straightenin without no understanding,” Quavo adds, completely contradicting how he has defined “straightenin” in past interview. “So before understanding, you gotta get straightenin.”
While “straightenin” continues to be an ill-defined term as far as many listeners are concerned, Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff do a much better job explaining the other lyrics — including the ones that fans thought were directed at Saweetie — from “Straightenin” in their recent sit-down with Genius. Check it out below.
Do you think Migos were actually trying to help Corden understand what “straightenin” means or were they just trolling?