Review: on 'QRÖMELIFE', Quavo reunites with Offset, trades trap for Pharrell's groove and gets more right than wrong

This is an opinion review. 'QRÖMELIFE', released Friday (Oct. 2) via Quality Control/Motown, is the record where Quavo sets aside the dry Migos trap and hands sonic control to Pharrell Williams, who produced all 14 tracks. The rapper says he made it last year while still grieving Takeoff's 2022 death, and credits Pharrell as a creative guide during that time.

The weightiest moment is 'Away', the first recorded meeting of the two surviving Migos, Quavo and Offset, since the tragedy: a song about grief and moving on that matters more for its symbolism than for any flashy bar. 'House Music', with Justin Timberlake, pushes the album away from trap and toward groove and melody, and it is the gamble that pays off most.

Not every guest lands. 'Baby Breath', uniting Pharrell, Tyler, the Creator and A$AP Rocky, looked like the peak on paper but sounds like four egos fighting for room, a missed opportunity some critics also flagged. 'Trance' and 'HAOYU DEWDAT', with Yung Miami, show Quavo as more of a singer, comfortable with breezy hooks; early reception is split, praising the fun while arguing neither he nor Pharrell is at their best.

Overall, 'QRÖMELIFE' is Quavo's most interesting solo work: less predictable, brighter, and with a real heart in the middle. It needs editing, since 14 guest-heavy tracks feel like a playlist, but the move out of his comfort zone deserves credit.

Score: 7/10