Donald Glover capped off an individual wave of artistic renaissance — which including the captivating television series Atlanta and the funkadelic new album Awaken, My Love! — with a coronation of sorts at this year’s Golden Globe awards. The series took home the award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Donald himself won the Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy category. When it came time to give thanks he extended a special tribute of gratitude to the Atlanta trio Migos for simply existing and making their track “Bad And Boujee.” Later in the night he complimented them even further, calling them “The Beatles of this generation.”
When Migos finally nabbed their first No. 1 record with “Bad And Boujee” a few days later, many rushed to attribute the Glover and his shoutouts, and the internet did what the Internet does: They argued about it. As it turns out, “Bad And Boujee” was already headed to number one on the charts before Glover introduced the track to an entirely new audience, but Glover’s kind words and blunt introduction still had an impact on the group.
However, in this week’s New York Times new profile on Migos, their management revealed that Glover’s mention of the group at the Globes opened up a door that had previously been shut repeatedly on their faces: Late night television. From the feature:
They gave all kinds of excuses — not the right time, it’s not this, it’s not that,” recalled Pierre Thomas, better known as Pee, the chief executive of Quality Control Music, Migos’s label. “But as soon as Donald Glover did that, the next day, all the people who had just denied us wanted them on their show.” The very next week, Migos took “Bad and Boujee” to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Their sudden foray into late night television apparently came after weeks of trying to book the group into one of the coveted slots as a performer on the various late night shows on network television. While often met with excuses the group and their handlers persisted, and thanks to Glover they finally broke through.
So no, Donald and his grand proclamations at The Golden Globes didn’t help “Bad And Boujee” top the charts, but it clearly opened some new eyes to the joyous experience that is Migos. In doing so, he’s just about paid the debt back for their entertaining and hilarious cameo on Atlanta. Almost.
