Quavo talks new album, fatherhood, viral 'Hotel Lobby' and working on Migos project with Offset

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quavo has spent much of his career setting trends. These days, he’s more focused on what will last.

The Grammy-nominated rapper is moving forward with fatherhood, healing and a sense of purpose. Now a father to a daughter, he says that growth is at the heart of his new album "QRÖMELIFE,” out Friday. The 14-track offering is executive produced by Pharrell Williams, who Quavo says helped him tune out the noise and return to the melodic instincts that made him a defining voice with the rap group Migos.

The album features appearances from Justin Timberlake, Tyler, The Creator, A$AP Rocky, Future and Lil Baby. It also reunites Quavo with Offset after the two repaired their relationship following a public falling out in 2022 and grew closer in the years since the death of Quavo’s nephew and fellow Migos member Takeoff.

“QRÖMELIFE” arrives as Quavo and Takeoff's 2022 ”Hotel Lobby" performance fuels a flood of AI-generated videos featuring everyone from Barack and Michelle Obama and Spider-Man to soccer stars Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham — even dogs and cats.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Quavo spoke about the meaning behind “QRÖMELIFE,” how Pharrell helped him tune out the algorithm, the viral resurgence of “Hotel Lobby” and a new Migos project.

Remarks have been edited for brevity.

QUAVO: When it comes to a lifestyle, it’s a way of life. When you get up, got to go to work every day, and something happened in your life, but you still have to go hit that nine-to-five, you come in qrome. That’s your qrome state.

I feel like God put you through those states to make you qrome. It’s in your chromosomes. … Everybody go through ups and downs, but what’s gonna make you come out strong? What’s gonna make you come out qrome?

QUAVO: You got mouths to feed. You got little people of yours that look up to you. What you gonna do to add or take away from what you didn’t learn from your parents, or what you didn’t have?

For instance, I didn’t have a dad. So me being a father, it’s important to me because my dad died when I was 4 … I just want to be there the whole step of the way.

QUAVO: Just to challenge my versatility. The “Stir Fry” Quavo, the “Congratulations” Quavo, the “Apeshit” Quavo.

You master that with one of the greatest producers of all time. … Sometimes the student passes the mentor. But in this case, it’s still light-years. I gotta catch up to him from a business standpoint.

QUAVO: I just look at it as God. Losing (Takeoff), I just know that he's in a better place. And then coming through it at a time like this, the week before I’m rolling out my album. ... Then this hit.

It just let me know like, “Bro, I’m here. I’m here with you. I got you.”

The viralness of it made me feel like it was something bigger than just a click of a button or internet sensation. Everybody just started doing it, man. From the corporate of the corporate down to the streets.

I’m proud of it. I thank you for keeping my brother and his name alive.

QUAVO: You can’t control it. I can’t spend all day trying to find someone that got a phone in their hand or sitting behind a desk. It don’t help me mentally. Don’t help me emotionally.

When I see it, I just say, “All right,” and go by it. You just got to be strong to be able to look at stuff and move on.

QUAVO: It means the world to me. Obviously, we miss one, and it won’t be the same without him.

I’ve been honored to be his uncle since the age of 3. So just having that relationship with him and knowing how he move and think, I kind of feel like he's in my body.

I talk to him about it. Be like, “I don’t want to do it if you ain’t got the vision for it.”

I know I can take the music that he got and get the Migos album ready. It just depends on how we want to honor the legacy. Because I want this music to benefit us and the estate.

QUAVO: We’re cooking right now, and the chemistry is always gonna be there. We always learned to do four, five, six songs dolo and bring them to each other. But right now, we're just dumping the bags and seeing what we can put together.

QUAVO: It helped me just realize that this could happen to anyone. You would feel some type of way, but you don’t feel it till it hit home.

And when it hit home, I thought when it got to me everybody is gonna stop. But it still kept going.

You can go into a hole and not do nothing, or you can stand up and try to change and do something.

Seeing other families go through what I go through, I feel like I’m turning into this superhero to be a therapist to a family where I need a therapist.

Quavo poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Quavo poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Quavo poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Quavo poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Quavo poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

ATLANTA (AP) — After hitting into two double plays during the Atlanta Braves' loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, Michael Harris II was eager for an opportunity to make amends.

He didn't have to wait long.

Harris hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Chris Sale came out of the bullpen on one day of rest to get the final four outs and the Braves beat the Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night in the decisive Game 3 of their National League Wild Card Series.

Surprise starter Ray Kerr threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings for Atlanta, and Ozzie Albies launched a two-run homer in the fourth. Matt Olson added a solo shot in the seventh as the Braves advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I told our guys, `Man, all year long when the stakes have been the highest, when the challenges have been the toughest, we’ve been at our absolute best.' So it doesn’t surprise me that we played the way we did tonight,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said.

Harris has hit .426 with two homers and five RBIs in his first eight career postseason games, but he wanted to move past the two double plays in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss in 10 innings that forced Thursday night’s game.

“Just found one pitch to put my best swing on and hopefully we got some runs out of it, and we did,” said Harris, who connected off Aaron Nola.

The Braves took a postseason series for the first time since winning the 2021 World Series and earned their first playoff series win against the Phillies. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NL Championship Series and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.

“Definitely feels amazing to win against the Phillies because they were the ones that sent us home previous years, and especially at home,” Albies said.

After winning the NL East by six games over Philadelphia this year, the Braves came out on top in their postseason matchup, too.

“Those guys kind of went start to finish in this division,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “Over the course of the 162 (games), they were the best team in our division.”

Nola was pulled after allowing three runs in 1 2/3 innings. He walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and Olson with one out in the first before giving up the homer to Harris,

Kerr made his postseason debut in only his fourth career start. Weiss wanted a left-hander to face Phillies left-handed hitters Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper at least once.

Mattingly acknowledged that Kerr pitching long enough to face Schwarber and Harper twice was a perfect script for a Braves win.

“Obviously, it’s nice,” Mattingly said. “When you’re in that situation where you can run through your lefties again at the top is probably the best-case scenario, and he was able to do that.”

Kerr allowed only one hit — to Schwarber in the first — and one walk — to Schwarber in the fourth. Right-hander Grant Holmes followed Kerr and allowed one run in two innings to earn the win.

Kerr left to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd and acknowledged the cheers by lifting up his arm as he approached the dugout.

“Hopefully, Ray Kerr became a bit of a household name tonight,” Weiss said. “He deserves it.”

The 37-year-old Sale, who started Atlanta's 5-3 win in Tuesday's series opener, struck out Harper to end the eighth and closed out the series in the ninth by striking out Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp.

The ace left-hander threw 95 pitches over 6 1/3 innings Tuesday. Two days later, he threw 21 pitches in his first relief appearance of the year.

Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, the winning pitcher in Sunday's 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay that clinched the wild-card spot, walked Austin Riley in the fourth before giving up Albies' homer to right field that gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead. Wheeler allowed two runs in four innings. Jonathan Bowlan, Philadelphia's fourth pitcher, gave up Olson's homer to center field.

Kerr, 32, flourished in the postseason spotlight. He pitched in only nine games after being recalled by Atlanta on Aug. 16. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and didn’t pitch in 2025.

Kerr said he was told Wednesday he would start on Thursday.

“It was fun. It was a journey," Kerr said of his path back to the majors. “I’ve dreamed about stuff like this. For it to actually happen, I still haven’t even processed yet.”

Philadelphia's 2022 World Series loss to Houston began a streak of five straight postseason appearances with progressively quicker exits — the NL Championship Series, two NLDS exits and now the Wild Card Series loss.

“If you don’t win the last game, it’s a crash landing no matter what. It doesn’t matter where it is,” Mattingly said.

The game drew a sellout of 41,731 after the Braves fell short of sellouts in the first two games of the series, with school and work conflicting with the 2:15 p.m. first pitch for many fans. Afternoon starts also hurt attendance in other Wild Card Series games this week.

The announced attendance at Truist Park was 30,127 on Tuesday and 37,150 on Wednesday.

Edmundo Sosa remained in the Phillies' starting lineup at third base after he appeared to aggravate a groin injury running to first base and left Wednesday's game in the ninth inning. Weiss said Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle, who allowed only one run in seven innings on Wednesday despite feeling an abdominal pull in pregame warmups, was “feeling pretty good” on Thursday.

The Braves will play at Dodger Stadium on Saturday in the opening game of their Division Series against the two-time defending World Series champions.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale points ot the crowd after Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale throws against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning during Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II hits a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II celebrates his three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning during Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Ray Kerr waves as he walks to the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth inning during Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II, third from left, celebrates his three-run home run with Mauricio Dubón (14), Matt Olson, second from left, and Ronald Acuña Jr., right, against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during Game 3 of baseball's NL Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)