Quavo is going full-time solo

2:32 PMIn all great groups, there is a standout. Diana Ross. Bobby Brown. Beyoncé. You can add Quavo to that list. Sure, he hasn’t officially announced it, but let’s be real. This has been in the works for a while. Let’s take a quick look.

In February, he appeared on Calvin Harris’ “Slide,” a full-blown summer banger that will be playing at mixed company brunches while you bang those bellinis. The song is a hit, but perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t sound anything like a Migos song. He brought Offset along with him, as a cover of sorts, for the big move.

We’ve seen this maneuver before. Takeoff didn’t have a verse on “Bad & Boujee,” which was the first signal that these three might be on their way to splitting up. Meanwhile, Offset has been bunned up with the queen of awesomeness, Cardi B. They even did a song together on her album. This couple has reality show written all over them, and I don’t mean Love & Hip-Hop. They’ve got enough for their own show.

Last month, Quavo was part of the all-star collabo with DJ Khaled that was sort of crossover pop, whatever you want to call it. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and others sort of throw you off the scent, but this was the real indication to me that he was ready to sneak out the trap. That’s mainly because he’s got the first rap verse on the track. My man ain’t even thinking about his squad.

Then, earlier this week, Quavo dropped an actual solo track, which in itself isn’t a huge deal but is certainly noteworthy. For this song we’re back in the trap, with a lovely piano riff that makes you feel like you might hear this in church. Mind you, listen to the lyrics. Me, myself and I cruise down the highway, etc. — it all seems to be pointing to a guy who is ready to take his act out on its own. You can read them here, or listen below.

So, all this seems fair enough. Migos is a group, not triplets. If one guy wants to do side projects, so be it. But the full showstopper came on Thursday. Former One Direction member Liam Payne announced that his new single for his solo project WILL FEATURE QUAVO.

Mad excited to announce my new single Strip That Down ft. @quavostuntin out May 19th #STRIPTHATDOWN ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ZVviFrJmpd

— Liam (@LiamPayne) May 11, 2017

This isn’t “Let me buddy up with some other related hot artists in my genre and bring some of my crew too for a quick hit.” This isn’t even “Oh, I did a side project that’s a little off our sound, so here’s a couple of unreleased tracks.” This isn’t even Ralph Tresvant recording an entire whole other album just to be petty. This is full-blown, in your face, outchea announcing that he sure doesn’t need Migos to be a star. And by buddying up with another guy from another group that had its own solo drama, he’s sort of given himself cover in the moment for the big announcement. Meanwhile, he’s got a likely pop chart hit, no big deal. Genius.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that any of this is cynical between group members. They are family after all, and they’re all rich. But when it comes to seeing them as a trio? I’m guessing those days are very numbered.