Offset is about to set things off.
After delaying his sophomore LP following the tragic death of Migos groupmate Takeoff last November, the Atlanta rapper has finally shared his second solo record.
Released on Oct. 13, Offset’s new LP, SET IT OFF, is perhaps his most polished body of work to date. At 21 tracks long — and with features from not only his wife Cardi B, but Future, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Young Nudy, Latto, Chloe and others — SET IT OFF arrives four years after his debut solo LP, Father Of 4.
Highlights like “Worth It” with Toliver, “BLAME IT ON SET” and, most notably, “Say My Grace” with Travis Scott, which the pair first teased during a joint performance, illustrate the rapper’s undoubted lyrical prowess over the course of an hour. Set shared the cinematic, UTOPIA-esque music video for he and Trav’s hit on Friday, which sees the two scour the streets of a foreign land.
The LP’s previous single “FAN” takes inspiration from Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller music video. Preceded by the album’s lead effort “Jealousy” with Cardi B — performing the track together at Rolling Loud Miami in July — Set became more digital during its rollout, promoting the album live on stream with Kai Cenat, among other platforms (Drink Champs, us..?).
As Offset’s most “personal” chapter yet, the record was originally slated for release on Nov. 11, 2022. Yet, Takeoff’s untimely passing caused Offset to put his work on pause. He detailed his grief in a heartfelt letter, saying “the pain you have left me with is unbearable,” amid more personal anecdotes.
He told Variety “that sh** feels fake” when thinking or talking about Takeoff’s death. “I get through my day thinking it’s fake. And I don’t say nothing to nobody about it,” he said. In other revealing news, Offset isn’t actually related to Quavo or Takeoff, telling Variety that he met Quavo in the sixth grade and became friends in class.
Quavo, on the other hand, used his solo album Rocket Power (Aug. 18) to pay homage to his late-nephew and “Unc and Phew” twin. He shared a pair of touching tributes like “WITHOUT YOU” and “Honey Bun” in the interim, even performing “WITHOUT YOU” at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles in February. Rocket Power featured two posthumous verses from Takeoff (“Patty Cake” and “Back Where It Begins”), as Quavo revealed that the album’s creative process was his “therapy.”
While Quavo and Takeoff solidified their bond as a duo on Only Built For Infinity Links, Offset rode dolo for all of 2022. Hopping on Trippie Redd’s “Big 14” and “Step 1” with Sleazyworld Go, other features with Freddie Gibbs, G Herbo, DJ Drama and Hit-Boy have held fans over in his full-length absence.
SET IT OFF’s announcement was initially led-in with the release of “54321,” produced by pgLang’s Baby Keem — acting as the start of Set’s sophomore era. Later sharing “Code” with Moneybagg Yo in August 2022, the album was said to be “full of hits, full of smashes… Y’all gon’ see how I’m coming, I’m coming crazy, all aspects of rap.” The rapper also alluded to a potential collaboration with Juice WRLD. However, neither “54321” nor “Code” landed on the record.
“54321” was Offset’s first official single following Migos’ official split, and the second time Offset and Baby Keem have worked together on a track — previously linking for “We Did It Kid” on Kanye West’s DONDA 2. Riding the success of his debut album, The Melodic Blue, as well as his proximity to Kendrick Lamar and appearances on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Keem’s left-of-center presence unearthed a new pocket for Offset — bringing out the best of his ability.
Transferring the energy of his singles’ run to his latest album, SET IT OFF is Offset’s most ambitious project yet.
Check out ‘SET IT OFF’ below!
Check out more MIGOS below!