LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� On Friday, released his ambitious second solo album, 鈥淪et It Off.鈥� In doing so, he also announced a new era.
鈥淢y goal changed,鈥� the Migos rapper told The Associated Press over Zoom.
It鈥檚 been four years since Offset released his debut solo album, 鈥淔ather of 4.鈥�
鈥�'Father of 4' was giving you the inside of me, but I wasn鈥檛 really focused on doing solo stuff," he says. "So, for this one, it was just a process of me learning for myself and pushing myself more as an artist.鈥�
And specifically, as a soloist. Last year, rumors circled around a second album tentatively titled, 鈥淏lame It on Set,鈥� that would be released in late 2022, seemingly delayed by of his Migos bandmate and cousin, Takeoff, late last year.
Offset says some of the songs written in that time made it onto 鈥淪et It Off鈥� 鈥� but the title was just gossip.
鈥�'Blame It on Set' is just a song. People just, like, ran with that narrative,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 had not put no album name out because during that time I ain鈥檛 have an album name figured out, to be honest.鈥� He鈥檚 grateful to have waited to put out his sophomore release.
鈥淪ome of the songs I made within them two years is, like, magical,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 feel like with this album you can just ride it through, top to bottom, one to 21.鈥�
In that way, he thinks of 鈥淪et It Off鈥� as possessing a kind of theatricality.
鈥淚nstead of it being a movie, it鈥檚 a series," he says. And one with a lot of players: drops bars on two tracks, 鈥淛ealousy鈥� and 鈥淔reaky.鈥� Elsewhere, Latto, Young Naddy, Chl枚e, Mango Foo, Don Toliver, Future and Travis Scott feature.
That may very well be the result of a mindset change. Offset is interested in being a well-rounded entertainer these days, like his hero . The influence is apparent on the album鈥檚 cover, where Offset wears a single white glove, and certainly in the MJ parodies throughout the music video for his single, 鈥淔AN.鈥� But there are other connections, too: MJ left The Jackson 5 to embark on a solo journey, like Offset鈥檚 work in a world after Migos.
鈥淐reativity 鈥� I wanted to push myself there,鈥� Offset says. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 in my Mike bag right now.鈥�
He鈥檚 also acutely aware of the power of strong visuals, one of the many things Jackson mastered, and how that extends to content creation in the modern era.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to put myself in a box. I would challenge myself 鈥� that鈥檚 why you see me pulling out choreo, just taking it to the next level of entertainment without being scared of thinking about what people are going to think,鈥� he says.
That multimedia approach is also one of the reasons why the video of his interview with social media personality Bobbi Althoff went viral. She's known for a particularly dry, uninformed, sometimes combative hosting style, which he met with similar humor. He now calls the interaction a 鈥渨in-win,鈥� for both, and for promoting his album.
鈥淧eople fell in love with my personality and my jokey side,鈥� he says of the clip. 鈥淲e needed that laugh."
Online shenanigans aside 鈥� On 鈥淪et It Off,鈥� Offset offers 21 tracks of real rap records 鈥� a change of pace in a genre currently led by a trend of rappers who, well, sing.
鈥淚 wanted to bring rap back, not so much melody,鈥� he says. 鈥淢etro (Boomin) was telling me, 鈥楬ey, bro, people wanna hear you rap, dog. The singing s鈥�- is cool, but people want to hear you, specifically, rap.'鈥� He took the advice to heart.
As for Migos, the familial group that started it all, Offset considers his performance of 鈥淏ad and Boujee鈥� with Quavo , celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, as 鈥渁 great way to close that chapter.鈥�
He also doesn鈥檛 consider 鈥淪et It Off鈥� to be an homage to his late cousin, either, unlike Quavo鈥檚 solo record 鈥淩ocket Power鈥� released in August. That album featured from Takeoff.
鈥淚鈥檓 going hard for him, but this is not a tribute,鈥� Offset says. 鈥淢e, personally, I don鈥檛 want to do that because it is reminding me, he鈥檚 gone.鈥�
Though references to Takeoff do appear on a few tracks, like 鈥淪ay My Grace鈥� with and 鈥淣ight Vision,鈥� where Offset raps, 鈥淭hinking 鈥榖out spinnin鈥� bout my brotha Take that s鈥�- been eating me (crazy) / I can鈥檛 get no peace when I be sleep be seeing.鈥�
He pauses: 鈥淚鈥檇 rather just have his legacy keep going. Take is that guy, like, I don鈥檛 want to lean on that.鈥�
And on 鈥淪et It Off,鈥� he doesn鈥檛 鈥� instead, Offset reintroduces himself.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
