Offset understands the weight he shoulders as a former member of Migos, the eternally influential hip-hop trio that made Atlanta trap a global phenomenon. He carries his past with pride, even as he works relentlessly to define his artistry outside of Migos' shadow.
"People always relate back to my group, and I'm putting so much into my creativity to be a standout artist," Offset tells GRAMMY.com. "Carrying the legacy of that is a challenge, too. [Migos] was big — massive — so I'm just trying to make it as big as possible on my own. I want to get to the point where Offset is selling out arenas. That's a dream of mine, so the next album has to be an arena album."
Offset has steadily built toward an arena-ready album. With Migos, the three-time GRAMMY nominee delivered the "Bad and Boujee" hook heard around the world, setting the bar for Migos' world-beating Culture trilogy. His clever wordplay and infectious flow yielded anthemic results outside of Migos, including the six-time-platinum-certified "Ric Flair Drip" from Without Warning, his collaborative album with 21 Savage and Metro Boomin, and the GRAMMY-nominated Cardi B team-up, "Clout," from his 2019 solo debut, LP Father Of 4.
Still, Offset didn't feel like he'd come into his own until SET IT OFF, his sophomore solo LP that he released in October 2023. He developed a mood board around Michael Jackson, even cosplaying the late pop icon on the album's cover and in his self-directed video for "FAN." His hands-on approach to video direction and creating a bold aesthetic bled into autonomous lyricism. The album opens with "ON THE RIVER," where Offset showcases his signature bravado and proclaims his solo star power. But with the album closer "HEALTHY," he isn't afraid to admit that he's still human, and striking out on his own is scary.
"That was my statement to let people know — and let myself know, too — I'm here to stay," the 32-year-old polymath says of the LP. "For my next album, I'm thinking about naming it Kiari, my real name, so I can break barriers and say things that I haven't spoken on before."
SET IT OFF opened the door to bottomless vulnerability. While he didn't specifically mention Takeoff, who was fatally shot on Nov. 1, 2022, Offset alluded to his former Migos groupmate and the trauma from his death on tracks like "SAY MY GRACE" (which features Travis Scott), "DON'T YOU LIE," and "HEALTHY." Writing about his suppressed emotions reminded Offset why he committed his life to music in the first place.
"I'm back to enjoying making music," he says. "I've pushed through so much hardship. I feel more confident — like I can breathe."
On Sept. 20, Offset will return to his native Atlanta for a special GRAMMY U "Unwrapped" event in collaboration with the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter and the Black Music Collective, as well as participating sponsors Amazon Music and Mastercard. The panel will see the rapper go in-depth about the creative process behind SET IT OFF and offer tips to aspiring artists.
Ahead of the event, Offset sat down with GRAMMY.com to reminisce on his favorite memories with the late Takeoff and dissect some of his favorite verses from SET IT OFF and his latest release, “STYLE RARE” with Gunna. Below, in his own words, the rapper details the stories behind lines in "SAY MY GRACE," "WORTH IT," and more.
"I had got off the juice / Then the money start blowing up out of the roof / I'm telling the truth, I became the one when I got out the group"
People be taking s— wrong. I ain't want them to flip it as if I was saying something negative about [my time with Migos], but "I became the one" is like I found myself. I found myself when I stepped out and could be myself fully, and I could have control of everything around me. I feel like I'm going to hold the [Migos'] legacy down at the same time.
When I started making my own songs, I think I was just more confident. After "Bad and Boujee," I was real confident because I had finally brought something to the table. People didn't think about it, but the whole time [in Migos], I was like, Damn, I haven't brought no hit yet to the group. I did that with "Bad and Boujee." Following that, I did "Ric Flair Drip." Finally, after "Clout," it was right there for me to go grab and reach at it. I wouldn't have been able to write "I became the one" if I didn't do those songs.
"Had to part ways with the sad vibes, bad guy / You might be a villain today / Ask God, 'Why I didn't get an answer? / Why I lose my brother to bullets? / Why I lose my grandma to cancer? / Why mе, God? I need answers / Why a young n***a straight out Atlanta? / Why the judge and thе cops tryna jam us? / Why I keep gettin' all of these chances? / Why me, God? I need answers' / Speak your mind and you might get canceled"
When I was working on the hook, I was just thinking, Say my grace / Made room on my plate. was like I'm asking questions to God. These are real questions. I felt like losing my brother and losing my grandmother — it's like, you get big blessings, and then you get big losses. I was just questioning a lot of things that happened. Why did it have to go like that?
I will never get the answer, but it was just me speaking out loud on it instead of holding it in, because I'd been holding it in for so long. For that record to touch a lot of people was fire, too, because it was a hard song for me to make, even though it seems energetic. When I perform that song, it's like a mosh pit. But I'm saying some real things that I feel like would relate to someone that took a loss. When it be so big of a loss, you're asking, "Why?" You might not get an answer.
I wrote this in June 2023. I was in Cabo. I never wanted to speak on that s— publicly or make songs about it. It was so personal to me that I was going to hold it tight, but it was just like, I need to get this out. I didn't feel no type of relief — still don't have relief.
Shout out to my boy Travis. He always supports me. Bro just pulled up on me at Paramount Recording Studios, and I'm like, "I'm gonna play you the album." It wasn't a session for us to get on music. It was, like, two months after I'd made the song.
I always want to get an outside person that ain't my core or around me every single day. Travis is my boy. I trust his ear, so he be knowing s— is fire. I was playing the album, and, you know, he's crazy. He was like, "Yo! What the f— is this?! Pull it up! I'm going to do it now." Usually, he don't do verses right then and there. I guess it just touched him. We just locked in. The beat just sounded like an anthem. Stadium music.
"Where would I be if I didn't have Atlanta?"
[This song] came down the line in September, right before I dropped the album. I don't be in Atlanta a lot, you know? I'm in New York because of family. I'm in Los Angeles for business. I just wanted to tell those people I wouldn't be as big — or where I'm at, period — without their support. It's not like me being from Atlanta; it's Atlanta supporting the culture and the music scene in Atlanta that brought me into the doors. I never want to forget that. I don't know where I'd be without Atlanta.
The line came about because it rhymed, to be honest. And it was just a great statement. I did the song in Atlanta, too. "Don't You Lie," even when I performed it at my concerts, that song and this line really made me go down memory lane.
I was thinking about Takeoff, honestly, and the greatest times we ever had. Me and him playing basketball. We sucked. Our jump shots were bricks, and he'd be laughing about it.
He'd sleep late, no matter what. Times when we was smoking and s—, laughing at jokes and what we'd seen online. He always put me on some good movies I'd never heard of or seen. Sci-fi movies. It'd be a good-ass movie every time. He's like 100-for-100 on movie [recommendations].
He'd also humble you. He's so down-to-earth that he'll make you feel like you're not being down-to-earth. He'd be like, "What you got to do, bro? You always got to do something. Just sit down, smoke, watch the movies, and laugh." And then just [remembering] how great of a human being he is. Bro is non-problematic. He says what's right, what's true, and what's real. There ain't no human like him because he's so soulful. Even if you had the right to be mad at something, he'd be like, "Bro, just let that go."
I felt like the production was kind of soulful, where you should be talking about real s—. It wasn't a beat that you should be having fun on.
"I'm watchin' on your 'Gram, you givin' them angles / I'm payin' for it, you ain't never gotta stress about no landlord / You ain't never gotta ask me, 'What you plan for?' / Private jet, we're puttin' stamps all on your passport / I got plans for it, leave your man for it"
I'm talking about things that women always talk about online — like the supportive man who makes sure he's taking care of the bills. You ain't never gotta ask me, "What you plan for?"
"Worth It" was a very special record to me because it's timeless music. Fifteen, 20 years from now, you could play that, and it's a vibe. Also, I wanted to show people that I can get into that bag. Everything ain't just rah-rah-rah. It was a really musical record for me. We even broke down the stems of the beat. Like, "These levels need to be a little lower because the instrumental of the beat is just beautiful."
[Don and I] were already cooking. Every time he'd be in L.A. or I'd be in L.A., we'd pull up on each other. We've got like five joints. We picked that one because, to me, that one got your ear immediately as soon as the beat plays. Before a word is even said. That guitar. It's off-rip.
Actually, here's a funny story. Don hated the song, bro. He did not like his parts. He tried to change some s— and send me some new s—. I'm like, "Hell nah!" We went back and forth about it. To this day, every time he sees me, he'll be like, "Bro, you were right! That s— crazy!"
Something about my boy Don Toliver's voice is a different vibe. It sounds old, but it sounds new. When I heard him do that "Ooo" in the hook, I was like, "Oh, my god. This is it." I told him, "This is how you came in, bro. This is the bag you came in on." He was like, "I'm on some new s— now, bro."
I told him this had to go on the album, and he [begged] to send me something else. No, sir. It's over with. We were doing this one. He was like, "Alright, bro. If it don't do nothing, I told you so." It was out for about a week, and he said, "I ain't gonna lie, OG, you got us one!" He performed it on tour in Europe. After he performed it, he called me, like, "Bro, they know it!" I'm like, "I told you."
"Money bring a lot of power till the money go down / I was knockin' at the door, and then I kicked the door down"
When I say, "Money bring a lot of power till the money go down," it's like you're powerful when you got the money, but when you're broke, people treat you that way. Now, your ideas are not that good. People just turn their backs on you.
You know how some people may think in the beginning you don't have money, then you get it? I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about after you become successful, and then you lose it. It's just not respected. And so, I said that as a message to try to stay at the top. Save your money. Make sure you don't fall off or fall down because when you do, people will let you know that consistently.
And then, when I say, "I was knocking at the door, and then I kicked the door down," it's like, before I dropped my album, letting people know I'm going solo. I'm doing this on my own. SET IT OFF was me kicking the door down. I'm here. Let me in now.
"Broad Day" was a fun record for me. I was going for the do-it-for-the-city vibe. My boy Nick Papz made that beat, which he's a low-key producer. He came up with some fire. I thought, I hear Future on this s—. I know he's gonna go crazy. I sent it to Future. He called me and said, "This s— hard. I'm already at the studio." Future knocked it out in one day. That's how he do. He don't play. When I perform the song, they go crazy for it.
"Praying for a sign, Lord, can You help me? / Keeping all of this to myself, oh, no, no"
This is me saying I'm a little scared and insecure about going solo at first. Help me to be able to do it. It ain't easy coming behind something so big. I know all the eyes are gonna be judging. It's not like being a new artist. You have an expectation. I had a little fear of that — just being honest, being the creative music man, especially in this time. You never know how shit will go.
It was a heartfelt record. I wasn't even going to put it on the album. I knew it wouldn't be the biggest record, but I felt like maybe I should put it on there so people could hear me in a melodic way talking about myself being solo. I made it the last song because I wanted to be a little vulnerable at the end of the album.
I was actually in Cabo making this one, too. It was nighttime. I had just walked on the beach by myself, smoking a blunt real quick — just thinking. I had a couple of shots in me, too, so I was a little lit when I made the song. I always listen to the production. The guitar on that was just so beautiful. I was like, "I'm just gonna be vulnerable." I was out in Cabo. Just me and my engineer. Nobody else.
It gave me more confidence to be in that bag. To be in that pocket of sound with the autotune because I'm not a big autotune person. That wasn't my expertise. I started to play with it. When you have those types of records, and you got the tempo, and the template must be changed, then you have to learn which key matches the beat so that the tune doesn't skip or sound off-balance. The production put me into different settings on my vocals.
"Flow like a butterfly, Lambo' the V"
"Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee" is a known term that Muhammad Ali said, so I caught people's ears immediately. It's the first thing I say [on the song]. I made it "Flow like a butterfly" because of my flow. When I get on the song, it's smooth as a butterfly flying.
I was in Miami around this May. I don't know why this line hit me, either. I swear I don't even have a reason. I freestyle all my music, so sometimes, it's in my head. I'm just listening to the beat. I usually start off mumbling to see the cadence I'm gonna use for the beat, and then I feel out the words.
[Gunna and I] were just f—ing around, cooking up, and working a lot. It was in the same session in L.A. When I lock in, especially with somebody from Atlanta, we're gonna lock in. When you go in the studio like that, you're competitive. We're going back and forth. I hate saying I'm competing with people, so I don't even want to say that. It's like a fun collaboration. You're good, and I'm good. We're both from the A. I've been rocking with him since his first album.
The fans like it when we do songs together. We made some hard s— with "Prada Dem," and then we made this. We were in a confident bag. We both fly, you know what I'm saying?
The video was more of a fashion film vibe. That's why there weren't so many scenes or activity; it was more placements, colorations, and settings. I went crazy on that motherf—er.