By Chiara Piacentini
Staff Writer
Offset’s long-awaited second album, “Set It Off,” is finally here following the release of his first solo album, “Father of 4,” back in 2019. “Set it Off,” which was released on Oct. 13, features 21 songs, including collaborations with Cardi B (who is also his wife), Travis Scott and Don Toliver to name a few.
The inspiration for this new song collection can be attributed to Michael Jackson. The album’s cover, featuring Offset wearing one white glove, is one of the ways this becomes obvious.
“Creativity — I wanted to push myself there,” Offset said in an interview with Associated Press. “And I’m in my Mike bag now.”
The album starts off with “On the River,” where Offset talks about his wealthy lifestyle; it’s a mild introduction to the album considering that Offset lost his bandmate and cousin, Takeoff, in a Texas shooting last year.
But “Save My Grace” sets a more somber tone with Offset contemplating his unlucky lot in life. He starts asking, “Why I lose my brother to bullets?” —which may be a tribute to Takeoff—followed by, “Why I lose my grandmother to cancer?”
Later on in the album, Cardi B and Offset make a risqué duet, “Jealousy,” and their raunchy words leave nothing to the imagination. Offset starts off the song with an incredibly fast and fiery verse, and Cardi B’s response does not fail to impress.
From there, Offset does a seamless transition into “Skyami” which is an homage to his own career success.
The next tune, “Dissolve,” is a gangsta love song by both Offset and Dez Wright; Offset effectively captures the seductive tone in this piece.
He also snuck in a reference to Cardi B’s top hit, “WAP,” in “Fine As Can Be” which is addressed by another one of his collaborators, Latto.
While it could have been a good idea to end the album on “Jealousy,” Offset can’t help but give the album a bit of an avant-garde flair, as the rest of the songs can be categorized as unconventional.
Take “Upside Down,” which leaves out the drums and relies heavily on the guitar with an abrupt conclusion; this style is similar to that of Travis Scott and Kid Cudi. Offset explains this decision to deviate from the norm by comparing it to his previous album.
“Father of 4’ was giving you the inside of me, but I wasn’t really focused on doing solo stuff,” he told the Associated Press. “So, for this one, it was just a process of me learning for myself and pushing myself more as an artist.”
And that’s exactly what he did in “Set It Off,” so the rapper is certainly not afraid of taking some musical risks, but that’s what makes it all the more exciting.
In a way, Offset also gives a suggestion for how you can listen to the album.
“Some of the songs I made with them two years is like, magical,” he said. “I feel like with this album you can just ride it through, top to bottom, one to 21.”
If you’re interested in giving “Set It Off” a shot, you can listen to it here on YouTube.
