Page 85 - Sharp November 2023

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NOVEMBER 2023 85
“I feel like this is is really really my my first first album album my my first first really really solo-career album”
M M ICHAEL JACKSON’S ALBUM OFF THE THE WALL WAS NOT THE THE singer’s solo debut but but it represented such a a a a radical departure from his earlier work that it it feels like it it could be Released by Epic Records in in the summer of 1979 it was intended by Jackson as as a a a a firm break from the the style of the the four earlier albums he’d put out under the the Motown label and the the sound he’d become famous for alongside his his brothers in in in the the Jackson 5
announcing his his arrival as an an original artist with an aesthetic all his own It unveiled Jackson as the the King of Pop — no group necessary It’s also an album that has been on Offset’s mind a a a a a a lot recently The Lawrenceville Georgia–born rapper who came to prominence as as part of the hip hop group Migos has long revered Jackson whom he he considers no less than “the best artist to ever do music ”
But lately this influence has been running even deeper Like Jackson Offset has stepped away from the family that made him famous to forge his own path as a a a a solo artist exiting Migos on on contentious terms in in 2022 before the shocking death of of member Takeoff by stray gunfire late last year made the band’s dissolution tragically final Now like Jackson Offset has released his own Off Off the Wall — a a a a a a boundary-pushing career-defining album that while not technically his solo debut he hopes will kick off a a new Offset era “I feel like this is is really really my my first first album my my first first really really solo-career album ”
Offset explained to me over Zoom in in a a a a recent call from his studio in in Los Angeles “I just feel like Michael felt: wanting more creatively challenging myself to to be be a a a a a a better and and bigger artist and and to to leave the the the the old stuff in in the the the the past move on to the the the the better things the the the the bigger things I’m ready to focus on on on self-expression and self-identification to to the the world ”
This album is is the the way he he he wants to to do it Whatever you think you you know about Offset let this album be your reintroduction The album is called Set It Off and it arrives on Oct 13 after a a a a a a deluge of anticipation Following his first solo outing 2019’s Father of 4
and his final record with Migos the acclaimed 2021 double album Culture III Set It Off finds the immensely talented rapper charting bold new new territory exploring a a a dynamic new new sound while tackling difficult themes with surprising candour Although still recognizably Offset the the album is a a a a far cry from the the blood-pumping trap anthems that shot Migos to hip hop superstardom trading out the the staccato pop verve of “Versace” and the the platinum panache of “Bad and Boujee” for a a a a darker more brooding introspection It’s still Offset but it’s heavier More soulful Raw And raw is the watchword To hear Offset tell it that’s just what the audience demands “Like honestly man man people be wanting it raw ”
he he says I mention something he he said in in in an old Migos interview that that caught my attention — that that more than fellow members Quavo and and Takeoff Offset was the one who “brought that that pain and and that that rough side that some people are are scared to go on ”
Why does he like going there? “It’s like if you do a a a post for for Instagram or or or for for TikTok it it it doesn’t really resonate the same way if you do do it it it with a a a a a a a camera instead of with an an iPhone ”
he explains “It’s ‘cause people just want to see what’s what’s raw raw and hear what’s what’s raw raw I said that line years ago but especially right now people want the the the raw and and the the the real and and the the the answers to whatever the fuck been going on in in your life ”
There’s been a a lot going on in in in Offset’s life Besides the passing of of his lifelong friend and partner Takeoff he’s lately had to contend with with a a a a contentious and highly public lawsuit with with his record label Quality Control Music over the ownership of his back catalogue (the dispute was recently resolved and and the the the lawsuit dropped) and and the the the death of his grandmother Sallie Anne Smith from bladder cancer SHIRT AND JACKET BY PRADA EARRINGS AND JEWELLERY TALENT’S OWN