Offset – ‘Set It Off’ review: a melancholic-tinged turn-up

It’s been a light year for blockbuster rap albums, but Offset’s second studio album was up there with Drake’s ‘For All The Dogs’ and Doja Cat’s haiter-baiting ‘Scarlet’. First scheduled for release November 2022, the record was pushed back to allow the Migos rapper to grieve the loss of bandmate Takeoff, who was shot and killed in Houston late last year. A more mature, reflective Offset was what was expected.

But at first glimpse you don’t get that. What you have is an album tinged with dejection where lyrical maturity is scarce compared to the supercilious rhymes of the 31-year-old. The club bangers lack the oomph of his past singles and the lead-out tracks, ‘Fan’ and ‘Worth It’ are criminally limp. On ‘FAN’, he’s crude: “Promise if you suck it, baby, I could make your mouth rich / Put pearls on your neck, I bet I make it match your outfit.”

Eventually, the vulnerability shines through. Offset and Travis Scott approach ‘Say My Grace’ differently. The former gets a bit existential: “Ask God why I didn’t get an answer? / Why I lose my brother to bullets? / Why I lose my grandma to cancer? / Why me, God? I need answers.” Scott’s verse is energetic in comparison, until the lyrics seep in: “Ever since we lost bro, there ain’t really much more I can take / I pop a ten when it’s late, mama told me to pray / I do that because you know I can’t play.”

Offset and wifey Cardi B have two collaborations on ‘Set It Off’; the ballsy warning for those hating on them (‘Jealousy’) and ‘Freaky’. This continues on tracks such as ‘Night Vision’, ‘Skyami’, and ‘Broad Day’, which all are groovy headbangers that bring back the feel-good nostalgia of pre-pandemic trap. The latter – featuring fellow trap legend Future – proves the power of autotune, which is a contrast to ‘Hop Out The Van’ and ‘I’m On’ where it is used to cover up his emotionless delivery.

Melodies are Offset’s strong suit. Helping pioneer the influential ‘triplet flow’, the rapper has shown time and time again his ability to rhyme in such an idiosyncratic way compared to his peers. Look at ‘Dissolve’: a sultry soul-sampling song that has a hook more infectious than any bar-y verse of his on the record.

His 2019 solo debut album, ‘Father Of 4’, lacked charm, despite being better than his fellow Migos members’ solo records, and though enjoyable, ‘Set It Off’ doesn’t reflect Offset’s legacy. In the Metro Boomin-produced 2017 single ‘Ric Flair Drip’, Offset alludes that he’s in the same league as the 16-time wrestling champion – perhaps he’s more like Jeff Hardy; a beloved solo figure, but at his best with his brothers.

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