It’s a new season for Offset, and with it comes fresh music! On Friday, the 31-year-old rapper announced his upcoming new album, Set It Off, along with premiering a brand-new single and music video directed by the father of five.
The music video and album cover — which Offset posted on Instagram — pay homage to the late beloved pop icon, Michael Jackson, whom Offset has been vocal about being a fan of. Dressed in a black suit with sunglasses, white socks and a white glove, echoing one of the King of Pop’s signature looks, the cover art shows the rapper upside down, falling as a street of buildings as cars explode above him.
Set It Off — which drops on Oct. 13 — will be Offset’s first album following the news that he, Quavo and their late groupmate, Takeoff, officially disbanded their hip-hop trio, Migos. The group released their fourth and final studio album, Culture III, in 2021. Offset’s first solo album, Father of 4, was released in 2019 when Migos was still together.
“I’ve been working on this project for over two years now. This season is personal for me. It marks a new chapter in my life,” Offset shared in a press release. “I feel like Michael Jackson coming from a successful group breaking records to superstardom on my own. This body of work is healing for me and a letter to my fans and supporters.”
The music video for “Fan,” which Offset released simultaneously with his album announcement, prominently references Jackson’s Thriller era, including nods to “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” “Smooth Criminal,” and Jackson’s performance at Motown 25. At one point in the video, Offset wears a similar white suit to the one Jackson wore in “Smooth Criminal” and shows off the icon’s signature dance move, the moonwalk.
The video also features appearances from actress Paige Hurd, who stars as Offset’s onscreen girlfriend, Twitch star/streamer Kai Cenat and Twitch star Fanum.
The release of “Fan” comes on the heels of Set It Off‘s first single, “Jealously,” which featured the rapper’s wife, Cardi B. The couple dropped the single a month after Cardi shut down cheating allegations on social media, biting back at the frenzy with a music video featuring Taraji P. Henson and her and Offset’s adorable kids.
Much like “Fan,” the video for “Jealously” pays homage to another classic — the 2001 film Baby Boy featuring Taraji and Tyrese. Offset is seen fighting with Cardi at a motel before driving off and heading to a house with his three sons Wave, 2, whom he shares with Cardi and Jordan, 13, and Kody, 8, from past relationships. Cardi then calls up Taraji, who plays her unnamed friend, to complain about her man.
The 30-year-old rapper’s daughter, Kulture, 5, whom she shares with Offset, is also seen sitting in the front seat of a car with Offset’s daughter Kalea, 8, from a past relationship.
By the end of the video, Cardi and Offset seem to have patched things up, showing off some racy NSFW dance moves.
The single has amassed over 60 million combined global streams, while views of the accompanying video have surpassed 17 million.
When ET spoke with Offset at Tuesday’s 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, the rapper played coy while flashing a smile when the subject of a collaborative album with his wife was broached.
Offset shared that the couple is most certainly doing “more cooking in the pot” when it comes to future collaborations, but as for a future album collaboration? “You never know, you never know,” Offset responded as his voice reached a higher pitch. “I would love to do that [a collaborative album] with my lady, you know? I love to do everything with my beautiful lady.”
Fans can only hope!
Offset’s new album Set It Off drops Oct. 13.
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