Offset speaks candidly on the difficulty of penning a tribute to Takeoff in a new interview that also sees the Set It Off artist revealing the career-changing advice he received from Tyler, the Creator.
During a conversation with Frazier Tharpe for GQ as part of the publication’s Men of the Year coverage, Offset briefly touched on Takeoff’s tragic death but pointed out he isn’t “ready to talk about that shit yet, first and foremost.” This stance also had an impact on his new album, Offset explained, because he didn’t want “dissing” and “that type of energy” on the Father of 4 follow-up.
As for a full-fledged tribute track, Offset revealed that he did attempt to write such a song during Set It Off sessions. In his eyes, however, the general public isn’t quite “ready” for him to go that route.
”The world is not ready for it, because [everyone] is so judgmental,” he told GQ. “They want you to make a song pouring your heart out that’s [also] a hit.”
Offset pointed to Set It Off track “Upside Down” as one that comes the closest to diving into these topics, namely with its central idea that he’s aiming high while feeling low.
For the full inteview, which also includes Offset detailing the inspiration he received during a timely conversation with Tyler, see here.
In February, Offset's fellow Migos alum Quavo performed the Takeoff tribute track "Without You" at the Grammys. Several months later at the 2023 BET Awards, Offset and Quavo surprised fans with a special performance dedicated to Takeoff, who was fatally shot in Houston in 2022.
The Set It Off press cycle has been a particularly illuminating one for Offset. In October, for example, he joined Ebro for a discussion during which he gave his assessment of declining hip-hop sales numbers in 2023.
"You got these pop and these country artists smoking shit because they coming with the full round, the full package," Offset said at the time.
