Offset Drops Surprise “Haunted By Fame” Album
Today, a mere two months after releasing his widely acclaimed third solo album KIARI, GRAMMY® Award-nominated, multi-platinum superstar Offset drops the surprise Halloween Day album, HAUNTED BY FAME. Urgent and raw, the 11-track set was recorded during Offset’s ongoing U.S. arena tour with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and features appearances by tourmates YoungBoy, NoCap, and Lil Dump. The artists recorded together while on tour. Listen to HAUNTED BY FAME.
“I HEARD” featuring YoungBoy captures the project’s live wire energy as the duo reunite over a woozy beat powered by chiming keys, funky guitar, blaring horns, and rubbery bass. Offset is in his element whether slowing it down for a melody or busting his signature triplets: “They don’t like me, I’m hated by many men / Get that bag and I don’t got too many friends.” YoungBoy slides between slurred singing, gruff rhymes, and a James Brown-like bark as he vows, “Hundred million I count it, then count again.”
With trunk-rattling production and flex after flex, HAUNTED BY FAME finds Offset fired up, head down, and tapped into his abilities, letting loose off-the-cuff bars and hypnotic hooks with preternatural ease. Early cut “FREE PICK” sets the mood as Offset spits, “I ain’t never been humble, I’m cocky / 10 years, no FOMO, I’m poppin’.” “N.A.M.E” offers a momentary reprieve as he and NoCap sing about trench trauma over a surprising folk-inflected score, but he’s back at it soon enough — especially on the bouncing Lil Dump team-up “ANOTHER PROBLEM” and the cold-hearted, relentless closer “HEADHUNTER.” Production comes courtesy of London Jae, Pooh Beatz, Go Grizzly, Mally Mall, Kaigoingcrazy, and more.
HAUNTED BY FAME follows the August release of KIARI Deluxe, which included, among other songs, a BNYX®️ Mix of the smash single “Bodies” featuring J.I.D. and sampling Drowning Pool’s iconic 2001 nü-metal hit. All four artists then came together for a genre- and generation-crossing performance of “Bodies” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – watch HERE. The deluxe version also arrived alongside a slew of minimal but impactful videos for KIARI’s songs, including “Back in That Mode” featuring YFN Lucci, “Prada Myself” with Teezo Touchdown, “Favorite Girl” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and “Pills,” Offset’s powerful, Nina Simone-sampling team-up with YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Those and others joined previously released clips for singles “Never Let Go” with John Legend and “Professional.”
With Offset’s birth name as its title, KIARI finds the Atlanta icon at the top of his game, more vulnerable than ever, swerving between introspective cuts and club records, and reflecting on his journey thus far over immersive production. As Rolling Stone wrote in their four-star review, “KIARI underscores Offset’s critical gifts, tapping into his chutzpah while demonstrating even more growth.” VIBE noted, “It is every side of the Atlanta rapper that fans grew to love over the last decade, and a sign that he is as fortified as ever by himself.” And HotNewHipHop added, “The album balances raw storytelling with polished hooks, showcasing his growth as an artist determined to carve out a lasting solo legacy beyond Migos.”
The album was led by “Bodies,” which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, became the #1 added song at Urban Radio, and racked up universal praise — including from The Source (“a bold summer return”), BET (“smash single”), UPROXX (“Offset and J.I.D. go hard”), HotNewHipHop (“urgent, reflective, and necessary”), and Complex, who specifically ranked J.I.D.’s verse as the sixth best of the year. Vibe called the scorching single an “earth-shattering lyrical clinic [where Offset] brought his hard-nosed, aggressive flow, which matches the 808s and drums, and fellow ATLien J.I.D. dropped one of his best guest verses ever.” The duo have since discussed the hit with Variety, Genius, and AP News.
Offset’s been making waves elsewhere too, discussing KIARI and more in appearances on Apple Music 1’s The Ebro Show, 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, and The Shop. He also recently made a triumphant return to Hot Ones, featured on the premiere episode of Complex‘s “Interview with a Magician” series, and stole the show at Milwaukee’s Summerfest in late June when he brought a fan onstage for an unforgettable performance of Migos hit “Walk It Talk It” — watch HERE.
HAUNTED BY FAME is a gift for the fans and a testament to the raw talent of a larger-than-life artist.