The advice Tyler, The Creator gave Offset for his solo career: “I’m glad I listened”
Offset found fame as a member of the buzzing Atlanta trap group, Migos, alongside Quavo and Takeoff. The trio are best known for hits like ‘Versace’, ‘Bad and Boujee’, ‘MotorSport’, ‘and ‘Stir Fry’, as well as their Calvin Harris collaboration ‘Slide’ alongside Frank Ocean. They topped the charts with their Culture and Culture II, but, like many groups, they eventually disbanded due to issues between the three of them, followed by Takeoff’s passing in 2022.
Since the late ’20s, Offset has been exploring a solo career that has resulted in a reasonable amount of success, including Father of 4 and Set It Off reaching the Billboard 200 top five. Despite that, he’s still searching for the breakout song or album to take him to another level of solo fame. He’ll be hoping that’s the case with his new album, KIARI, released on August 22nd.
Offset has been seeking as much advice as possible on his solo journey. When he crossed paths with Tyler, The Creator at a Roc Nation Brunch, he was talking to someone who really knows what they’re doing when it comes to breaking out of a group and establishing their own lane. The Atlanta rapper was all ears when Tyler broke down his process of wearing a wig for his IGOR era.
“He was like, ‘Bro, you gotta find a character, get in character and stay in character. I wore this wig for a year straight, bro. I didn’t give a damn what nobody thought,’” Offset recalled to Clash Magazine. “He told me that randomly, and it stuck with me throughout the whole time. I’m glad I listened to him ’cause it really worked out.”
Speaking on inspiration from Michael Jackson, he said, “I feel like this should be my breakout moment. [I’ve been] studying and paying attention to things that I haven’t [previously] paid attention to; being creative, dancing and hitting every element, because Mike would do that and with no fear. And he’s the greatest artist of all time because of that.
“I feel like his fashion was forward, even in today’s world. A lot of brands took a lot of inspiration from his fashion because it was just so ahead of his time. And I felt like I could execute it without looking corny. I’m that confident in my skin and confident in how I dress and how I carry myself, that I knew it would work out.”
Offset also spoke about his conversation with Tyler during an interview with GQ. He was told not to be afraid of public perception, instead owning individuality and proving people wrong in the long run. “I was telling [Tyler] my vision of being a standout artist and a solo artist and reinventing myself,” he said. “I was glorifying him, telling him, ‘I respect how you stay in character [for each album].’
“He was like, ‘You should do it, too. N*ggas ain’t going to fuck with it at first, but n*ggas never fuck with the good shit first. They always sleep on it, and then you show them throughout the process.’ I really took that shit to head.”