FATHER OF 4

It once felt like a breach of social contract to pick your favorite Migo: The Atlanta trio were great because they were great together. In the wake of 2018’s Culture II, though, each member of Migos has struck out on their own: Quavo led the charge with QUAVO HUNCHO, with Takeoff’s The Last Rocket close behind. But Offset’s FATHER OF 4 is the first of the group’s solo offerings that feels like a true event. Teasing your album with a video of your very famous wife giving birth to your daughter can sometimes have that effect.

The most traditionally skillful lyricist of the Migos, Offset’s also the most talked-about these days—mostly with regard to the ups and downs of his marriage to Cardi B. Rather than deflect the drama, Offset faces it head-on here: FATHER OF 4 isn’t just an introduction to the rapper as a solo artist but a recalibration of his public perception, embracing the role of proud father and opening up about his past over solemn chamber-trap beats. It’s hard not to get a little misty-eyed hearing the title track, on which Offset addresses each of his four childrefƒn over a Metro Boomin angel choir: “My son Kody, he three, rappin' already like me.” “Red Room” is a moody meditation on the past, as he recalls being raised by a single mother and watching his friends die. And on “Don’t Lose Me,” he finally addresses his breakup and eventual reconciliation with Cardi, pledging to be a better person. You might expect Cardi’s eventual guest verse to be an emotional affair, but on “Clout,” she says screw all that, firing shots at all kinds of adversaries and temporarily stealing the spotlight: “Soon as these bitches got something to sell, they say my name, say my name, Destiny’s Child,” she growls. And that, friends, is what being a power couple’s all about.