It’s been over one year since Takeoff was tragically shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley in November 2022.
During a GQ interview for the publication’s Men of the Year feature published today (Nov. 29), Offset opened up about the challenges he faced while trying to honor the late rapper musically with SET IT OFF. Speaking on the difficulty in discussing Takeoff’s death, he explained, “I ain’t ready to talk about that s**t yet, first and foremost.”
“I don’t know how to do it, but I didn’t want to just be making an album about bad s**t, and dissing, and putting that type of energy on the project because it was going to make my mind be in a different place mentally,” Offset added.
When asked about why he didn’t touch on doom and gloom subjects on the project, the “FAN” artist replied, “It’s way more fun. I didn’t want to talk about tragedy and talk about…”
SET IT OFF debuted on Oct. 13 with 21 songs featured on it. Guest appearances included Latto, Young Nudy, Cardi B, Travis Scott, Future, and Don Toliver, among others. While the LP mostly contained high-energy tracks, “UPSIDE DOWN” was the closest to being a tribute to Takeoff.
“The world is not ready for it because [everyone] is so judgmental,” Offset shared. “They want you to make a song pouring your heart out that’s [also] a hit. There is a song on there that’s kind of expressing that s**t, though, which is ‘UPSIDE DOWN.’ It’s feeling confident I’m going to go up with the music, but I’m down every day. It’s the challenge of trying to be the best at your worst times.”
The interview also touched on Offset’s career insights, including advice he received from Tyler, the Creator and drawing style inspiration from Michael Jackson.
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