With the release of his third studio album, KIARI, Offset has introduced a vibe that’s both unique to him and subtly reminiscent of Migos’ early “No Label” projects. When Grammy-winning rap group Migos split up in 2023 following the tragic death of rapper Takeoff, fans mourned the loss of an amazing performer as well as the iconic Migos sound.
Offset dropped KIARI on August 22, after being delayed over a year for unknown reasons. The release was accompanied by a cinematic visual album directed by Sheshe Pendleton and Mike Rare. The album is named after Offset’s government name, Kiari Cephus.
In “Enemies,” the first track, the viewer is introduced to a white room with fluorescent lights, “I pray the bright lights don’t make me crazy,” Offset sings. Really strong abstract visuals with cars and parties foreshadow the rest of the album, as well as Offset's life story. The set of the video looks like an homage to the set of Severance, the hit TV show that picked up seven Emmys this year.
The middle of Offset's KIARI merges without much differentiation
KIARI has many notable feature artists who contributed to the album, including YoungBoy Never Broke Again, YFN Lucci, Gunna, Teezo Touchdown, Cee Lo Green, and John Legend.
One of the most exciting and surprising collabs came from the track “Bodies,” featuring JID, BNYX, and metal band Drowning Pool. A metal track from Offset is the last thing anyone expected in 2025, but it’s hands-down a banger. It rivals “Cobra,” the Spiritbox and Megan Thee Stallion collab that came out last year.
The front half of the album is loaded with bangers, but the quality of the bars starts to decline by the middle of the album. Songs like “Run It Up” and “Set It Off” are overly repetitive and just don’t hit as hard following the energy of the first few tracks on KIARI –– it just sounds like Offset is reusing the same flows.
Some of the standout tracks from KIARI are “Enemies,” “Prada Myself,” “Professional,” and “Never Let Go.”“Professional” is one of the singles that came out two months before the album dropped. The video features Offset out to dinner at Café Lucien in NYC with a crew of baddies.
The back of the album regains intensity around “Checkmate (Smooth),” which doesn’t rely as much on the overly repetitive hooks. By the last song, “Move On,” it’s clear that we’re caught up to the present day of Offset’s life and career, as he’s trying to move on from his ex-girlfriend, Cardi B.
Overall, the album seems like it's intended to be a love letter to Offset’s life. The tracks fit into the album as if they were chapters in a novel, despite the presence of filler tracks midway through the project.