Offset (rapper)

Career

Offset began as a backup dancer in Whitney Houston's 2002 music video for "Whatchulookinat" at age ten. He formed Migos in 2008 with Quavo and Takeoff, all raised in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The group gained attention with their 2013 single "Versace" and released their debut album Yung Rich Nation in 2015. Their 2017 single "Bad and Boujee" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with Offset performing much of the song.

The trio's second album Culture debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 that same year. In June 2017, Offset was featured on Metro Boomin's "No Complaints" with Drake, peaking at number 71 on the Hot 100, and in September he joined Macklemore on "Willy Wonka" from the album Gemini. He released the collaborative album Without Warning with 21 Savage and Metro Boomin on October 31, 2017, which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and produced the hit "Ric Flair Drip," his first solo platinum single.

In January 2018, Offset faced criticism for a homophobic lyric in his feature on YFN Lucci's "Boss Life"; he apologized, stating he did not intend the term "queer" to target the LGBT community, and later claimed he used the word in its definition meaning eccentric. His debut solo album Father of 4 was released on February 22, 2019, featuring the single "Clout" with Cardi B, which peaked at number 39 on the Hot 100. Offset was involved in a feud with Chris Brown in 2019, threatening to fight him.

Following the release of Migos' fourth album Culture III in June 2021, he appeared on the Fast & Furious 9 soundtrack with the song "Hit Em Hard" alongside Trippie Redd, Kevin Gates, Lil Durk, and King Von.

Other ventures

Offset made a guest appearance on Donald Glover's show Atlanta in 2016, in the episode "Go For Broke" that aired on September 13. He has also modeled for fashion lines by Gosha Rubchinskiy, Bryce Barnes, and Lavati. In February 2019, he appeared for the first time on Sean Evans' web series Hot Ones. Later that August, he put money into the esports group FaZe Clan, saying he loves gaming and sees esports as the future; he later showed up in two of their YouTube videos.

His first acting role was on NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2020, he teamed up with Axis Replay to support up-and-coming musicians. After losing his grandmother to bladder cancer in 2012, he raised half a million dollars for the American Cancer Society in 2022. In October 2023, he worked with Howlin' Ray's on a limited meal box called the Howlin' Ween Offset Shake Box, sold only on Postmates, which included chicken nuggets and his own sauce, Southern Drip—a take on a chicken dipping sauce from 1920s North Carolina.

Legal issues

While Migos were breaking through in 2013, Offset was already behind bars in Georgia’s DeKalb County Jail for violating probation tied to earlier felony convictions for burglary and theft. On April 18, 2015, police shut down a Migos concert at Georgia Southern University, arresting all three group members plus several people in their crew. Offset was held without bond and hit with charges for possessing an unspecified Schedule II narcotic, marijuana, a firearm in a school safety zone, and a firearm during a crime.

While still locked up on May 2, 2015, he was accused of battery and inciting a riot inside the jail after severely injuring another inmate in a fight. At a May 8, 2015 bond hearing, Judge John R. Turner denied him bond because of his criminal history and the jail incident. Two entourage members also lost their bond bids, while four others got bond but were banned from Bulloch County. Offset’s lawyer claimed the trio had been unfairly targeted by police, but prosecutors pointed to Migos’ violent track record.

After eight months in custody, Offset got out on December 4, 2015, by taking an Alford plea. That deal dropped the gun, drug, and gang charges in exchange for a guilty plea to inciting a riot, a $1,000 fine, five years of probation, and a ban from Bulloch, Effingham, Jenkins, and Screven counties. On March 17, 2016, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license but released the next day with no charges. On April 23, 2019, he faced a felony charge for three handguns and drugs from a July 2018 arrest.

Then on October 24, 2020, Beverly Hills Police detained him near a Donald Trump rally for carrying a concealed weapon, though he was let go shortly after.

Personal life

Offset and Cardi B started seeing each other in 2017. They got married in a private ceremony on September 20, 2017, and Cardi B became stepmother to Offset's three children from earlier relationships. The following month, they put on a public proposal during a live show at Power 99's Powerhouse in Philadelphia. In 2018, a video came out that appeared to show Offset cheating with a woman in South Africa, and a supposed sex tape also leaked.

That May, Offset was hurt in a car crash. On April 7, 2018, Cardi B announced on Saturday Night Live that they were expecting their first child. On December 5, 2018, she posted on Instagram that they had split, after Offset was accused of cheating on her while she was pregnant with aspiring rapper Summer Bunni; leaked texts showed he had asked Summer Bunni and rapper Cuban Doll for a threesome. Offset was also linked to a cheating scandal with 6ix9ine's girlfriend Jade in 2018.

Later that year, Cardi B attacked two bartenders, Jade and Baddie G, at a strip club, accusing Jade of sleeping with Offset, and was charged with assault. The couple released the song "Clout" together in 2019. In September 2020, Cardi B filed for divorce, but they got back together the next month. On June 27, 2021, they announced they were expecting a second child, and Cardi B gave birth to a son.

On November 1, 2022, Offset's Migos groupmate Takeoff was shot and killed in Houston, Texas; Migos broke up the following year. A 2023 Variety interview confirmed that Offset is not biologically related to Quavo and Takeoff, though they have called each other cousins since childhood. Offset has six children with four women: a son with Justine Watson in 2009; a son with Oriel Jamie and a daughter with Shya L'Amour in 2015; a daughter with Cardi B in 2018; a son with Cardi B in 2021; and a daughter named Blossom with Cardi B in September 2024.

Cardi B filed for divorce on August 1, 2024, at the same time announcing she was pregnant with their third child. According to DJ Akademiks, she allegedly cheated on Offset with an NFL player, likely Stefon Diggs, while pregnant; Offset hinted at her cheating during pregnancy on Instagram live.