Father of 4 is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Offset. It was released on February 22, 2019, by Motown and Quality Control Music. The album's release makes Offset the third and final member from Migos to release a solo album. It features guest appearances by J. Cole, Cardi B, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Big Rube, Gunna, CeeLo Green, Quavo, and Gucci Mane. The album was supported by two singles: "Red Room" and "Clout".

Father of 4
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 22, 2019 (2019-02-22)
Studio
  • Astro
  • Quality Control
  • Zac (Atlanta)
  • Boominati
  • Republic (Los Angeles)
  • Offset In-Home Studio (Los Angeles and Atlanta)
  • Studio Grande Armee (Paris)
Genre
Length57:14
Label
Producer
Offset chronology
Without Warning
(2017)
Father of 4
(2019)
Set It Off
(2023)
Singles from Father of 4
  1. "Red Room"
    Released: February 14, 2019
  2. "Clout"
    Released: March 15, 2019

Father of 4 received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. It is Offset's second solo US top 10 album.

Background edit

The idea of a solo album by Offset was initially revealed shortly after the release of Quavo Huncho and The Last Rocket, both by fellow Migos artists Quavo and Takeoff respectively, and was slated for a December 14, 2018 release date.[1] The album was delayed presumably due to complications between his relationship with his wife Cardi B,[2] on February 10, 2019, the album was given a new release date of February 22.[3] In early 2019, Offset announced a documentary teaser to release alongside the album which shows a scene where his wife and rapper Cardi B gives birth to their daughter, Kulture.[4] On February 18, Offset tweeted that Metro Boomin and Southside were going to be sole producers of his album.[5]

Promotion edit

The album's lead single, "Red Room", was released on February 14, 2019, but was previously made available for a short time on November 30, 2018, before later being taken down. The song was produced by Metro Boomin.[6][7] The album's second single, "Clout" featuring his wife Cardi B, was released on March 15, 2019.[8]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
ConsequenceB−[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[12]
Exclaim!7/10[13]
Highsnobiety3.5/5[14]
HipHopDX4.0/5[15]
HotNewHipHop79%[16]
NME     [17]
Pitchfork6.9/10[18]
Rolling Stone     [19]

Father of 4 was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on eight reviews.[9]

Trent Clark of HipHopDX gave a positive review, stating "The 27-year-old Offset digs deep into his Atlanta Hip Hop lineage, crafting an album that's equal parts rare in this climate (seeing it follows an unfolding narrative) and refreshing, given its telling content".[15] Sam Moore from NME stated, "Father of 4 is a fine body of work that builds a convincing case that Offset is currently best-placed to be Migos' break-out solo star: once again, the final act of a trilogy proves to be the finest".[17] Exclaim! critic Kyle Mullin said, "Sure, some of the dark and downtempo beats can begin to sound same-y by the time you're through. And Offset certainly hasn't attained the lyrical brilliance of Jay-Z on 4:44, or any of the other elder rapper's releases for that matter. Nevertheless, Offset's level of growth and candour on Father of 4 is that of an MC making leaps and bounds, both in his music and his personal life".[13] Charles Holmes of Rolling Stone opined, "Predictably, Father of 4 falls prey to the bloat that characterizes most Migos' projects. ... Father of 4 is decidedly still a trap album, but it bucks the current conventions of the genre. Offset is attempting, often successfully, to showcase the humanity behind his frequently misguided choices – it's a piece of art that likely wouldn't exist if we didn't already know about some of his transgressions".[19]

Stephen Kearse of Pitchfork said, "Father of 4 ultimately works as a solo outing because Offset is such a force of nature, but it's too often cautious where it could be candid, or dull where it should be sharp. Still, the record is a progression for Offset and for Migos".[18] Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, Brian Josephs stated: "Offset often sounds drained in a way that doesn't really invite empathy."[12] Consequence's Wren Graves wrote, "Offset splits his time between personal stories and generalized trapping, with mixed results. When he finds the right flow, few can match him for sheer musical joy. Other times he sound flat and stale. ... You have to respect the work ethic that produced these 16 tracks, even if many of them don't merit a second listen".[11]

Commercial performance edit

Father of 4 debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with 89,000 album-equivalent units, including 7,000 pure album sales in its first week. It is Offset's second solo US top 10 album.[20] In its second week, the album dropped to number nine on the chart, earning an additional 39,000 album-equivalent units that week.[21] As of May 2019, the album has earned 282,000 album-equivalent units including 10,000 copies in pure album sales in the United States.[22]

Track listing edit

Father of 4 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Father of 4" (featuring Big Rube)4:19
2."How Did I Get Here" (featuring J. Cole)
4:36
3."Lick"
  • Cephus
  • Wayne
  • Proctor
  • Montrell Martinez
  • Metro Boomin
  • Dre Moon
  • Wavy
3:24
4."Tats on My Face"
So Icey Boyz3:02
5."Made Men"
  • Cephus
  • Luellen
  • Ugur Tig
3:34
6."Wild Wild West" (featuring Gunna)
  • Metro Boomin
  • Ritter[a]
3:56
7."North Star" (featuring CeeLo Green)
4:05
8."After Dark"
2:52
9."Don't Lose Me"
3:20
10."Underrated"
  • Cephus
  • Wayne
  • Luellen
So Icey Boyz2:29
11."Legacy" (featuring Travis Scott and 21 Savage)
  • So Icey Boyz
  • Vou
4:04
12."Clout" (featuring Cardi B)
3:25
13."On Fleek" (featuring Quavo)
3:49
14."Quarter Milli" (featuring Gucci Mane)
  • Metro Boomin
  • Pyrex
3:14
15."Red Room"
  • Cephus
  • Wayne
Metro Boomin4:01
16."Came a Long Way"
  • Cephus
  • Proctor
  • Simon Schranz
  • Wayne
  • BLWYRMND
  • Dre Moon
  • Metro Boomin
2:52
Total length:57:14

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[23][24]

Musicians

  • Peter Lee Johnson – strings (tracks 1, 8, 9)
  • North Star Choir – choir (track 7)
    • Brandon Whatley, Jonathan Coleman, Deidre Etheridge, Brandelyn Harris-Crumedy, Olivia King, Yolanda Stewart, Marcus Ross, Demetrius Banks, Brandi Jackson, Tiuanna Lemons
  • G Koop – guitar (track 9)

Technical

  • JRich ENT. – recording (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 11, 12)
  • Evan LaRay – recording (tracks 1, 11, 12)
  • Ethan Stevens – recording (tracks 1, 8, 10, 15, 16), mixing (track 1, 7, 9, 12, 16)
  • William "Bilz" Dougan – recording (track 7)
  • DJ Durel – mixing (all tracks)
  • Thomas "Tillie" Mann – mixing (tracks 2–6, 10–14), recording (tracks 6, 9)
  • Princeton "Perfect Harmony" Terry – mixing assistant (track 11)
  • Colin Leonard – mastering (all tracks)

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for Father of 4
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[47] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ "Everything We Know About Offset's Solo Album". Radio.com. November 13, 2018. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Offset Doesn't Release Solo Album Amid Separation From Cardi B". The Source. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Offset Announces solo album Release Date". Spin. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "Offset Announces New Album Release Date with Video of Cardi B Giving Birth". XXL. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Saponara, Michael (February 20, 2019). "Offset's Debut Solo Album: 5 Things We Want". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Jahmal, Karlton (November 30, 2018). "Offset Goes in Over Metro Boomin's Gorgeous Production On "Red Room"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Centeno, Tony M. (February 14, 2019). "Offset Drops First Solo Single". XXL. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Offset feat. Cardi B – Clout". australian-charts.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Father of 4 by Offset Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Father of Four – Offset". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Graves, Wren (February 26, 2019). "Offset – Father of 4". Consequence. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Josephs, Brian (February 25, 2019). "Offset explains himself to mixed success on 'Father of 4': EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Mullin, Kyle (February 25, 2019). "Offset Father of 4". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  14. ^ Hobbs, Thomas (February 28, 2019). "Offset – 'Father of 4' Review". Highsnobiety. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Clark, Trent (February 27, 2019). "Offset Father of 4 Album Review". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  16. ^ A., Aron (March 1, 2019). "Offset "Father of 4" Review". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Moore, Sam (February 25, 2019). "Offset – 'Father of 4' review". NME. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
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  20. ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 3, 2019). "Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Back at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Post-Oscars". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
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  22. ^ "TOP 50 ALBUMS YTD". Hits Daily Double. May 9, 2019. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  23. ^ Father of 4 (CD liner notes). Offset. Quality Control Music. 2019. 52814-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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