By: Logan Flesch
We may officially be living in a post-Migos world. Fans have been speculating for the past couple of years that the group may be moving their focus towards their own solo careers. These rumors have only grown with Offset’s collaboration with 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’ Without Warning (2017), Takeoff’s The Last Rocket (2018), and Quavo’s collaborative album with Travis Scott, Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho (2017) and solo album QUAVO HUNCHO (2018). With new album Father of 4, Offset became the last of the Migos to release a solo album, proving that each of the Migos have projects that they would rather work on without fielding a ton of input from the rest of the group. I’ll say that I have been pretty indifferent towards the Migos during their rise to the top, but it’s impossible to deny the impact that the group has had on trap music and keeping Atlanta at the top of the hip-hop scene with a new generation of listeners. I truly enjoyed the Culture album, but other than a few really good singles, Culture II and each member’s work outside of the group have felt pretty flat and rushed to me. This album does not break that mold. While I cannot fully endorse this album, it does have some redeeming qualities.
Father of 4 did not take a great first step in my eyes. The lead title track begins with an insufferable spoken word intro from Big Rube. Just as I was about to skip the track, Offset began his verse and I was forced to stick around a little longer. Not much improved, but it is nice to hear him talk about his children and how he is sorry that he’s been absent from their lives. Other than the family theme of the track, it does not feature any memorable lines and it’s over sub-par production. Offset needs top-tier production to thrive and elevate his skills. Then, we are brought to “How Did I Get Here” (feat. J. Cole). This track is an immediate improvement and gave me a lot of hope for the rest of the album. Offset sped up his delivery and commanded the pace of the track. This is not J. Cole’s best guest feature (he was off the charts in 2018), but he delivers a respectable verse and definitely doesn’t hurt the song. Then, we hit a string of boring, forgettable tracks. However, I would like to give a shout out to producers SwaVay and Dre Moon for their work on “Lick”. I spaced out while listening to this track because Offset was boring, but I found myself bobbing my head and tapping my feet to the production. Really great producers are able to keep the audience’s attention even if the rapper or singer can’t. The only other track of significance is “Legacy” with Travis Scott and 21 Savage. The song features great production from Southside and is considered the sequel to Without Warning’s breakout track “Ghostface Killers”. While “Legacy” is not quite on that level and it’s missing a memorable hook, it is still a very enjoyable “flex” song.
To sum up my view and experience with this project, it is an Offset album. He discusses his rough upbringing, drug addiction, and fatherhood. None of these are bad themes, however, there is a reason that Migos have had great success as an entire group. What one member lacks, another member excels at and elevates a track to a higher level. The weakest point of Father of 4 is that Offset is not good at implementing catchy hooks or choruses into his tracks, leaving a lot to be desired. The exception to that statement is “Wild Wild West” with Gunna. With the addition of Quavo and Takeoff to a lot of these tracks, I think they would have stuck with me much better. I would not recommend listening to the album as a whole, as the songs are very similar and don’t have much artistic value. I don’t think Offset will be receiving any Grammy’s for this project. However, he was able to stay in his lane and drop some really great trap songs. I could definitely see “Wild Wild West” and “Legacy” making my workout playlist. Here’s to hoping that we’ll get another Migos album.
Rating: 5/10
Favorite Tracks: “Wild Wild West” (feat. Gunna) & “Legacy” (feat. Travis Scott & 21 Savage)
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