Father of 4

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".

This article is about the album. For the family film, see Father of Four.

Father of 4
Studio album by Offset
Released	February 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	Hip hop trap
Length	57:14
Label	Motown Quality Control
Producer	Allen Ritter BLWYRMND Cubeatz Doughboy Beatz Dre Moon Metro Boomin Pyrex So Icey Boyz Southside Vou Wavy Zaytoven
Offset chronology
Without Warning (2017) Father of 4 (2019)
Singles from Father of 4
"Red Room" Released: February 14, 2019 "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

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 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]

Singles

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 Cardi B, was released on March 15, 2019.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Album of the Year	71/100[9]
Metacritic	72/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Consequence of Sound	B−[12]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[13]
Exclaim!	7/10[14]
Highsnobiety	3.5/5[15]
HipHopDX	4.0/5[16]
HotNewHipHop	79%[17]
NME	[18]
Pitchfork	6.9/10[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]

Father of 4 was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 72, based on eight reviews.[10] Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 71 out of 100, based on nine 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."[16] 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."[18] 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."[14] Charles Holmes of Rolling Stone saying "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."[20]

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."[19] Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, Brian Josephs stated "Offset often sounds drained in a way that doesn't really invite empathy."[13] Consequence of Sound'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."[12]

Commercial performance

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.[21] In its second week, the album dropped to number nine on the chart, earning an additional 39,000 album-equivalent units that week.[22] 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.[23]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[24][25]

Father of 4 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Father of 4" (featuring Big Rube)	Kiari Cephus Leland Wayne Ruben Bailey Peter Lee Johnson	Metro Boomin Johnson^[a]	4:19
2.	"How Did I Get Here" (featuring J. Cole)	Cephus Jermaine Cole Wayne Andre Proctor	Metro Boomin Dre Moon	4:36
3.	"Lick"	Cephus Wayne Proctor Montrell Martinez	Metro Boomin Dre Moon Wavy	3:24
4.	"Tats on My Face"	Cephus Wayne Joshua Luellen	So Icey Boyz	3:02
5.	"Made Men"	Cephus Luellen Ugur Tig	Southside Vou	3:34
6.	"Wild Wild West" (featuring Gunna)	Cephus Sergio Kitchens Wayne Allen Ritter	Metro Boomin Ritter^[a]	3:56
7.	"North Star" (featuring CeeLo Green)	Cephus Thomas Callaway Wayne Ritter Robert Mandell Andy Taylor John Taylor Nick Rhodes Roger Taylor Simon Le Bon	Metro Boomin Ritter Dre Moon G Koop^[a]	4:05
8.	"After Dark"	Cephus Wayne Ritter Proctor Johnson Donald Cannon	Metro Boomin Ritter Dre Moon Don Cannon^[a]	2:52
9.	"Don't Lose Me"	Cephus Wayne Bradley Brandon	Metro Boomin Doughboy Beatz	3:20
10.	"Underrated"	Cephus Wayne Luellen	So Icey Boyz	2:29
11.	"Legacy" (featuring Travis Scott and 21 Savage)	Cephus Jacques Webster Shayaa Abraham-Joseph Luellen Tig	Southside Vou	4:04
12.	"Clout" (featuring Cardi B)	Cephus Belcalis Almanzar Luellen Jordan Thorpe Kevin Gomringer Tim Gomringer	Southside Cubeatz	3:25
13.	"On Fleek" (featuring Quavo)	Cephus Quavious Marshall Wayne Xavier Dotson Brandon	Metro Boomin Zaytoven Doughboy Beatz	3:49
14.	"Quarter Milli" (featuring Gucci Mane)	Cephus Wayne Radric Davis Kendrick Cannady	Metro Boomin Pyrex	3:14
15.	"Red Room"	Cephus Wayne	Metro Boomin	4:01
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

• "North Star" contains an interpolation from "Save a Prayer", written by Simon Le Bon, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, and Nick Rhodes, as performed by Duran Duran.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[24][25]

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

Weekly charts Chart performance for Father of 4 Chart (2019) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 18 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 25 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 23 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 49 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[30] 3 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[31] 12 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] 13 French Albums (SNEP)[33] 35 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] 54 Irish Albums (IRMA)[35] 20 Italian Albums (FIMI)[36] 63 Latvian Albums (LAIPA)[37] 17 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[38] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[39] 19 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[40] 15 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 29 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 14 UK Albums (OCC)[43] 19 US Billboard 200[44] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[45] 2

Year-end charts 2019 year-end chart performance for Father of 4 Chart (2019) Position US Billboard 200[46] 84 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[47] 43

Certifications

Certifications for Father of 4

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[48]	Gold	500,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

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