From ‘Bodies’ to new albums, allow Offset and JID to reintroduce themselves

NEW YORK (AP) — On paper, the song might be an unusual pairing, or something resembling Mad Libs. Two Atlanta rappers with idiosyncratic styles — Offset’s melodic, aggressive flow and the dexterous lyricist JID — speaking the same language on “Bodies.”

Their collaboration, largely recorded in China, arrives atop a sample of nu-metal band Drowning Pool’s 2001 cut “Bodies.” It’s become a 2025 Billboard Hot 100 hit of their own, and it doubles as an ode to self-determination — standing your ground and working toward evolution.

“As soon as he played it, it was like history,” JID says of hearing their “Bodies” for the first time. “The production is one of my favorite compositions I ever recorded over.”

It also serves as a kind of introduction of a new era for both artists, who both have new albums this month.

A new perspective from JID

In the post-“Bodies” glow, JID released his fourth album, “God Does Like Ugly” last week. The title is a play on his grandmother’s Southern colloquialism, “God don’t like ugly.”

“It’s more intentional,” he says of his new release. “The last project was more of an origin story, where I came from until now,” he says of 2022’s elastic “The Forever Story.”

“This one is closer, up to date, of where I am mentally — and my perspective of the industry.”

That’s immediately clear on the virtuosic “God Does Like Ugly” and its formidable list of collaborators, Clipse, Ciara, Don Toliver and Vince Staples among them.

It’s also evident on the lead single, “WRK,” an examination of ambition, and the surprising run up to his album release. JID embarked on the J. Cole-inspired “Dollar & A Dream” Tour, a series of exclusive performances across the U.S., where attendees only needed to pay a buck for entry.

“I just thought it was a cool idea. A great way to be intimate and see your fans,” he says. “Getting to perform the new songs for them every night is perfect.”

Offset looks inward

Drive is certainly something the pair have in common, but when it comes to their new releases, the comparisons end there. Offset will release “Kiari,” his third solo album on Aug. 22. The title is his legal name — a direct reflection of the album he calls “a look in the mirror.” He says it’s a collection of “different versions of Offset, which comes from Kiari … I’m always trying to rebrand and recreate.”

Where his last release, “Set It Off,” sought to “bring rap back, not so much melody,” as he told The Associated Press in 2023, “Kiari” combines the best of both worlds.

He says he’s pulling from “life events” on the album. “It feels very personal,” he says. “Not just about what I’m speaking on, but how serious the moment in time is for me to prevail.”

“’Set It Off’ was a freedom,” he adds, proof that he could shine as a solo artist outside of Migos, the group that launched his career.

“Kiari,” instead, is “me, for what I am. And recognizing who I am, because I feel like sometimes you could get lost in trying to please other people and trying to do what they want you to do. So, this is like my rebellion. My rebellion album.”

And he’s got an A-list crew of collaborations helping him rebel: Not just JID, but also Gunna, Key Glock, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla $ign, Teezo Touchdown and perhaps most surprising of all, John Legend on the emotive “Never Let Go.” He says it is for the late Takeoff, his Migos bandmate and cousin, who died in a 2022 shooting.

“It’s a song for him,” says Offset. “The last album, I had not did a song (for him) because I couldn’t during the time.”

Even still, “Never Let Go” was a challenge. “The song is beautiful. I was able to be vulnerable on the song and speak and say certain things I’ve never said out loud.”

“Kiari” is also Offset’s first new album since the birth of his third daughter with rapper Cardi B in September, shortly after she filed for divorce from him.

It is likely fans will read the final track on the album, “Move On,” to be about their relationship. He says it’s simply “about moving on peacefully. That’s what the message is supposed to be: moving on peacefully.”

He chosen to end the album that way to “end that chapter, just move on. It’s over and done with. It was great while it lasted. That shouldn’t be the topic for neither one of us no more. It’s a book that’s closed.”

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press