When is Offset's album “Kiari” releasing? Rapper shuts down Times Square to dance with fans to promote his music

On Tuesday, August 5, Offset announced his third solo studio album, revealing KIARI as its title, which is his birth name. The rapper hosted a major event for the announcement by shutting down Times Square for the occasion.

A video shared by @mymixtapez on X shows Offset, born Kiari Kendell Cephus, in Times Square with a large crowd behind him, all grooving and holding up the cover art of the upcoming album.

Offset's KIARI is set to release later this month, on August 22. It will be his first solo project in the past two years, following the release of Set It Off in October 2023. According to HypeBeast, the new album is expected to include 18 songs. It will also feature a strong lineup of collaborations with artists like YoungBoy NBA, John Legend, Gunna, J.I.D., Ty Dolla $ign, Key Glock, YFN Lucci, and Teezo Touchdown.

---

The lead single of Offset's new album dropped two months ago

The lead single from KIARI, titled Bodies, was released a couple of weeks ago, on June 20. The song, which features J.I.D., reached number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

A music video for the song was released shortly after, set in a desert with dark storms, where the Migos rapper leads runway models in front of a "glowing choir." It later turns out to be Cephus's coronation ceremony. In a statement about the single, Offset told Uproxx:

"‘Bodies’ is one of them ones I had to really take my time with. It’s about standing on who you are, coming out the mud, and being confident in the face of adversity. I’m always evolving, and I don’t fit in a box as an artist. I’ve been cooking this up for a minute and I’m just getting started. JID is my guy and had the perfect energy to match ‘Bodies.’ Stay tuned because we going up."

With its visuals exploring themes of death and religion, Bodies also samples the 2021 gospel song, Ringing Them Bells, by The Spirituals. Before creating Bodies, Offset and J.I.D. came together in 2023 to record Danger (Spider) for the soundtrack of Across the Spider-Verse.

Professional, another song from Cephus' upcoming album, was released a few weeks ago, on July 24. The track has attracted 817K views and 19K likes on the rapper's YouTube channel, while its music video, which was released two days later, is even more popular, with over 2.3 million views and 57K likes.

According to RTT News, the video was shot at Lucien, a boutique eatery in New York, giving fans a glimpse into Cephus' luxurious lifestyle. A part of the song states:

"Them killers gon' listen to me when I talk / See it, I want it, I bought it, it's copped (Hey). Bvlgari watches, this watch out of stock (Start) / Cartier, Tiffany, all 'cause she hot."

---

Offset separated from his wife, Cardi B, in August 2024, after the Bongos rapper filed for divorce. While their divorce has not yet been finalized, Cardi has already confirmed her relationship with athlete Stefon Diggs.

Edited by Shreya Das