In two days Atlanta rapper and former Migos member Offset will be releasing his sophomore solo album Set It Off. Boasting appearances from Travis Scott, Future, Chloe Bailey, his wife Cardi B, and more, the LP will be his first full-length release since his 2019 debut Father of 4.
Videos by American Songwriter
As noted above, Cardi B will show up on her husband’s album for two separate tracks, “Freaky” and “Jealousy.” The latter song is already more than two months old, though, as it was dropped as a promotional single in late July. Aside from manufacturing more excitement for Set It Off, the release of “Jealousy” was all about timing, considering the rumors that surrounded Offset and Cardi B this summer.
In late June, Offset accused Cardi of cheating on him with another man.
“My wife fucked a N****a on me gang yall n***as know how I come,” he wrote on his Instagram story.
This is not the first time adultery has been an issue in the six-year marriage of Offset and Cardi. Previously, Cardi found out that her man had cheated on her, which momentarily halted their relationship. But, this time around, Cardi insisted that the rumors being fed to Offset were untrue.
“First of all, let me say: You can’t accuse me of all the things you know that you are guilty of. Sing it with me, y’all!” Cardi said in a Twitter Spaces chat on June 26. “And I see that it is easy for you to blame everything on me… Come on, now. I’m Cardi B, n***a. I think sometimes motherfuckers forget I’m Cardi B. If I was giving this p***y to anybody, it would be out. I’m not just anybody.”
Not much was heard from the duo for a while following this. Then, after an entire month went by, the two announced their new joint single “Jealousy.” Releasing on July 28, the song became their fifth collaboration, and the first one since “Clout” in 2019.
In the song and the extended music video Cardi and Offset address the cheating fiasco, seemingly having moved past it. To open the song, renowned actress Jamie Lee Curtis makes an appearance as a reporter seeking answers from Offset. “There’s a lot of drama between you and your beautiful wife, Cardi B,” Curtis says.
In response, he kicks off the song’s first verse by saying: Let’s talk about some music. Throughout the rest of his portion, he mostly raps about his typical tropes of money and jewelry, while throwing in subtle lyrics pertaining to the haters that fueled his drama with his wife.
Hatin’ ass n***a ’cause I got it out the mud
Hatin’ in the family, n***a, be your own blood
Then, as Offset’s verse ends and the sample of “Jealous Ass Bitch” by Three 6 Mafia plays louder, Cardi B steps in to be a bit more direct. In fact, during a skit in the aforementioned extended music video for the song, Cardi shares a phone call with actress Taraji P. Henson, who appears to be a confidant of Cardi’s. In their conversation, Cardi discusses the false reports of her infidelity, asserting that her haters are trying to break up her and Offset.
To further emphasize this with her song-ending verse, Cardi unleashes several raps in this same vein.
Girl, nobody listen to you ‘less you talking ’bout me
It’s always a bird tryna tweet shit
You offended when I be on defense
They’re too worried ’bout me and my n***a
You should worry ’bout the n***a yours sleep with, hmm
Ultimately, as one of the most notable and celebrated celebrity couples in the industry, it seems like Cardi B and Offset were able to recover from a bit of a slip-up in June. With “Jealousy” coming in the midst of both of them rolling out their respective impending albums, it’s nice to see that they are both on the same page.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Capture Studio Group
