The Migos first established themselves as one of hip-hop’s most promising acts a decade ago. Thanks to the viral success of their song Versace and a co-sign from one of the biggest names in music, the Atlanta trio had gained a sizable fan base very rapidly.
Unfortunately for Offset, he was incarcerated throughout most of the Migos’ significant breakout year, so he was unaware of their ascension right away.
When asked to describe his “oh fuck, we made it” moment during a recent visit on the Call Her Daddy podcast, the Grammy-nominated Offset spoke about Drake’s influence. The Open It Up crooner claimed that after Drake joined the remix of “Versace,” the Zaytoven-produced song from their 2013 album, Y.R.N. (Young Rich N***as), things really took off.
Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, added, “See, Drake got on my song when Versace exploded, and I was in jail at the time. You know one day I was in a jail cell. At six in the morning when they’re counting, I’m awake and [the guard] is singing my song while counting.”
Offset claimed he didn’t make a big deal out of the incident because he didn’t realize how popular the Migos had become outside of their own country.
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“I’m not telling people what’s happening the entire time I’m in there because I really don’t know what’s really going on. I simply know we were in a motion, but I’m in jail, my mind is racing, and I’m in a bad place. Additionally, while the guard was counting, he was singing, Versace, Versace, Versace. He was singing the song as he left and went away. What the fuck, I’m thinking,” the Walk It Talk It rapper noted.
Offset continued, “Soon after we left, I picked up the phone and dialed their home number, saying, ‘Yo.'” Yes, Drake is on it, they enjoy it. ‘What?!’ I exclaim in shock. Yes, [“Versace” is] on the air, the homies say. But I don’t know—I suppose they played it on the radio a couple of times quickly or something. And after that, it’s like, nah.”
Even though Offset would not be released for a few more months, he started enjoying the benefits of stardom while he was incarcerated.
“I had to sit down for, like, four more months. I had a visitation issue; I’m now married, so it’s not crazy; this was before my wife. You can schedule six 30-minute visits each day, and I had certain people I was dealing with and my mom on there, but they didn’t show up,” said the rapper.
Offset claimed that while his mother made a weekly visit, the women in his life were largely absent until “Versace” gained popularity.
“But suddenly, they say things like, ‘You received six visits.’ He recalled, “I was like, ‘I got six visits?'” “I’m attempting to think. Next to one another. At that point, I thought, “Oh sh*t, this sh*t is crazy.” That was my first experience with it.
Offset discussed the early success of the Migos in a 2021 interview on VladTV. He admitted that it was “a little hard” to be behind bars while his bandmates Quavo and Takeoff were enjoying their fame outside of it.
“But they were sparing me some paper, so I was still straight,” he claimed. “I was honest because we hadn’t had any real money up until that point. I was simply relaxing. Coming home to something was a blessing,” Offset added.