NEW YORK – On paper, the song could seem like an odd combination or a creative Mad Libs project. Featuring two Atlanta rappers with unique styles — Offset’s melodic, forceful delivery and the skillful wordsmith JID — united on “Bodies.”

Their collaboration, mostly recorded in China, is built on a sample from nu-metal band Drowning Pool’s 2001 track “Bodies.” It has become a 2025 Billboard Hot 100 success in its right, serving as a tribute to self-reliance — maintaining one’s stance and striving for growth.

“As soon as he played it, it felt historic,” JID reflects on hearing their track “Bodies” initially. “The production ranks among my favorite backgrounds to have 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

Following the success of “Bodies,” JID released his fourth album, “God Does Like Ugly” last week. The title is a twist on his grandmother’s Southern saying, “God don’t like ugly.”

“It’s more purposeful,” he notes of his new release. “The previous project was more about my origins, the journey from then to now,” he explains referencing 2022’s versatile “The Forever Story.”

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

This is immediately evident on the masterful “God Does Like Ugly,” which features an impressive roster of collaborators including Clipse, Ciara, Don Toliver, and Vince Staples.

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.”