Carti is aiming to make pop out of rage.
On Christmas Day, 2020, Atlanta-rap artist Playboi Carti finally released his long-awaited sophomore record, “Whole Lotta Red,” to mixed reactions. Nevertheless, fans were itching for more of the now 29-year old rage rap pioneer’s unique sound.
Songs like “Sky” and “ILoveUIHateU” would almost immediately go viral on social media and amass hundreds of millions of listens on Spotify upon the release of the album. Carti would soon promise fans that a new album would be arriving soon.
This album would go under many changes and have a few different names. However, on March 14, 2025, “MUSIC” would arrive on streaming platforms early Friday morning. Much like “Whole Lotta Red,” the reaction to Playboi Carti’s third studio album has been mixed — fans frankly are not sure what to make of it.
“MUSIC” is a gigantic, sprawling, triumphant and truly maximalist musical experience. It is 30 tracks, just over 75 minutes and chocked-full of relentless energy.
Carti is trying to do a lot, all at once, by releasing “MUSIC” at all. Yet, something feels off. Carti is not coming off as the experimental auteur that “Whole Lotta Red” suggested he was becoming. Even the most pop-like and viral-bait songs on Carti’s last album do not explain what “MUSIC” ended up as.
It baffles me that a track like “POP OUT” was selected to not only be on the album — but as the opening track. The mix is absurdly heavy and claustrophobic, with buzzing, industrial synths — along with loads of distortion. Carti’s vocals remain the only discernible quality of the track not muddled down by the cacophonous production.
However, “POP OUT” — like the other more experimental tracks on the record — are kind of anomalies. The majority of the tracks on “MUSIC” are either dedicated viral-bait attempts at pop hits, such as “RATHER LIE,” “BACKD00R” and “WE NEED ALL DA VIBES.”
Even the songs that do not entirely go anywhere, such as “CRUSH” and the Kendrick Lamar-assisted “MOJO JOJO,” still have a cleaner pop-appeal. Carti’s seemingly harder-hitting tracks, like “CHARGE THEM HOES A FEE” and “WAKE UP F1LTHY” use less of the rage-style approach to production, but rather focuses on a more palatable trap blueprint.
Carti’s artistic vision may not be entirely clear — or even on purpose — but one cannot deny that he knows how to make infectious music. The track “OLYMPIAN” is one of my favorite examples of this — Carti’s flow, creative cadence, lyrical tendencies and the production backing all of it is some of the boldest I’ve heard on a rage track.
“Life’s crazy, scary, oh, she bad, who you see?/Michael Jackson, beat it, B/Seventeen on my jeans/Had the 9 on me/Don’t fall for the boss/If you bleed, then you raw/Shake the seeds, shake ’em off/Got ’em in, cut him off,” Carti raps on the 22nd track, “OLYMPIAN.”
Carti, unfortunately, has not been entirely accepted as a unique creative by his fans — and even his haters. There are currently allegations out there that claim that Carti and his team handling the production have been using AI to mimic vocals on tracks like the aforementioned, soon-to-be-hit “RATHER LIE,” featuring The Weeknd.
According to Kurrco, a popular hip-hop update account on X and Instagram, Playboi Carti’s newest record “is now the latest mainstream hip-hop release to incorporate AI vocals, with tracks like ‘RATHER LIE’ & ‘FINE SH*T’.”
Carti has allegedly privately denied the accusation, according to DJ Akademics, a streamer and well-known Carti-affiliate.
All of this recent news when it comes to “MUSIC,” the chaotic rollout and the discourse surrounding the record, leads me to come to one conclusion: Carti is about to make a lot of money.
“MUSIC” is an astounding success. Carti has retained his fans’ attention throughout the entire years-long rollout and is now capitalizing on the hype — 30 tracks is not a small feat.
While I am not convinced that all of these tracks on “MUSIC” have artistic merit — or even staying power — I am sure that the direction that Carti is going in is one that will bring him a ton of success.
Even if he does not deserve it.
