★★★★★
Playboi Carti has never been one to play by the rules. Since Whole Lotta Red divided listeners, his music has thrived on chaos with unruly beats, warped or quick-spat vocals, and an aesthetic blurring the line between punk and rap.
After years of cryptic teasers, cult-like fandom buildup, and a nearly nonexistent two-day rollout, Carti returns with MUSIC.
Playboi Carti has built his career on mystery—random disappearances and unclear messages on social media leave his devoted fanbase deciphering every move. So when he finally showed up to drop MUSIC, the title was so blunt it felt ironic.
For an artist who has altered the soundscape of rap with baby-voiced ad-libs, rock energy, and experimental production, naming his album something this basic feels like the ultimate anti-statement.
The album boasts 30 tracks, three released on social media months ago, eight teased or performed live, and two leaked, leaving 17 songs unheard. The album was originally set to drop at midnight, but at 12:01, Carti pushed it back to 3 a.m. when he announced the features of Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Skepta, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Ty Dolla $ign, Young Thug, and one hidden feature.
In classic Carti fashion, it didn’t come and got pushed back twice more, to 6, then finally 7:30 a.m.
The introductory song, “POP OUT,” opens by blowing out the speakers. The song highlights his signature rage aesthetic with deafening electronic production. The track debuted during Carti’s Wireless Festival 2023 set before he played it twice more in concert, leading fans to beg for its official release.
“I can’t come to your party, I might come just to hurt ya / ridin’ in a new body, all of my hoes are murderers,” sings Carti.
These opening lines and production seem to set the tone for MUSIC as electronic, adrenaline rap, but that only stays true for about half of the album. With its relentless pace, “POP OUT” wastes no time bringing listeners into the wild world he’s created. Carti’s raspier delivery adds a layer of aggression and unrelenting energy, making the track an anthem built for mosh pits.
Carti doesn’t keep up that rage-filled energy for the whole album, tapping into R&B with The Weeknd on “RATHER LIE.” Carti sings faster than Tesfaye and maybe attempts to rap, but the song perfectly blends The Weeknd’s melancholic melodies with Carti’s raw, chaotic energy, bringing it away from the traditional rap genre.
“Oh, you already know I’d lie to you than lose and break your heart / I’d rather tell you a lie than tell you the truth and leave you stuck,” sings Carti.
Carti blends toxic addiction to someone with vulnerability to encapsulate an emotional push-and-pull on “RATHER LIE.”
The surprise feature was revealed on track five, “MOJO JOJO,” where Kendrick Lamar adds an eerie intro and scattered ad-libs to the previously leaked track. Lamar later delivers full verses on both “BACKD00R” and “GOOD CREDIT,” the first executively produced by Kanye West and the second by Cardo.
“GOOD CREDIT” is the most prominent example of Lamar shining in Carti’s world. Lamar chuckles and raps about “the vamps and the boogies,” vamps being Carti fans and boogies being fans of Lamar, the “boogeyman.”
Electronic melodies and smacking drums allow Lamar to brag about his conquering of the hip-hop genre, dropping Carti-esque ad-libs and declaring Carti his “evil twin.”
“The numbers is nothing, the money is nothing, I really been him, I promise / Say Kenny been heavy out West and I carry the weight, n—a, I’m Luka Dončić,” sings Lamar.
The comparison of himself to the basketball star newly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers highlights Lamar’s dominance and ability to work under pressure, much like Dončić does on the court.
Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Playboi Carti has once again pushed the boundaries of rap. Half filled with high-energy bangers and half with experimental R&B and lyrical collaborations, MUSIC is a testament to his ever-evolving artistry.
MUSIC’S chaotic rollout, surprise features, and genre-bending production only add to the mysteriousness that Carti has cultivated over the years. As the album’s host, DJ Swamp Izzo, yells on the final track, “SOUTH ATLANTA BABY,” “We create our own genre.”
One thing is clear: Carti isn’t just making music—he’s redefining it. Again.
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