It’s here. After five years teasing a new project in the wake of “Whole Lotta Red,” Playboi Carti finally delivered his newest full-length project “Music,” albeit under heavy legal pressure due to merchandise sales that required substance — a worrying indicator of a semi-polished album. A pressured release is not something you want to hear after a five-year-long rollout plagued with release fakeouts, concert fakeouts and cryptic singles that displayed a gravely, deep voice showing Carti’s full-on metamorphosis from his Ca$h Carti SoundCloud years.
I still remember staying up to 12 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2021 for the planned release of “Narcissist” and then ensuing disappointment at 2 a.m when there was still no music released. DJ Akademiks says it best on Carti’s 2020 song “Control,” “Where my Carti fans at? / One of the most loyal, most dedicated fan bases I’ve seen in a while / They wait patiently, patiently, patiently, patiently.” Playboi Carti is a spectacle, a spectacle that fosters its own culture inspired by Carti’s ventures in fashion, but more importantly, musically.
Founded in 2019 by Playboi Carti, the music label Opium was the first glimpse at a shift in the rap landscape. Toting underground names like Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang, all of whom are now mainstream stars, Opium was fully embracing the rage lifestyle popularized in concerts by artists such as Travis Scott — a scene defined purely off the roar of bass, size of the mosh pit and vulgarity of sound. Until this point, Carti was a baby of the SoundCloud movement; fans were drawn to him for his carefree flows, high-pitched “baby voice” and vibrant personality — that was what was expected for “Whole Lotta Red.”
Ever-divisive, “Whole Lotta Red” marked the newest transformation of rap. Carti, dressed head to toe in black leather, flaunting red hair, fully embracing a new vampiric style in rap, and the people hated it. “whole lotta trash” was trending on Twitter on the day of release. What happened next was unprecedented. Fueled by the King Vamp Tour, where Ojivolta strummed an electric guitar that ingrained an essence of rock within the already enraged beats, Carti’s vision was finally accepted.
Leading up to the release of “Music,” the current cultural state of rap had slowly become shaped by Playboi Carti-esque influences. Opium had its own vibe and rage became the foremost genre in the underground, eventually the mainstream through Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely. Artists like SoFaygo, Lancey Foux and even Trippie Redd’s career revival rode the wave inspired from “Whole Lotta Red” to garner commercial success.
In 2023, Ken Carson’s “A Great Chaos” received critical praise and streaming prowess headlined by songs like “Jennifer’s Body” that reached an even broader TikTok platform through a viral trend. None of this is possible without Playboi Carti. Through each victory, each triumph, each achievement of Opium, Carti’s spectacle ballooned, creating immense public expectations for what is next.
On Dec. 8, 2023, Playboi Carti released a music video with no name with new music and to great reception. And then another a week later. And then another a week later, turning the songs’ releases into a album rollout.. But then the releases slowed down. Weekly music video releases turned to monthly, which turned to silence. Released merchandise and tour dates turned to empty pockets and angered fans. Until the album release date for “Music” dropped, Carti’s finsta, @0pium_0pium, had posted that new music was coming Mar. 14, 2025, and suddenly the spectacle was back.
Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, “Music” was met with immediate commercial success mirrored by poor critical response — mostly due to a 30-song-long track list and an incoherent musical narrative that many deem unfinished.
That’s where I come to disagree. Powered by electric beats from the likes of Metro Boomin, F1LTHY and Wheezy, Carti’s new deep voice shines across this record, complemented by a return to a Ca$h Carti baby voice that originally influenced his explosion onto the scene. Although long and seemingly disjointed at times, Carti welcomes another album destined to alter and refine the Opium sound.
Opening with a jarring siren-like synth reminiscent of an alarm during an elementary school fire drill, “Pop Out” sets a false precedent for the trajectory of the album. Replicant of a track off “Whole Lotta Red,” Carti spews a raspy, shriek-filled flow that may repel your everyday fan, backed up by aggressive “Seeyuhs” that will become a trend across the album. The only other song on the album’s one-hour-and-16-minute runtime that rivals the pure rage and aggression of “Pop Out” is “OPM Babi.” Moving from “Pop Out,” “Music” takes on a more experimental vision, expanding trap’s frontier instead of relying on the rage methodology that proved successful for Opium over the last five years.
Songs such as “K Pop,” an edited “Evil Jordan,” with a popularized TikTok intro including a collab with Playboi Carti and The Weeknd’s “Popular,” and “HBA” were previously released singles that are defined by atmospheric beats and Carti delving into a deep, euphoric cadence that immerses listeners in a hypnotic soundscape where ambience outweighs normality.
“Rather Lie” showcases Carti’s ability to write catchy, accessible hooks that perfectly pair with The Weeknd’s airy falsetto. A unique F1LTHY beat, production credit from Mike Dean explains the ethereal, tranquil mood that envelops the song in a dreamlike haze, creating a sonic palette that inspires a transcendence into a state of serenity.
“Music” is a victorious celebration from Playboi Carti, exhibiting his success in the rap scene while pushing the boundaries of the genre further. With scattered features from the likes of Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Young Thug and importantly, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti presents a trailblazing album that celebrates trap as a genre while mending old relationships — potentially influencing a new future of rap and furthering his mysterious spectacle.
Liam Nelson can be reached at [email protected]
