It’s been four years since Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red. In that time, Carti, real name Jordan Carter, has formed a sub label and collective called Opium and recruited many young underground artists to join it. The likes of Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and the duo Homixide Gang have continued in and developed the sounds found on WLR—chiefly, rage and plugg rap. The album marked a major shift from his debut album Die Lit, seeming to take the essence of the singular track “R.I.P” and giving it steroids. Carti yelled, screamed, used less unique words, and worked with producers F1lthy, Metro Boomin, Rick Rubin, and the artist formerly known as Kanye West to bring the druggy and angry album to life. It was a divisive release, with many listeners writing Carti’s efforts off as bad and trash on its Christmas Day release in 2020. Time was more kind to Carti and the album grew on most listeners with “Sky” becoming its most popular song over time.
In the years since WLR, Carti has teased new releases, sharing the word NARCISSIST to his instagram on multiple occasions throughout 2021 and even giving fans a date and time to look forward to. What he delivered was, instead of new music, a line of merchandise. Then, there was a period of silence. No announcements and only the odd Instagram on his alternate accounts. Carti collaborated with The Weeknd and Madonna on a song, “Popular”, for the soundtrack accompaniment to the HBO show “The Idol” in 2022. Eventually, Carti released music through his YouTube channel, with the single “2024” both teasing a release year for new “music” and debuting a new deep cadence. Carti has always kept a few different voices up his sleeve, most of which are higher pitched and softer, so the decision to go the opposite route and bring out a deeper and muddier tone was interesting to say the least. This new delivery continued into 2024 with Carti’s features on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Type Shit” and Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s “Carnival.” Fans really took to it, with Carti’s sections blowing up as TikTok and Instagram Reels audios. Time passes, 2024 ends, and there is still no album.
Last Friday, March 14th 2025, Playboi Carti finally released his third studio album, simply titled Music. Weighing in at 77 minutes and 30 songs long, the album is not a revolutionary leap from WLR. Music starts with “Pop Out,” a harsh and noisy opener not too far removed from WLR’s “Rockstar Made.” Where “Rockstar Made” had booming 808s and clear lead synths, “Pop Out” is a crunchy mess with a synth loop that immediately sets the tone: Music is not going to be for everyone. Even for the converted, the song is intentionally abrasive as the introduction of Carti’s squeezed yelling voice does nothing to relent the crackling and popping production. His signature style of using his delivery and adlibs to add his music’s soundscape is present but is pushed to the limits. Somehow, I think it works.
“Crush,” the second song and a collab with Travis Scott, builds and builds over the course of its runtime, layering in choir vocals over 808s, synths, and a series of whistles, croaks, and whispers from Carti. The sensation it conjures, over the refrain “shorty gon’ let me crush,” is like Carti is trying to play off his excitement with an air of nonchalance. The crescendo never resolves and the next song plays, “K Pop.” It marks a return for “deep voice Carti” and gives the noisiness a rest, opting for cloudier production for one minute and fifty two seconds.
The song many were waiting for comes next, “Evil Jordan.” Having already given us an exercise in tension with no release, the song takes fifty seconds to reach a sampled chorus from “Popular.” As soon as you’re hit with the realisation of “I’ve heard this before,” you’re kicked in the face with production from newcomers to the Carti canon: Cardo Got Wings, Johnny Juliano, and Ojivolta. The trio curb stomp the sample and let off a firearm for good measure before Playboi Carti comes in with his Evil Jordan persona—the deep cadence if you couldn’t tell. The song is very simple compared to what came before but it is easily the most approachable and enjoyable, something many chronically online folk have already been aware of for months already.
Unfortunately, Music takes a turn for the mediocre after this song. Kendrick Lamar ushers us into another deep voiced track, “Mojo Jojo,” with the two playing off each other in a stilted manner. Lamar’s adlibs are given with the utmost earnest yet come off as too clean next to Carti’s dirty delivery. Travis Scott takes centre stage on “Philly” but fails to bring an interesting element to the song apart from his established autotune trap prowess. Carti at this point is coasting as well, with the next few tracks including features from artists like The Weeknd, Jhene Aiko, Kendrick Lamar again, and Skepta. Skepta hasn’t been seen on a Carti album since Die Lit and is only given the opportunity to star again on a track where Carti is doing his best Future impression.
Moving on to track 13, “Crank,” also known as “Cobra” in its leaked form, is the first song in almost ten tracks where Carti is trying and succeeding in cultivating a vibe. His refrain “free throw” is an ear worm. Track 14, “Charge Dem Hoes a Fee,” sees the real Future making an appearance. I’m sure my mother would be disappointed but this is another good song. Carti’s deep voice blends in with the mechanical production from Future’s frequent collaborators Southside and Wheezy. With Travis Scott also making an appearance, it feels like a “Type Shit” reunion, only on Carti’s turf and not Metro Boomin’s. Kendrick Lamar’s last feature comes on “Good Credit” and it sees Lamar trying to match Carti’s flamboyance and knack for inflection changes. Not too unfamiliar with switching it up mid-verse, Lamar seems to lose his footing with the key changes, unable to tap into the finesse he displayed on his recent album GNX.
Perhaps, you’ve noticed a lack of focus on the lyrics present in this rap album. Lyrics aren’t the primary draw in Playboi Carti’s appeal. Instead, listeners are drawn into the way Carti’s voice is used as another layer in his historically cloudy and recently booming production. Carti’s frequent use of adlibs offers a rhythm to latch on to, helping listeners ears catch the pocket he’s creating within the beat. Once he’s established those basic principles, Carti will then switch up the flow, his volume, and his inflection, with “baby voice Carti” having been a hallmark of his albums. Here he is trying something new with the deep voice but he is still talking about the same things he has always done: women he rates 10 out of 10, guns in all shapes and sizes, drugs, criminal activities, his friends and label mates, and himself. Never expect anything more profound than that. If we get given a line about his family situation, we should not expect two.
“Good Credit” was track 15. With 15 tracks to go, there are only a handful that offer anything interesting. Yet another Travis Scott feature is present on track 17 “Wake Up F1lthy,” the track’s name a nod to the producer that was so pivotal to WLR and Opium’s sound. I find this song to be slow and dragging but perfect for an 11pm drive through the city. “We All Need Da Vibes” featuring Young Thug and Ty Dolla Sign sees Carti hosting more of his friends and mentors on an already long album. Lil Uzi Vert reappears as well with a funny opening line on “Twin Trim” being his only noteworthy mention across two features. “HBA” is another song chronic Reels and TikTok users may recognise, and then the album ends with “South Atlanta Baby”.
Playboi Carti’s Music is not going to bring in many new fans. In the near future, it may give fuel to the stans to continue basing their personalities on their favourite rock influenced rapper but the longevity of this style will be tested. Carti may do what he did last album cycle and supply fans with more Opium-based musicians to keep them satiated while they wait for his next release. Maybe he is taking the More Life route and approached this album as a collection of songs akin to a playlist rather than a body of work pushing his artistic merit. Maybe there really are enough good songs here to make a good album—once you sift through its hour plus length. Or maybe he felt that he owed it to his fans to give them as much music as possible because they waited so patiently. All we know for sure is Playboi Carti has finally released Music.
