After 1,540 days, hundreds of Instagram posts, dozens of billboards, eight loosies, and probably countless recording sessions in Parisian caves, Playboi Carti has finally released his long-delayed third studio album, simply titled MUSIC.
Of course, with a Carti release, there were delays right up to the final moment. After confirming Music’s release date for March 14th earlier this week, the album didn’t drop at midnight EST, as is customary for new releases. MUSIC didn’t drop at midnight PST either. In fact, even in the final hours, there were delays—mostly due to last-minute attempts to clear samples for the album.
Fury and frustration built. But, around 7:30 am EST, the album finally dropped. Carti celebrated with a post on X.
MUSIC, which arrives about four and a half years after Whole Lotta Red, has been one of the most anticipated albums in recent memory. It feels like Carti has been rolling this album out for years, with various motifs—like the shift from goth-inspired aesthetics to backward jerseys and Pelle Pelle jackets—becoming part of the album’s lore. And then there’s his 2024 run, where he dropped songs on Instagram without ever officially releasing them, then preceded to spend the various months mostly just performing those songs. Throughout all of this, the fanbase and the hype around the album grew to astronomical heights.
And now MUSIC is here. So…how did he do? Well, he came with an epic. At 30 songs and lasting over an hour, MUSIC might as well be titled Whole Lotta Album. It’s not as radical as his predecessor—an album that literally changed the sound of rap—but it is very good and at times excellent. In a lot of ways, this sounds like Carti making his “I’m a star now” statement, sprinkling all of his various forms: he takes the Atlanta bounce of his self-titled album, the looping energy of Die Lit, and the raw electricity of Whole Lotta Red and adds a new layer of superstar sheen and.
We tackle Carti’s new era plus other takeaways about MUSIC below.
Carti did not forget about the fan favorites he dropped last year
Ahead of its release, it was unclear if tracks from Playboi Carti’s “2024 Music” run would wind up on the album. But he pulled through. “HBA,” (“H00DBYAIR”), “K POP” (KETAMINE)” and “EVIL J0RDAN” all earn an official release on DSPs, as other anticipated cuts like “RATHER LIE” (previously labeled “LOSE YOU”) with The Weeknd and “BACKD00R” now-featuring Kendrick Lamar) also find their way onto the record.
Admittedly, we wouldn’t have been surprised if all these tracks didn’t get an official release, just because of how long they been out. But I’m glad to see them. Despite a few minor tweaks—what’s up with the drum roll in “HBA?”—these tracks are some of the strongest MUSIC has to offer. —Jon Barlas
Kendrick Lamar is the “evil twin” Carti needed
Of course Kendrick Lamar made his way onto the most hotly anticipated album of 2025. Not only does K.Dot make multiple appearances on MUSIC but he sounds fantastic at every turn.
He appears on three songs: “MOJO JOJO,” “BACKD00R,” and “GOOD CREDIT.” On the first two tracks, he mostly plays the role of hype man, adding adlibs to energize his “evil twin.” (He starts off “MOJO JOJO,” saying: “I need that Back to the Future Carti. I need that four Alien Carti. I need that beep, beep, beep, beep, extra-terrestrial Carti.”)
But it’s really “GOOD CREDIT” where he gets his shit off, delivering an early verse-of-the-year contender. On this dizzying verse, Kendrick drops up-to-date references that make it clear this verse is fresh out the oven. This includes: “Kenny been heavy out West and I carry the weight, n*gga, I’m Luka Dončić” and “The emerald cuff for hers and his, that bitch on point like A$AP Relli.”
The moments Kendrick appears are true standouts. (The only person who didn’t seem to appreciate the appearances was Ye, who produced one of the tracks.) There are even rumors suggesting he might have played a bigger role than just appearing on songs. According to DJ Akademiks, Lamar acted as the “creative director” for the album. F1lthy, one of the main producers on the album, denied this claim, writing on X:
“kendrick fam but he is NOT the creative director of this album. This Carti album.”
As is often the case, AK jumped on a stream to double down on his information, saying: “No disrespect to F1lthy, I don’t know who the fuck F1lthy is… Kendrick is on the album, is he not? Whether it’s creative director or executive producer, I don’t give a fuck.” He clarified that it’s “completely Carti’s album” while adding a tidbit suggesting Kendrick may have had a larger role in its creation. He said, “I’m only going off what Carti told me.”
Perhaps we’ll never know the full extent of Kendrick and Carti’s collaboration on MUSIC, but one thing’s clear: three months into 2025, and Kung-Fu Kenny is still dominating the rap conversation. —Will Schube
Carti showcases what being “ the Travis Scott of Atlanta” really means
On stream yesterday, DJ Akademiks relayed a message from Carti: “I’m the Travis Scott of Atlanta after this [album drops].” Given the inspiration, it’s only natural MUSIC boasts 15 guest appearances across its 30 tracks, not to mention uncredited adlibs from K. Dot and Gunna. But where Scott’s albums often eclectically weave together established hip-hop legends and emerging talents, the guests here are all A-listers, no exception.
We talked about Kendrick already. But there’s also a little ditty with Ty Dolla $ign and Young Thug (which is a refresh of a pre-RICO Thug leak). Skepta flies in from London on “TOXIC,” which might explain why his verse sounds so jet lagged. And The Weeknd brightens up the previously teased “RATHER LIE” with a breezy hook about gaslighting his girlfriend, (though the star of the song is definitely Carti’s dynamic high-and-low register second verse.)
Ranked by number of appearances, Carti’s best friends right now are Travis, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert. “JUMPIN” should instantly rekindle fan demand for Uzi and Carti’s mythical collab tape 16*29. It’s a treat to hear Uzi’s measured syntax play against Carti’s hollow baritone. While “CHARGE DEM HOES A FEE” is essentially Wheezy’s take on “Type Shit,” minus that song’s momentum-sapping slowdown. I expect to hear it at every major hip-hop concert for a long time coming.
But the best feature has to be “CRUSH” with Travis, where F1LTHY and Ojivolta craft an instrumental that sounds like a gospel choir with blue balls having a paroxysm in the middle of a rave. It’s extravagant and ridiculous and beyond melodramatic, but the synthesis doesn’t just work—it floats. —Vivian Medithi
Speaking of Atlanta, shout out DJ Swamp Izzo, who is lowkey the co-star
As Atlanta’s rap scene has coalesced, expanded, evolved, and at times, remained the same, DJ Swamp Izzo has been a near-constant. Devotees of Young Thug will likely recognize Izzo’s rumbling, grumbling voice and iconic ad-libs from his appearances on 1017 Thug and Tha Tour Vol. 1. A legendary DJ in the city’s scene, Izzo has remained pivotal. Now, nearly a decade after helping Thug through a transcendent, generation-defining run, Izzo stands beside Playboi Carti, offering both moral and melodic support throughout MUSIC.
Carti’s decision to give props to Swamp Izzo, involving the DJ heavily throughout the project, speaks volumes about the rapper’s reverence for the Atlanta culture he grew up in.
While Carti’s music constantly stretches and splits into different microgenres and subcultures, it still maintains roots in the sounds of scene staples like Thug and Future. On this album, you can clearly hear Atlanta’s influence, especially in tracks like “Radar,” which echoes the early 2010s Shawty Redd-produced sound, and “Walk,” which carries that rugged Lex Luger vibe.
These choices, along with giving Swamp Izzo ample space to deliver his iconic tags, reflect Carti’s undying devotion to the city and the sound that raised him. —Will Schube
Is it King Vamp…or Nosferatu?
Just after the album’s midpoint, the electrified strobe of “I SEEEEEE YOU BABY BOI” recalls the late album euphoria of “Sky” on Whole Lotta Red, rave-ready and rapturously enthralled.
This is Carti we’re talking about, so he’ll keen, “Run it up for my baby,” in one breath and “just give me that pussy and don’t remind me,” a couple seconds later. But MUSIC has a latent romantic streak that bubbles up again and again. How do I know that you down for me? How do I know you around for me? He might be “EVILJ0RDAN,” but even vampires want to fall in love.
That’s especially apparent in the early album triptych of “RATHER LIE,” FINE SHIT,” and “BACKD00R.” On the last of these, Kendrick’s suave hook details lovers ducking paparazzi watching the front yard and the diamonds he’s put on her “decolleté” (décolletage) while Carti raps obliquely about treating a “good girl” like “a monster”—naturally, she’s “a ten” like Aaliyah.
Here, Carti is satisfied letting the instrumental communicate tenderness, but elsewhere he’s more open about his feelings. On “Rather Lie,” he makes lying to your partner sound almost romantic (stunts performed by trained professionals, do NOT try this at home), his verses detailing the ups and downs of intimacy; when he sighs, “she want a break and I get that,” he sounds clear-eyed rather than self-pitying.
And then there’s the show-don’t-tell demands of “FINE SHIT,” where Carti’s “bitch so bad she can’t even go outside/online.” It’s the shortest of the romantic tracks, as quick and sweet as an “I love you” text. If you think too hard about the rapper’s personal life—like allegations of domestic violence—it all falls apart, but these songs make an illuminating counterpoint to the album’s darker and harder cuts. —Vivian Medithi
Where are Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely?
The emergence of Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely over the past half decade—since Carti signed the Opium duo back in 2021—has been undeniable. Both have ascended to burgeoning rap stardom in their own right, and yet, you’d think Carti feature them on MUSIC.
I ask, why aren’t Ken and Lone included? A remake of “HBA” with the Double 0 duo would’ve made for a moment, but it also speaks to Carti’s departure from the wave he initially ignited with Whole Lotta Red. Maybe the next album sees Lone and Ken finally get that Carti feature fans have been yearning to hear for years. —Jon Barlas
It seems like Playboi Carti is thinking bigger than the underground he helped birth
Whole Lotta Red, his brain-melting masterpiece that fuses a decade’s worth of internet music with 808 bass and autotune, is probably the defining album of the 2020s (and certainly the best album released during the pandemic). You could argue that this album remade the underground rap scene, with Carti’s influence visible in figures ranging from Osamason to Yeat.
Even though that rage sound is still present—particularly on album opener “Pop Out” and “OPM Babi”—there are clues suggesting Carti is trying to distance himself from the underground scene he helped shape.
As mentioned earlier, the album features 2010s superstars, and notably, there are no collaborations with artists under 30. Musically, he’s broadened his sound. Despite the album’s intimidating length, it’s probably the most accessible of his career, with Carti blending a variety of styles throughout. Want soul-infused vibes? Listen to “PHILLY.” Looking for an ethereal pop crossover hit? Give “RATER LIE” a spin. There are dramatic, club-ready tracks (“CRUSH”), lyrical exercises (“HBA”), nostalgia-driven moments (like “COCAINE NOSE,” which samples Ashanti’s “Only You,” and “LIKE WEEZY” a riff on Rich Kidz’ “Bend Over”).
Part of this evolution has to do with the wait. This album was first teased just a few months after Whole Lotta Red dropped. Back then, it was rumored to be called Narcissist. By April 2022, Carti abandoned that title in favor of Music (before ultimately renaming it I Am Music, then switching back to Music at the last minute). But that was nearly three years ago. In that time, it wouldn’t be surprising if Carti went through multiple creative phases before deciding, “Forget it—let’s just throw it all into one album”—in a way to justify the five-year wait. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
View news Source: https://www.complex.com/music/a/dimassanfiorenzo/playboi-carti-music-album-review
