MUSICE

The Artist

Playboi Carti is an Atlanta rapper who rose out of the city's SoundCloud underground in the mid-2010s and became one of hip-hop's most imitated stylists. His early work paired minimalist, melodic beats with a playful, often high-pitched delivery that fans nicknamed his "baby voice." With Whole Lotta Red in 2020 he pivoted into an abrasive, punk-inflected vampire persona that divided listeners at first and later became a cult touchstone. He also built his own label, Opium, and a devoted fanbase obsessed with snippets and leaks. MUSIC is his long-awaited follow-up, arriving more than four years after that pivot.

The Album

MUSIC was released in March 2025 after years of teasers, delays, and an earlier working title that kept fans guessing about its arrival. It draws on a large roster of producers from Carti's orbit rather than a single architect, and one collaborator's name even surfaces in the title "WAKE UP F1LTHY." At 30 tracks, it is his most sprawling project and his most guest-heavy, with Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert all appearing. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. Thematically it circles fame, excess, loyalty, and Carti's Atlanta roots, filtered through his larger-than-life persona.

Listen For

Voice as instrument. Track how often Carti shifts registers, from the deep, growling delivery of his recent era to lighter, more melodic tones. Notice how each voice changes the mood of a beat.

Distorted low end. Many beats push bass and synths into blown-out, saturated territory. On tracks like "CRANK," listen for how the distortion becomes the texture rather than a flaw.

R&B detours. "RATHER LIE" with The Weeknd and "BACKD00R" with Kendrick Lamar and Jhené Aiko slow the pace and soften the palette. Consider how these smoother moments reframe the chaos around them.

Rap heavyweight sparring. "GOOD CREDIT" puts Carti beside Kendrick Lamar, two very different approaches to flow on one track. Pay attention to how each rapper responds to the same beat.

Atlanta bookends. The album opens with the swagger of "POP OUT" and closes on "SOUTH ATLANTA BABY," a title that points straight home. Listen for how hometown identity threads between the two.