Playboi Carti releases a whole lotta ‘MUSIC’: Carti album review

 

After 5 long years, Playboi Carti, releases his third studio album, MUSIC. Carti teased MUSIC throughout 2024 similarly to his previous release Whole Lotta Red. In 2024 fans got a taste of Carti’s new era with singles H00DBYAIR and EVIL J0RDAN. This was confirmation that Carti actually was cooking up a new album as he is known to leave his fans in the dark.

I was expecting this album to reflect the singles Carti dropped however this album experience has quite the range. The title track POP OUT diverted all my expectations as I began listening to the rocker-like anthem. Carti is constantly pushing the envelope to set himself apart from the current rap scene as he can be seen as one of the founding fathers of today’s new sound.

I did not enjoy the title track as it set an awful tone for the beginning of the album, it’s not listenable. It has the mixing of an up and coming soundcloud rapper and a rather disappointing way to introduce fans to an album after 5 years. I honestly had a hard time continuing MUSIC due to this track alone. 

The lyricism on MUSIC is simplified compared to his earlier projects, almost giving the album a strictly vibes tone. Carti’s previous project ,Whole Lotta Red, turned into a mosh pit staple and it’s as if he honed in on that energy specifically for MUSIC and unintentionally turned it into WLR for dummies.

Since the lyrics are not groundbreaking the production had no choice but to carry and carry it did. I can appreciate the compromise here as I enjoy production over lyricism especially when discussing Carti in 2025. Although there are a multitude of producers on MUSIC, Working on Dying’s very own, WAKE UP F1LTHY, does the project justice by producing some of the hardest tracks this year.

F1LTHY is clearly highly regarded as he has a track named after him on the album. This track is a standout from many others. There is a sense of familiarity meanwhile having progressive stylistic choices that differentiates Carti from his peers. The chemistry between the production and Carti is evident when F1LTHY is lead producer, it is always a joy hearing Carti on F1LTHY productions.

Carti is joined on this album by recognizable features such as Travis Scott, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, The Weekend, Skepta, Young Thug, and Ty Dolla Sign. These features range from great to OK. 

The most speculated feature on MUSIC was none other than the hottest rapper currently, Kendrick Lamar. I personally was excited to hear these two artists collaborate as they are on two different sides of the rap spectrum. Carti’s cult-like fanbase did not seem divided as the hype was there days before the album was released.

Those who appeared on the album more than once had multiple opportunities to impress me and each time they did, it was the second time they featured. Kendrick’s feature on GOOD CREDIT redeemed my initial thoughts of him on MOJO JOJO. Not that it was bad, it honestly just did not move me because he seemed like an afterthought on this track. GOOD CREDIT sounds more fun compared to MOJO JOJO and Kendrick let loose, calling Carti his ‘evil twin’. I can say the same with Lil Uzi Vert, he turned up on TWIN TRIM whereas his previous performance was lackluster. The same critique can go for Future and Travis Scott, they both impressed me more in the latter half of the album.

Skepta and The Weekend were clocked in for their features, no notes, they were both stand out features for me on this album. 

Overall, Playboi Carti surprised me once again as I was not expecting the complete switch up for this album. He and his sound is unpredictable and I can enjoy an artist that keeps me on my toes. Carti can benefit by taking inspiration from younger artists as he has done with Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely.

 For the next project I hope that he does not lose the plot in trying to be completely different. Carti has not lost me yet, but I fear for future projects as there has been speculation of AI usage on MUSIC. Carti has shown signs of lackadaisical stylistic choice in the past and I hope it does not bleed into upcoming projects. 

Rating: 7/10