Playboi Carti with the arguably worst roll-out in music history which consisted of 2 unreleased songs, 8 features, and over 100 fit pics. Not to mention, he cancelled a couple of merch deliveries, pushed back release dates, and delayed concerts that were expected to be his tour for the album. But, he finally dropped his long-awaited, “MUSIC. — A year late.
This album follows after his controversial love-it or hate-it album, Whole Lotta Red. Which side-tracked away from his trap “skater” era and introduced his “vamp” and “baby voice” rage era. Whole Lotta Red was amazing and has been monumental for paving the way in rage, as he was the most popular mainstream rapper to accept being different. This style would influence rappers like Yeat, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Cochise.
5 years later, MUSIC was released with fans dying to hear an album where he was teasing his deep voice and heavy industrial sound. Fans were hoping for Carti to work his magic like has in the past. But did it live up to the hype? In my opinion, it did not.
My problem with MUSIC is it’s an over-bloated, unfinished piece with AI vocals on songs like “RATHER LIE” that makes Playboi Carti feel like he’s getting lazy and doesn’t care anymore. He’s been known to push genres with his unique fashion and sounds. But in this album, a lot of songs don’t stand out from each other. Which is surprising given that it’s mainly produced by Ojivalto, Cardo, and F1lthy and other big, well-renowned producers like Bnyx, ye, Mike Dean, Cash Cobain, Wheezy, Travis Scott, and others.
From a vocal standpoint, it’s unimpressive. Carti does not say anything of purpose or matter. Most times his vocals are very short and feels like he’s being cut off, as if he’s unable to complete a single verse. With that, his hooks are boring and lazy. He’s just mumbling like he wants to be a future clone instead of having his explosive energy.
From a production standpoint, it doesn’t get much better with a lot of questionable decisions. For example, on “Munyan,” the revolver sound effects disrupt the mood. The mixing is poor, with some samples randomly getting quieter like on “LIKE WEEZY.” They did announce it will receive mixing updates soon, but why release the album if it’s unfinished and not fully mixed.
The features on the album all are pretty underwhelming. Kendrick Lamar, the grand surprise artist, appeared on three tracks, but only 1 song did he shine. He tried to match Playboi Carti’s goofy and silly energy, but it falls short and comes off more annoying like on “MOJO JOJO.” The Weeknd feature was solid; he’s a consistent singer and riding a high at the moment so I didn’t expect any less. Lil Uzi Vert was also disappointing with a lackluster verse, with no enthusiasm, like he was just reading his lyrics.
That said, while MUSIC shows Carti’s attempt to push rage into new territory, it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. The highs, like “POP OUT” and “I SEEEEEE YOU BABY BOI,” hint at the potential or what could’ve been. But, it’s overshadowed by the unfinished production, lack of energy, and uninspired vocals. Overall I would give it a 60/100.
