IS THIS MUSIC?

Yes, yes it is.

After five years and what seems like 500 leaks, Playboi Carti’s fourth studio album is finally here. Sonically, I AM MUSIC (which was released as just MUSIC) is possibly the most complex album of this decade. Just like his previous album, Whole Lotta Red, I AM MUSIC is going to take some time to fully digest. Nowadays, it feels like Carti’s music needs to age over time like a fine wine with subtle notes to be appreciated. To give a complete review this early would be blasphemous and frankly inaccurate, so here’s a collection of our thoughts on I AM MUSIC.

I AM MUSIC is 30 songs of Carti absolutely throwing caution to the wind and turning the creativity dial up to 100. This project feels like Carti tapping into his most raw musical elements while at the same time innovating on the sound he’s methodically crafted up to this point. In his purest form, Playboi Carti is energy, and I AM MUSIC perfectly describes that. 

Leading off the album with “POP OUT” felt like Carti throwing us into the deep end. It’s by far the hardest listen on the project, but it did serve its purpose of setting the tone for an unapologetically hard-hitting, almost metal-infused rap album. Despite it being my least favorite track, it’s one that the fans first heard as a snippet and relentlessly begged for. I’ll always respect Carti for listening to fans, and it’s possible that this is one that grows on me, so I won’t sh*t on it too much.

“RATHER LIE” is by far Carti’s best vocal performance on this project. Embracing his voice as an instrument, the seamless switch between his ‘baby voice’ and his deep voice is the pinnacle of this modern Carti era. Carti’s entire vocal performance on this track felt like a victory lap after finally mastering this one-of-a-kind sound he’s been previewing for well over a year since he dropped “2024”.

Lyrically, we get much closer to Carti on this song than most on this project, and it’s as close to Playboi Carti being vulnerable as we’re going to get. Special shoutout to The Weeknd for tying the whole song together with a chorus made to drunkenly yell at your best friend in the bar; the song is a clear highlight on the album and the most likely to receive radio play.

On the flip side of vocal performances, we have “TOXIC”. If you’re looking for a song to have the bass bumping in your car, this is the one. If you’re looking for a song where Playboi Carti seemingly has a lisp, this is also the one. Vocally, Carti sounds like rolling off a pill (which isn’t a stretch considering he mentioned Molly twenty-two times on this album) and decided to turn the mic on and describe the mosh pit at one of his shows. Once again, Carti’s esoteric and unstructured performance is saved by a feature; in this case, it’s Skepta. Between the hypnotic bass and an interesting vocal choice, “TOXIC” is the embodiment of this album's sound and quickly became a standout track.

Speaking of features, I AM MUSIC includes 9 of them, with the most notable being Kendrick Lamar and Lil Uzi Vert. After playing the Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar continues his generational run by teaming up with his EVIL TWIN, Playboi Carti. Kendrick and Carti is the combo I didn’t know I needed, and now I can’t live without it. Kendrick makes multiple appearances on this album, but his best performance is “BACKD00R”. This bop felt much lighter and more melodic than the rest of the bass-heavy album and features an unexpected and much-appreciated Jhené Aiko.

You can’t talk about features without mentioning Lil Uzi Vert. After a long relationship including a couple of falling outs, Carti and Uzi are finally back on good terms. Uzi's featured on two tracks, “JUMPIN” and “TWIN TRIM”. “JUMPIN” has a vibe, but the one minute and thirty-three second song ends abruptly and doesn’t seem complete. Uzi truly shines six tracks later on “TWIN TRIM”. I don’t want to overuse the term anthem, but let’s just say Uzi over trumpets is a cheat code. This is the most confident Uzi’s sounded in years, starting off with “She can't suck my d*ck I make this b*tch just suck my nuts.” This track was an instant addition to my playlist. This ended an almost eight-year drought of no official Carti & Uzi collabs; It seems like the two artists just needed space to grow. After constantly being compared to each other like the infamous Jordan vs. Lebron debate, rap's best friends are finally united and sound better than ever.

Again, I don’t want to overuse the term anthem, but this project has a couple of them. You probably already know which song I’m talking about; of course, it’s “LIKE WEEZY”. Any Atlanta native would instantly recognize the sample from “BEND OVER” ft. SAYY. This song feels like a celebration, made to be blasted in an Atlanta summer. Besides the long-overdue Lil Wayne nod, there’s not much else to say about this song besides it’s a banger.

Days after the release, Carti blessed us with the release of the highly anticipated track "FOMDJ". “FOMDJ,” aka F*CK ON MY DJ, is widely considered a grail in the Playboi Carti leak community. Sonically, “FOMDJ” reminds me of the Whole Lotta Red V1 leak “Without My Slatt,” aka “Hellcat.” The newer track is undoubtedly an upgrade and completes a full-circle moment of Carti mastering this rebellious sound.

I AM MUSIC is already being considered Playboi Carti’s magnum opus, but it has one major flaw: sequencing. The order these songs are in feels more like a playlist than an album, and that’s been proven by fans discovering “POP OUT” was meant to transition into “EVIL J0RDAN.” Pair that with some mixing updates to Spotify, and it’s clear that this album was rushed. Despite that, I AM MUSIC certainly warranted the five-year wait. Carti is music; he flows effortlessly between these tracks and truly lets the production shine. Never stealing the spotlight and always prioritizing the song as a whole. This is the most unselfish Carti album to date, and it resulted in some true masterpieces.

After finally mastering this indescribable sound, the only question is, what’s next? We know these songs were made to be played live, and a monster tour is soon underway, but musically speaking, Playboi Carti is always ten steps ahead. With Carti’s incredible foresight for trendsetting and the fact that this high-fidelity punk rap sound has seemingly peaked, I’d like to put an early prediction in. I think Carti’s next studio album will be a much slower tempo with introspective songs more akin to tracks like “Long Time” and “Location.” Also, after seeing how strong his connection is with Frank Ocean, I think that elusive collab has become much more likely to happen. All of the speculation in the world won’t change the fact that we’re not getting another album for at least five years, and with 139 million streams in its first day, that wait may be even longer. Until then, I AM MUSIC.

UPDATE: On the 10th anniversary of Playboi Carti’s iconic single, “Broke Boi”, I AM MUSIC surpasses half a million album sales (based on streaming numbers) with the number rapidly increasing daily. SCHYEAH!