Playboi Carti has cemented himself as one of the most polarizing figures in hip hop. He has cultivated diehard fans as well as haters who condemn his abrasive beats and unconventional vocals. Carti first burst onto the rap scene in 2017 with a self-titled debut album before releasing the albums “Die Lit” in 2018 and “Whole Lotta Red” in 2020. Since those last releases, Carti has only dropped six singles. His 2024 hit single “Timeless” catapulted him back onto the charts and stirred expectations for a soon-to-come new album. After a release delayed by multiple years, the long-anticipated album finally came out.
“I AM MUSIC” (officially titled “MUSIC” on streaming services, but called “I AM MUSIC” by Carti himself) hit streaming on March 14 as one of the most hyped projects in music history, with teasers released months prior to release. With 30 songs spanning over 70 minutes, there was a lot to chew into for listeners. While there are highlights featuring dynamic rapping and energetic beats, such as “EVIL J0RDAN,” “RATHER LIE,” “GOOD CREDIT,” “WE NEED ALL DA VIBES” and “WAKE UP F1LTHY,” the majority of the album is painfully chaotic. Some songs are truly awful and even borderline unlistenable, like the wildly overproduced “OPM BABI,” which features booms and gunshot sound effects throughout, over which Carti shouts excessive ad-libs.
Though the project’s release date was delayed multiple times, the actual production felt slapdash. The album features off-key singing and heavily autotuned vocals. I question if the album was even mixed properly, because the album still manages to feel rushed despite being in the works for over 4 years. Furthermore, the sheer amount of songs was absolutely not necessary, and fans had the same complaint with Carti’s last album, “Whole Lotta Red,” which featured 24 tracks. A condensed album with careful and curated production would have resulted in a stronger product and potentially taken less time to make. The move to make the album 30 songs long looks like a cash-grab in order to bring more money into Carti’s hands.
After five years of waiting, Carti’s listeners deserved better. “I AM MUSIC” was one of the biggest flops in modern music despite its commercial success. Of course, due to the extensive marketing and Carti’s popularity, the project topped the charts in 101 countries on Apple Music. The financial success of “I AM MUSIC” will only incentivize Carti to make more of this type of music: undercooked at times, overcooked at times, and frustrating overall. So don’t expect much out of his next project — whenever it may be — because on this album, Carti certainly made a lot of sounds, but just a few of them were actually music.
