In the immortal words of rapper Playboi Carti, proclaimed shortly after the release of his much-awaited album, “MUSIC”:
“Everyday people will find a new song dey love on dis album.”
And you know what? As much as I’d love to brush that off as the ramblings of a man who drinks too much lean and lives in the future, there’s actually a tiny trace of truth in what he said. But let’s not get carried away just yet—because while Carti might be onto something, he’s also… well, a bit Carti.
Now, allow me to set the scene: there I was, with my headphones glued to my skull. It was just me and “MUSIC” (I really hope that qualifies as a pun). ow, I am not the president of the Carti fan club, nor do I sacrifice goats at the altar of Die Lit every full moon, but I do dabble. I do enjoy the Carti vibe when the stars align and my brain cells wish to do a somersault.
So, with zero expectations and an open mind, I hit play.
Now, let me tell you, I’ve been hit with quite a lot of things in life. I’ve been hit with disappointment when my dad secretly ate my chocolates, bad takes about my favourite artists on Twitter (X, I’m sorry), the realisation that “I’ll be there in five minutes” is a lie, but never have I ever been hit with an auditory ambush like I was with ‘POP OUT,’ the opening track on MUSIC. My ears were not greeted—they were attacked. I felt like I had been thrown into a mosh pit where everyone was out for blood. My first instinct was to snap my headphones into two, throw them in the abyss, and wipe Spotify off the surface of the earth.
And yet, against all odds, it grew on me. Somewhere between the chaotic beats and the overwhelming intensity, I found myself oddly captivated by it. At first, it hits you hard, knocks you off balance, but then, piece by piece, you start to appreciate the mess—the raw energy, the chaotic genius beneath the surface. It’s like Stockholm Syndrome but for your eardrums.
Next up, CRUSH and K POP, though not my favourites, were a bit of a relief to my ears after the auditory assault that was POP OUT. I wouldn’t call them bangers per se but compared to POP OUT, it felt like dipping my ears into a bowl full of ice.
Then came, EVIL J0RDAN. I was already rolling my eyes at the TikTok-core intro, and then the fake gunshot hit my ears. It convinced me I was in for more noise pollution and static-laced chaos. But boy, was I wrong. The track slaps. Unironically. There was a moment, somewhere mid-verse, when I realized I wasn’t just listening—I was fully vibing. My head was nodding. My foot was tapping. I had become one with the static. I don’t even know what he was saying half the time, and frankly, I don’t think I’m supposed to.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Carti does sprinkle in a bit of variety here and there. Tracks like “RATHER LIE”, “PHILLY”, “HBA”, “BACKD00R”, “RADAR”, “TRIM” hit some serious highs—unforgettable, surreal, ominous highs but about halfway through, the album begins to drag. Like, really drag. The songs, though not entirely dull were definitely questionable. Tracks such as OPM BABI, MUNYUN, CRANK and I SEEEEE YOU BABY BOI felt as if Carti started throwing darts at a wall of beats blindfolded and decided, “Yes let’s drop them all”.
OPM BABI is just chaos with the random gunshots that had me rolling my eyes again. It is distortion and vibes held together with tape. MOJO JOJO starts with Kendrick Lamar dropping an intro so corny, I could taste the popcorn. I know he was just having fun in the studio, but it was giving cartoon villain energy. I SEE YOU BABY BOI is an enigma but not in a good way. It starts off sounding like it might go somewhere interesting, but quickly turns into a loop of Carti mumbling sweet nothings over a beat that feels both overproduced and undercooked.
Now, moving onto the saviours of this album.
Travis Scott and The Weeknd. My kings. My life jackets in the stormy, destructive sea of Carti’s “MUSIC”. They are easily the most polished features on the album and probably the most coherent. Starting with Travis on PHILLY. His signature autotune is present, but it’s layered neatly into the mix rather than dominating it. The Weeknd, featured on RATHER LIE, brings a completely different dynamic. His vocal performance is cleaner, more melodic and possesses emotional weight, three things that Carti quite often forgets at home.
Now, here’s the plot-twist. Carti, not previously known for releasing deluxe editions, returned with four new tracks on MUSIC – SORRY 4 DA WAIT. Interestingly, three of the four tracks (“DIFFERENT DAY,” “BACKROOMS,” and “2024.”) on the deluxe were already released during his pre-album single run which makes SORRY 4 DA WAIT sound like an apology for reheating leftovers.
But here’s the thing… the deluxe is actually good? Let’s start with “2024”. The tempo is slower and the mix is cleaner. It’s got this laid-back, sparkly vibe that feels like Carti’s version of peace. The song title “2024” is unintentionally hilarious—because not only did Carti drop it in 2023, he also reused it The math isn’t mathing, but Carti’s timeline has never aligned with ours.
We get BACKR00MS featuring Travis Scoot, again. Carti glides over the production with a delivery that is catchy, minimalist but magnetic—he’s not doing much, but somehow, he’s doing everything. And then there’s Travis who swoops in with one of his better guest verses in recent memory—definitely stronger than what he gave Carti on the main album. FOMDJ and DIFFERENT DAY are polar opposites, but equally essential. One’s pure chaos, electrifying with an infectious beat; the other’s Carti at his most introspective and melodic (and that’s saying a lot).
The deluxe, though still weird, still wild is a lot more enjoyable. It is a little less chaotic and a little more polished than the main album and just enough to make you wonder if Carti was holding back the good stuff all along.
So was pressing play on Playboi Carti’s latest album “MUSIC” worth it? Not really. But also.. maybe? It’s a full-body experience: chaotic, cryptic, confusing, and, in rare moments, kind of transcendent. It’s not so much an album as it is a fever dream—a descent into the deranged world of Carti, where meaning is optional and vibes reign supreme. In the end, “MUSIC” might not be an album I’ll return to in full, but I’ll definitely be revisiting certain tracks when I’m in the mood for something that hits like a punch to the soul and a hug from a robot at the same time.
Rating: 6/10
Favourites: RATHER LIE, 2024, BACKR00MS, BACKD00R, HBA, FOMDJ
Check out Her Campus at MUJ for more articles.