New Playboi Carti Album Disappoints Fans

Playboi Carti, real name Jordan Carter, is an elusive artist. An influential rapper in the trap subgenre, he’s cultivated a devoted fanbase. His new album “Music”, which dropped on 3/14, was highly anticipated. Carti fans have waited with bated breath for over 4 years for him to release a new album. Unfortunately, most were disappointed. It was scheduled to release at 12:00 AM, but it was surprisingly delayed multiple hours, frustrating those who had stayed up to listen to it. The frustrations only begin there, as the album has been widely panned. Listeners pointed out the low quality of the production and mastering as a particular source of disappointment. Adding to the dissatisfaction is how it does not feel like the album was made over the course of years, but instead just a few months. Naturally arising from that is the question of what he spent all that time doing. To understand the full extent of the disappointment felt by many, it’s necessary to discuss the context of Carti’s career.

Playboi Carti first released tracks on Soundcloud, a music streaming service, in 2011. Gaining popularity in 2017 with his self-titled mixtape, he further emerged onto the mainstream with the album Whole Lotta Red in 2020. It overcame an initially cold reception to later be widely praised. It’s been a long journey from Whole Lotta Red to Music. Carti has repeatedly given release dates for Music only to postpone it for no apparent reason. His attempts to be mysterious and have “aura” backfired as fans became increasingly annoyed with his lack of communication and him failing to drop the album. Now that it’s finally here, it’s a let down for most. 

It’s uncertain what the future holds for the reception to I am Music. It’s certainly not universally disliked. Perhaps people will come around on it, as happened to Whole Lotta Red. Regardless of how much people enjoy the music itself, the debacle of its release will be viewed as a stain on Carti’s reputation.