Playboi Carti: Whole Lotta Red Review
By Kaila Cherry
If there is one thing Playboi Carti knows how to do, it’s build suspense. In 2018, he gave every man I have ever dated something to live for with the release of his debut studio album Die Lit. The project came in at #3 on the US Billboard 200 and was loved for its abrasiveness, ferocity, and dynamism. It was on Die Lit in which Playboi Carti’s most notable tropes; The baby voice and his eclectic adlibs, fully came into themselves. This solidified his image in pop culture as rap’s newest darling. Plucked straight from the r/RickOwens subreddit and launched into the spotlight, fans were eager to hear more from him as soon as possible. What they got instead was a nearly two-year hiatus with Sir Cartier only doing the occasional feature with artists such as Lil Yatchy, A$AP Mob, and Solange among others. Fans were so rabid for new Carti music that several leaks made their rounds around the internet. The hunger of fans was not helped by speculation that his second studio album would drop by certain dates or times, only for us to go on Apple Music or Spotify to no new music and broken dreams. In April of this year, Playboi Carti began posting on Twitter for the first time in nearly a year to promote the release of his single “@ Meh.” Although reviews were mixed, fans were still excited for the single as it meant that maybe, just maybe, there was an album that would come with it.
After April, Playboi Carti did not post on Twitter again until November. At first, it was thought his tweets were about an album, but in actuality, he was promoting a track from Future that he dropped a verse on. It wasn’t until December that Carti began dropping direct hints that his second album would be coming. Repeating the words “red,” tagging specific artists in tweets, and posting pictures with Kid Cudi and Kanye West, it was clear that something substantial was on its way and very soon. Finally, on Christmas Day, Playboi Carti released his second studio album Whole Lotta Red. Despite it being a day to commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, many traded in the godly sentiment of the holiday for the satanic energy of Playboi Carti’s newest release. The project was immediately met with passionate reactions. Some raved over Whole Lotta Red while others deemed it #WholeLottaTrash. The fact is this: If you expected to hear a Carti leaks compilation album, this project will disappoint you. If you expected to hear Die Lit 2, this album will devastate you. However, if your favorite thing about Playboi Carti is his alternative musical style, pseudo-punk aesthetic, and general unhinged belligerence, Whole Lotta Red is the project you have been waiting for.
Whole Lotta Red opens with a bang. The first track “Rockstar Made” sets the precedent for the album instantly and tells us that we are in store for a new Playboi Carti. Produced by F1lthy and Jonah Abraham, “Rockstar Made” is a cacophony of heavy bass and spacey synths supplemented by Carti’s ablibs that become a part of the beat in it of themselves. Carti experiments with his vocals on this track as well, restricting his vocal cords throughout most of the song to add extra rasp to his performance. Unlike other Playboi Carti songs in which his voice is more aligned with the production of the track, on “Rockstar Made” his voice is extremely prominent and forces us to pay attention to Carti himself instead of letting him fall to the wayside on his own song. As suggested by the title, the song commits to the idea that rappers, Carti specifically, are “new age rockstars.” The concept of rappers being the new rockstars is not new, but Playboi Carti is perhaps the first rapper to embrace this title to the fullest. When listening to the track, it is clear that it was made for the mosh pit. And not one of these little baby mosh pits every rapper tries to do at their shows, but one where elbows are being thrown and someone may end up in the hospital just as God intended.
In terms of the general musical style of Whole Lotta Red, the tracks can be grouped into two main categories: Brash rap-punk and light bouncy internet hip hop reminiscent of his earlier work. The strongest tracks falling into the former category are “Stop Breathing,” “No Sl33p,” and “On That Time.” “Stop Breathing” and “No Sl33p” both express Playboi Carti’s deep seeded inkling to commit murder. He communicates these desires very bluntly, with the lyrics “Ever since my brother died/ I’ve been thinking about homicide” in “Stop Breathing” and “When I go to sleep I dream about murder” as the chorus in “No Sl33p.” It is not an exaggeration to say that “No Sl33p” is one minute and thirty second ode to Playboi Carti’s gun, his beloved Draco. Complemented by adlibs meant to emulate gun sounds, one could argue that, based on the amount of airtime given on Whole Lotta Red to his Draco specifically, that Playboi Carti may pay more attention to his gun than to the mother of his child. “On That Time” further proves this point as the chorus is simply “Ride around town with the Draco, bitch/ D-R-A-C-O.” Sonically, “Stop Breathing” and “On That Time” lean the most heavily into the rap-punk aesthetic and align themselves with the sound presented on “Rockstar Made.” While “No Sl33p” is more subdued instrumentally, it makes up for it in the extreme boldness of the lyrics in which Carti was so open about wanting to kill someone that the Atlanta and Los Angeles Police Departments have probably printed out the lyrics and added them to his file.
The latter catagory, light bouncy internet hip hop, is something that will satisfy fans of the “Old Carti.” Three tracks that speak to this vibe are “Beno!,” “New N3on,” and “ILoveUIHateU.” “Beno!” is the third song on the album, coming in as an open and airy refresher to the first two intense production heavy tracks. The melody is bright and plucky, like the sound effects in a video game. Carti’s flow is flawless and the track is an instant hit with it’s easy to follow and rhythmic chorus. The production of “New N3on” is eerily similar to that of a Lil Uzi Vert track. This suspicion was confirmed upon learning that it was worked on with Philly-based producer and frequent Uzi collaborator Maaly Raw. As enjoyable as “New N3on” is with just Carti alone, one can only imagine how the track could have been elevated with an Uzi feature. “ILoveUIHateU” enlists the efforts of P’ierre Bourne, so you already know it is going to be good. Rapping about drugs and women with a hint of nihilism over a spacey beat, Carti and P’ierre come together to create a track that could have easily fit on Die Lit and will bring comfort to those put off by his new sound. For those of us who love both the new and the old, “IHateUILoveU” is sure to trigger nostalgia for that iconic 2018 summer.
Although Whole Lotta Red is very strong in terms of solidifying Carti’s rockstar persona while keeping true to his roots that got him to where he is today, one cannot overlook the album’s biggest weakness that can be seen the minute one sees the tracklist: It’s way too many songs. I love Playboi Carti. I really do. But I did not need 24 songs on a single project. He is already tweeting about the delux album and I am already tired just at the throught of there being any more songs added to an already lengthy project. To make matters worse, a good quarter of the songs are just ok, not terrible but not amazing either. The most glaring disappointment on the album is “M3tamorphasis” featuring Kid Cudi. On a project where most of the songs are 2-3 ½ minutes long, “M3tamorphasis” comes in at whopping 5 minutes and 12 seconds. The fact that Carti gave the track so much airtime is suprising seeing as it is by far the most boring and uneventful track on the album. There’s not a ton going on lyrically, it is not very catchy, Carti’s vocal inflections fall flat, and Cudi’s verse adds nothing to elevate an already weak song. Had Playboi Carti cut this track along with about five others, Whole Lotta Red would have easily been his best, most holistic, and most fully realized project yet.
Despite the strong mixed reactions Whole Lotta Red has received in the days since it’s release, it is far from the “trash” many are saying it is. Personally, I love the new direction Playboi Carti is going in with his music. I love the fact that he is fully indulging in his long held interests in alternative culture and not letting societal expectations keep him from expressing himself in whatever ways he wants to. Whole Lotta Red was the next logical leap for someone who loves the movie Gummo, has the anarchy symbol tattooed on his neck, and dresses like a new age Nosferatu. Whole Lotta Red is one of those projects that filters out those who actually understand and ride for Carti’s artistic vision versus those who are stuck in 2017. I’m on the wave. Are you?
Favorite Tracks
Stop Breathing
Teen X
ILoveUIHateU
Rating: 7
Listen to Whole Lotta Red here:
Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter to get updated whenever we post:
-
A year ago we compiled a list of albums to help everyone weather the quarantine. Here we are a year later, still st… https://t.co/fdusHMOSLK -
Happy 6th birthday to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ one of the best albums ever released 💿🦋 What’s the be… https://t.co/4boKEsxxJM