Bought a crib for my mama off that mumblin' shit
Made a mil' off that, uh, off that mumblin' shit"
Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter.
Carti is known for his repetitive lyrics, ad-libs, distinctive use of his voice, and unique production styles (created in collaboration with various producers including Ethereal and Pi'erre Bourne), and has been called a leading figure in trap music alongside the trap subgenres "rage"
and "plugg".
He began rapping and posting songs to SoundCloud under the name Sir Cartier in 2011; he switched to his current name in 2013. After deciding to pursue music full-time, he moved to New York City, where he stayed at a house frequented by members of A$AP Mob. He was introduced to A$AP Rocky, after which he began collaborating with Atlanta artists (including Lil Yachty) and went on tour with A$AP Ferg and Lil Uzi Vert. He later signed with Interscope Records and A$AP Mob's AWGE imprint.
Carti grew famous as part of the SoundCloud rap scene in the late 2010s, gaining attention in early 2017 with the singles "Broke Boi" and "Fetti" before his debut self-titled mixtape, released later that year, spawned the hit singles "Magnolia" and "Wokeuplikethis" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert). The following year, he released his debut album Die Lit to critical and commercial success.
He began work on his next album, Whole Lotta Red, in late 2018. Over the next two years, many songs by him were leaked online, where they gained tens of millions of streams, but he did not release any official new music, instead featuring on songs by other rappers such as Tyler, the Creator and Drake. In November 2020, he confirmed that Whole Lotta Red was complete, and the album was eventually released on Christmas Day that year. While it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was generally well-received by critics, the album was divisive among Carti's fans for its experimental sound, with many songs containing abrasive, rage-influenced production alongside some of Carti's most off-the-wall voices yet (including his notorious "baby voice"). The album received online backlash from fans shortly after release, but as time has gone by and Carti has performed songs from the album live, the album has seen a rise in public stature.
Carti also founded the record label and creative agency Opium in 2019 alongside his friend and directive creative Opiumbaby. The Opium collective shares similar influences to Carti's work, particularly elements of rage and plugg alongside an energy reminiscent of Punk Rock. Current notable acts signed to Opium include Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang.
Reactions to Carti's music could be considered emblematic of the public reception to the rap scene he's been part of and rose to fame in. Many view his music as lazy "mumble rap" and decry its success as a death knell for hip-hop at large, while others say that his music should be listened to for the vibe rather than the lyrical intricacy (some have even argued that its repetitive quality isn't that far off from textbook musical minimalism), and see him as a breath of fresh air for the genre.
Discography
- Playboi Carti (2017)
- Die Lit (2018)
- Whole Lotta Red (2020)
- Music (2024)
In New York, I use these tropes:
- Broken Record: Very much.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Most of the chorus of “RIP” is made up of the word “bitch”.
- Darkerand Edgier: Die Lit has a much grittier sound than the self-titled mixtape, and Whole Lotta Red contains a more serious lyrical tone and industrial and punk influences.
- Drugs Are Good: The songs "Lean 4 Real" and "Teen X" reference taking cough syrup in their hooks.
- Leet Speak: Some of the tracks off of Whole Lotta Red are spelled this way (ex:"Slay3r", "M3tamorphosis"). Carti also types this way on his social media accounts.
- Lyrical Dissonance: "@MEH" contains aggressive lyrics over a happy-sounding instrumental.
- Mistaken for Gay: In "New Tank", Carti references an Instagram comment liked by his ex-girlfriend Rubi Rose that questioned his sexuality. Even though Rubi went out her way to debunk the rumors, Carti's change in style for Whole Lotta Red suggests that he's at least aware of the jokes about him being a metrosexual vampire.
- Murder Ballad: "No Sl33p".
- New Sound Album:
- Die Lit is a lot more moody and atmospheric than Playboi Carti.
- Whole Lotta Red takes a lot more influence from Punk and Industrial than Carti's previous albums.
- Rhyming with Itself: Done frequently.
- Sampling: Frequently done in his music, but a standout example is also a subversion: "Vamp Anthem" starts off with an excerpt of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" which is then played throughout the rest of the song, but it was less sampled and moreso built from scratch by song producer Jasper Harris.
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Spiritual Successor: “Choppa Wont Miss” and “Magnolia”.- “Lean 4 Real” and “Teen X” have very similar hooks, the same theme, and a feature with Only One Name, Skepta for the former, Future for the latter..
- Verbal Tic: A lot of them, but most especially “WHAT?” and “BIH!”
- A Wild Rapper Appears!!: On Tyler, the Creator’s "EARFQUAKE" and Solange's "Almeda".
