We Might Not Get a Playboi Carti Solo Project for a While
By: Alex Wojcik
Playboi Carti has experienced one of the strangest rises in popularity following the release of his controversial album, Whole Lotta Red, on Christmas of 2020. Upon its unveiling, many listeners, even hardcore fans, were confused and disappointed with the Atlanta rapper’s new rage sound and odd “vampire” persona. Fast forward two years, and the album is now a fan-favorite and considered by some to be one of the most influential projects of 21st-century rap following the rise of rage-rappers like Yeat, Destroy Lonely, and Ken Carson. Very rarely does audience opinion on music change so drastically as it has with Whole Lotta Red. Some attribute the shift to his concerts, as critics consider the album “made to be performed,” a concept clearly recognized by Carti as he continues to increase his theatrics with every live show. But what does this abnormal accomplishment mean for the future of Playboi Carti? For those anticipating a new album, the odds are not favorable.
Very few artist fan bases demand new music as frequently as Carti’s cult-like following. However, it is justifiable as the rapper has twice teased the release of two different albums since WLR. The first was in August 2021 when he posted a photo on Instagram captioned “NARCISSIST 09/13/21,” which fans assumed to be the name and date for the new album. Unfortunately, two days after that date, Carti posted a screenshot on Twitter of a text message by him urging unknown recipients to “forget about sample clearances” and “drop Narcissist.” Carti’s plea was unsuccessful, as the album never dropped. The second time Carti hinted at new music was in XXL’s Spring 2022 print magazine when he announced that he was working on an entirely new project called Music. Nothing was released shortly after this article, but on Christmas day of the same year, Carti returned to Twitter after going ghost for over a year to tweet, “love all my supporters its time.” It’s unknown whether or not Carti was referring to the same LP he discussed in his XXL interview, but history repeated itself, and nothing was put out following the tweet.
Despite not releasing new music for his starving fans, Carti has been anything but inoperative. As mentioned before, Carti’s primary output has been his incredible, over-the-top live performances that seem to improve with every show he takes on — so much so that he sparked a social media debate about how he is one of the greatest performers of this generation following his 2023 Rolling Loud LA set. Whether or not you agree with this assessment, it is evident that Carti’s latest shows are unlike anything we’ve ever seen in rap. The live guitar versions of his greatest hits, the maximalist transitions in between every song, and the performance of songs written hours before the show could potentially change the way live rap is produced.
Playboi Carti is clearly an innovator, but what is often overlooked is how much effort he puts into everything that the public does not see. The “vampire” image appeared to begin as a very basic and somewhat corny concept: all black clothes, red hair, satanic symbolism, and the comical Bach sample on “Vamp Anthem.” However, it's clear that Carti’s vision was far more strategic than first presented. Other than in music videos and concerts, he is never seen in public. Considering the state of paparazzi these days, this is an absolutely incredible feat. On top of that, we know very little about his private life other than the surface of his situation with Iggy Azalea and their son. This is also impressive considering his mentor for a while was Kanye, one of the faces of rap and pop culture in the media for the past couple years. Examining all of these factors, it’s clear that maintaining his alter-ego has been a top priority since the release of Whole Lotta Red.
With Carti’s clear focus continuing the presentation of WLR, andwith no clear public disinterest in the album, it’s likely that a new solo-project will not drop anytime soon. Carti is fairly consistent in his discography; with every new project comes a new “era” and persona. Beginning with the Soundcloud Cash Carti era, the start of his “baby voice” on his self-titled mixtape, the punk-trap delivery of Die Lit, and ending with the vamp image we have now. If Carti were to put out a new album, it would probably be the start of a new persona. He said in an XXL interview that when he creates a project, he does it to “change the sound of music.” The truth is that this is not at all an easy thing to accomplish, as it took Carti two-and-a-half years to come up with and complete his vision for Whole Lotta Red. The outcome was a success, but it required an understanding of his live performance that was simply not available at first due to the everlasting COVID pandemic. Yet, Carti has taken full advantage of the return of live music, as he has seemingly performed nonstop since his comeback show at Rolling Loud Miami in July 2021. Considering the trend of his improving production through each show and his scheduled performances at various festivals this summer, these future sets will likely be more impressive than anything we have seen. So, because there is no clear end in sight to the King Vamp, there will likely be no new output from Carti until at least next year, maybe slightly earlier if he feels like dropping an album as another Christmas Gift. Until then, because of Lil Uzi Vert’s social media claim that the two are going to “take over the world,” the only music I could potentially expect is the rollout or release of the duo’s highly anticipated collaborative project that has been teased since September 2017. Other than that, the leaks and AI-generated covers will have to do.