Playboi Carti Is Confusing & Chaotic But Lowkey Brilliant
After five long years of silence, Playboi Carti finally dropped his latest album, MUSIC, on March 14—and, as expected, the internet erupted. Some fans praised its fearless experimentation, while others were left completely baffled. For me though, it felt like the natural evolution of an artist who’s always thrived on chaos and reinvention.
MUSIC is Carti at his most unpredictable. It’s expansive, erratic, sometimes flat-out confusing—but somehow, it still feels intentional. I’m not the biggest Carti fan by any means, but I’ve always been curious to see how his sound would evolve, especially after Whole Lotta Red. That project leaned into a raw, vampiric aesthetic laced with punk and funk energy. While it didn’t completely land for me, it sparked enough intrigue to keep me watching.
Now, I’ve always been partial to the earlier stuff—Playboi Carti and Die Lit—where his playful, experimental flow and minimalist beats felt exciting and new. Songs like “Foreign,” “R.I.P.,” “FlatBed Freestyle” and “Love Hurts” still get heavy rotation from me, way more than anything on Whole Lotta Red. So going into MUSIC, I was curious: would Carti keep riding the voice-change wave he debuted on Travis Scott’s “FE!N”? I wasn’t into the track itself, but like everyone else, I was hypnotized by that bizarre new vocal tone. Once I realized it was Carti, I needed to know—was this a one-off, or was he fully leaning in?
From “FE!N” to “Carnival” to “Timeless,” it became clear: this wasn’t a gimmick—it was a full-blown persona. And I was all in.
When I hit play on MUSIC, I expected Carti’s signature punk-rage energy—but the opening track “POP OUT” still caught me off guard. That ear-splitting production and aggressive delivery? It felt like sonic whiplash. I won’t lie, I wasn’t feeling the first few tracks. It sounded like pure noise. But then “EVIL JORDAN” dropped, and everything shifted. The production smoothed out. Carti found a pocket that wasn’t just rage for rage’s sake—it had shape, focus, a weird kind of beauty.
That track became the turning point, the axis of the album. From there, MUSIC unfolded into something more dynamic. And while I wish he had kept the original guitar-laced version of “EVIL JORDAN,” the final cut still works.
Songs like “FINE SH*T,” “CHARGE DEM HOES A FEE” and “FOMDJ” kept me locked in. The production quality is wild, and Carti’s presence is undeniable. Love it or hate it, you feel it.
Now, a month after release, I can say it: MUSIC holds up. In fact, it’s one of those albums that gets better the more you live with it. What felt abrasive at first now feels like deliberate experimentation. The voice switches, unpredictable flows, chaotic energy—they don’t feel like mood swings anymore. They feel like calculated risks from an artist creating in his own universe.
Carti isn’t trying to top Die Lit or replicate Whole Lotta Red. He’s not chasing hits. He’s building a world. And that, more than anything, is what makes MUSIC special. He’s evolving, he’s fearless, and he’s not asking for permission.
What makes this his best project to date? MUSIC has something for every Carti fan. If you’re into the vamped-out rage of WLR, you’ll find tracks that hit like mosh-pit anthems. If you prefer the melodic bounce of Die Lit, it’s in there too. Even fans of the self-titled debut will hear echoes of that playful, magnetic energy. MUSIC is a full-circle moment—Carti in every form: vamp, baby voice, punk rock demon, avant-garde innovator.
It’s not always easy to digest. It’s jarring. It’s bold. It’s annoying at times. But that’s Carti. And whether you love every track or skip a few, there’s something in this project that’ll pull you back. Maybe it’s the production. Maybe it’s the ad-libs. Maybe it’s the feeling that you’re listening to something being built in real time.
Top 3 album of 2025? I’m not ready to say that—yet. But let’s just say, it’s in the running. And that’s saying a lot.