Playboi carti returns with “Music”, his third studio album, a project that comes five years after his latest album and moves between the iconic and chaotic, between innovation and repetition.
A disc that wants to have the presumption and ambition to redefine the boundaries of trap and rap.
If “Die Lit” had defined an aesthetic and “Whole Fight Red” had brought the concept of Rage-Rap to its peak, “Music” tries to go further, with alternate results.
Carti is a teacher in making disorder an art. The album is a vortex of frenetic sounds and aggressive productions, with 808 pounding, saturated mega sounds, deep bass and extreme sample.
Carti is a rapper who is not judged on the texts but on the vibrations. And in “Music”, his flow is more chameleonic than ever: he goes from suffocated and guttural tones (Mojo Jojo) with impalpable falsetti (I see you you baby boi).
If on the one hand his voice is a hypnotic tool that dictates the rhythm instead of following it, on the other the tendency to push the extremes can be repetitive.
On the sound level, “Music” is a schizophrenic journey through contemporary trap, Rage Music and R&B raids. On the one hand, there are moments of pure genius, such as Philly's psychedelic sampling or the UltraTerrene R&B Backd00r. On the other, there are cheap and fillers that seem to have come out of producer drawers and not very inspired by his previous works.
The signature of producers such as Metro Boomin and F1Lthy ensures a solid sound carpet, but the structure of the album – 30 tracks and 77 minutes – risks weighing down the experience.
The list of guests is to scream: Kendrick Lamar has fun on Mojo Jojo and gets more incisive on Good Credit and Backd00r. Future, Travis Scott and The Weeknd add thickness to traces that otherwise would risk slipping into monotony. However, some featuring looks more like a strategic move than an added value (see Lil Uzi vet on Twin Trim or the subtheton of Ty Dolla $ IGN).
“Music” is an album that affirms the domain of carti as a pioneer of a new sound aesthetic, but which, at the same time, raises questions about its evolution. If on the one hand his talent is undeniable in redefining the sound of rap, on the other some choices seem more like a style of style than a real artistic advancement. His ability to anticipate the trends is still intact, but his formula begins to show some cracks.
After a compulsive listening, I have the certainty that you carti is an alien, an out of control element in the genre.
At the same time, however, a aftertaste of already heard and uselessness remains, especially in the final part of the disc, as if something really innovative was missing for the scene.
A good or bad?
Score: 7.15
Pop out – 7.00 vote
Crush (feat. Travis Scott) – 7.00 vote
K pop – 7.00 vote
Evil J0rdan – 7.50 vote
Mojo Jojo (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – 7.50 vote
Philly (feat. Travis Scott) – 7.50 vote
Radar – 7.00 vote
Rather Lie (feat. The Weeknd) – 7.50 vote
End Shit – – 7.50 vote
Backd00r (feat. Kendrick Lamar and Jhené Aiko) – Vote 8.00
Toxic (feat. Skepta) – 7.50 vote
Munyun – – Vote 6.75
Crank – – Vote 6.75
Charge dem hoes a fee (feat. Future and Travis Scott) – vote 6.75
Good Credit (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – 7.50 vote
I Seeeeee You Baby Boi – 7.00 vote
Wake Up F1Lthy (feat. Travis Scott) – Vote 6.50
Jumpin (feat. Lil uzi vert) – vote 6.50
TRIM (Feat. Future) – 7.00 vote
Cocaine Nose – Vote 6.50
We need all da vibes (feat. Ty dolla sign and Young thug) – Voto 7.15
Olympian – Vote 6.50
OPM Babi – 7.00 vote
Twin Trim (feat. Lil uzi vert) – vote 7.00
Like Weezy – Vote 6.50
DIS 1 GOT IT – VOTE 6.75
WALK – Vote 6.50
HBA – Voto 6.50
Overly – Vote 6.50
South Atlanta Baby – Vote 6.75
The votes of others
Rolling Stone – 8.00 vote
The Guardian – 8.00 vote
NME – 8.00 vote
To listen immediately
Rather Lie -Fine Shit -Backd00r
To skip immediately
A total listening is enough. Then you need to extrapolate your favorites.
