Playboi Carti Stops Playing, Drops New Music

As Madonna says, “Music makes the people come together.” Unless you’re a Playboi Carti fan, in which case, just the word music is enough to send a shiver down your spine. But no longer: After years of teasing and delays, the rapper’s third album, Music, is finally here. The 30-track album hit streaming around 7:30 a.m. ET after some finish-line delays Carti chalked up to a Young Thug feature. But really this is the end of a saga that began in March 2021 and included a changed album title, overanalyzed interviews, and a number of Instagram loosies. Here’s everything you need to know about Music and how we got here.

Wait, what happened to Narcissist?

Carti first teased a follow-up to 2020’s Whole Lotta Red in March 2021, writing on Instagram, ““LeTs dr0p thiS new Album . w3 noT done.” By August, he had revealed the project was called Narcissist and set a release date of September 13. That day came and went with no album, but by September 14, Narcissist merch was available on his website: masks, bomber jackets, and even a $5,000 helmet. The next day, though, Carti tweeted a screenshot of a text claiming his site had been hacked. That didn’t mean Narcissist wasn’t coming, though: “FORGET ABOUT SAMPLE CLEARANCES .,” he wrote in another message he tweeted. “DROP NARCISSIST.” Yeah, uh, that didn’t happen.

How long has Music been delayed for?

In an April 2022 cover interview for XXL, Carti revealed his album was now called Music “because that’s all it is at this point.” So long, Narcissist — we hardly knew ya! Fans were on high-alert ahead of the two-year anniversary of Whole Lotta Red on Christmas 2022, and sure enough, Carti posted what looked like an album cover to Instagram on Christmas Eve. On Christmas, Carti tweeted, “love all my supporters it’s time.” But Santa Carti didn’t end up bringing any new music on Christmas or in the days after.

In November 2023, Carti told German magazine Numéro Berlin he was still working on Music. He’d been making “chaotic and crazy” music in a cave in Paris, music that was “just very good to the ears” in an undisclosed glass house in the hills, and “biting” music in Atlanta. That December, Carti seemed to reveal cover art for the album, now apparently titled I Am Music. He even posted actual music to his Instagram Story! And he also started posting clips to his new Instagram account @opium_00pium. The same day as the first teasers, December 8, he dropped a different untitled song on Instagram. On December 14, 2023, he released a music video for “2024,” featuring production by Kanye West, and on December 19, he released a clip for another new song, “H00dByAir.” Music didn’t drop in 2023, but the singles kept coming, with the Travis Scott–featuring “Backr00ms” out January 1, 2024, and “EvilJ0rdan” following on January 15. Carti released yet another song, “Ketamine,” on March 12, but still no album was in sight. He did earn a No. 1 in the meantime for a feature on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival.”

In September 2024, Carti returned to his own Instagram to seemingly roll out the album, posting images of records and CDs. “LINK IN BIO,” he teased, and said link led to merch bundles that promised to ship on April 18, 2025. In the meantime, Carti released another song, “All Red,” on September 13 and even got it on to streaming, unlike the previous ones. But don’t worry, he continued dropping @opium_00pium exclusives, too, like one on November 21, 2024. Carti teased five new songs during his Rolling Loud headlining set in December, but once again, the year ended without Music.

Then, this February, Carti took a note from the pop girls and rolled out a billboard campaign. By March 12, he had returned to X for the first time to simply tease “FRIDAY.” When the album still wasn’t out at 12:01 a.m. ET on March 14, he posted a feature list and confirmed he meant Pacific Time. “HAD 2 MAKE SURE SLIMEEEE WAS ON DIS MF,” he added in another post with a photo of him FaceTiming Young Thug. The album didn’t arrive till around 4:30 a.m. PT (7:30 ET) — but, finally, it’s here.

Who’s featured on Music?

The guest list Carti confirmed is a mix of his usual suspects and hip-hop heavy-hitters. After “Backd00rs,” Travis Scott is on three songs: “Crush,” “Philly,” and “Wake Up F1lthy.” Carti’s comrade-in-arms Lil Uzi Vert shows up twice, on “Jumpin” and “Twin Trim.” Future makes appearances on “Charge Dem Hoes a Fee” and “Trim” — and if you think you hear him anywhere else, that’s because Carti also kind of sounds like Future now. The Weeknd sings the hook on “Rather Lie,” and British rapper Skepta drops a verse on “Toxic.” And yes, Carti got his Young Thug feature on “We Need All Da Vibes,” which also has Ty Dolla $ign.

Carti’s original list of features included one blacked-out name. That turned out to be Kendrick Lamar, who’s on “Mojo Dojo,” “Backd00r,” and “Good Credit.” K-Dot plays more of a hype man on the first two but does drop a full verse for his “evil twin” on “Good Credit.” “I would’ve said, ‘Fuck you too,’ but you knew what the list was for,” he raps — another Drake diss?