Playboi Carti - Whole Lotta Red
Genre: Hip Hop
Score: 5/10
This is the inescapably hyped, seemingly long awaited second full length album from Atlanta superstar rapper, Playboi Carti.
What to Expect: : Disappointment. Playboi Carti’s debut album, Die Lit, was such a great moment in time captured for hip hop, that I’m convinced that it’s a fluke. I can’t see Playboi Carti living up to the hype that was created as a result of the album’s success. At the same time, Playboi Carti’s at such a special level of admiration and creative freedom that few rappers in the mainstream have. He could drop all means of quality control on his records, and his ravenous fanbase will still call his next album the greatest album ever. I just hope that I’m proven wrong, and that the songs on this album are actually good songs.
Overall: : This album is a mixed bag. It is definitely not another Die Lit. However, it wasn’t a total disappointment.
I can applaud Playboi Carti for continuing to experiment with looser song structures and repetitive verses. It’s what made Die Lit so great. Plus, his punkier, rawer vocal performances over these grainy Halloween synth trap beats create a spooky and campy vibe that I can imagine countless rappers copying until the end of time.
But while the highlights show really creative ideas on this album, not every song is presented in an enjoyable way. A good chunk of the mixes on this album are crud, admittedly. Carti’s performances do not sound well supported on many of the album’s weaker songs. As a result of the weaker production failing to create a distinct vibe that’s bigger than the sum of its parts (which was what made Die Lit so great to me), the entire album from front to back drags a lot longer than its hour-long runtime.
Additionally, Carti at his worst on this album sounds like he’s copying his contemporaries harder than ever. If this album was cut in half with its best songs on it, it would be one of the most cohesive and distinct records in hip hop. Still, despite how much filler is on this album, Playboi Carti continues to be one of the more interesting rappers to follow in hip hop, and the polarized reception of this record has definitely proven that.
Play by Play:
1. Rockstar Made – this beat is a banger. I like the buzzy synths in the beat. Carti’s slowed down delivery is super wavy. It’s a refreshing vibe. Good start to the record.
2. Go2DaMoon – The beat and Kanye’s delivery reminds me of Yeezus. The wavy beat, despite it being minimal, has interesting sounds and details. His feature is just classic corny Kanye, suspect lines and all (You always askin’ for Buddha, you a Budapest!!). Carti’s energy is fairly underwhelming, but his rawer delivery is a refreshing change of pace.
3. Stop Breathing – Another banger. I love the beat and the menacing vibe created as a result. Carti’s adlibs add a lot to the vibe of the track. He sounds strained and amped. I’m into it. I can imagine a crowd of hopping vampires just moshing to this song.
4. Beno – This song is very Thugger. I’m bouncing the same way I would if I listened to any Slime Season album. Yeah, he just sounds like Young Thug.
5. JumpOutTheHouse – I like the bitcrushed synth laced into the beat. I can definitely understand the wave of Castlevania comparisons that this album has been receiving. His adlibs and ridiculous adlibs just sound like a swarm of hopping vampires closing in and they’re gaining speed.
6. M3tamorphosis ft. Kid Cudi – I love the beat. Kid Cudi continues his creative streak with his iconic hums and his solid verse. Cudi sounds a lot like Travis Scott on this track, which is unsurprising considering how much Man on the Moon III was influenced by Travis. Carti sounds absolutely hyped and the song is very to the point. It’s a total banger. I found the song a bit long though, at five minutes.
7. Slay3er – This song just sounds like a Lil Uzi Vert track. From the playful beat to his bouncy cadence. His hook is super catchy though. It’s a catchy bop, albeit derivative.
8. No Sl33p – Very 8 bit synth in the beat. I feel like I’m playing an old RPG game from an arcade, like Dragon Slayer hearing these synth throughout the album. I wish more songs on this album took this song direction.
9. New Tank – Banger beat. His performance is very amped and energetic. I like the reverb on his voice. But beyond that, that’s all I have to report for this one.
10. Teen X – I love the wavy synths. His baby voice delivery is in rare form on this track. Definitively one of the best tracks on this album I like his slowed delivery as he raps. At first glance, it sounds off beat, but it has a great groove to it. Future’s feature gets the job done, even though it wasn’t one of his best features.
11. Meh – Oh thank god, it’s not that other Meh. This one is far more enjoyable. The beat is more energetic, and he sounds way more coherent. He’s sounding pretty antisocial and misanthropic on this album compared to Die Lit.
12. Vamp Anthem – The song definitely lives up to this title. The cheap sounding synths on this track, oddly enough, add a fun campy vibe to the track. It adds to the Castlevania aesthetic of the album. Unfortunately, I wish more songs like this had this vibe.
13. New N3on – This beat reminds me of a Future song. Playboi Carti sounds fine, but it’s a far milder song than the hotter bangers on the album. It’s okay.
14. Control – Akademiks wastes my time with his existence on this album. I do love the beat that comes in, despite the song sounding a lot like Lil Uzi Vert. At least he can do it as well as Uzi on this track.
15. Punk Monk – I appreciate the punk ethos of this record with Carti’s lyrics and songwriting choices. The song probably shows this best. The beat is okay, as it merely gets the job done.
16. On That Time – The beat goes hard. The hook is catchy as well. The mixing is garbage and stifles the vibe quite a bit, but Carti sounds menacing on the track.
17. King Vamp – God, a lot of these songs sound like Lil Uzi Vert. The hook is once again very catchy. But I’d rather just listen to Lil Uzi Vert for this type of sound.
18. Place – That’s a weird audio skip that makes zero sense to me. But I like the mellow vibe coming from the hook and the beat. Carti is sticking to his guns on this track. It’s a bop. I feel like this is empty calories though. This album is dragging.
19. Sky – This song is a banger. I like the synth and the adlibs add to the song a lot. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it works for Carti.
20. Over – The mix sucks. The synths drown out every other part of the song. Carti sounds higher than a kite in his performance. It doesn’t help that it’s not a strongly written song. This album is wearing out its welcome at this point.
21. ILoveUIHateU – Oh cool, a Pierre Bourne beat. I like the groove of this beat. Carti is rapping like a Great Value Thugger but at least Pierre is keeping things interesting. Very much a track to passively zone out to and vibe.
22. Die4Guy – I like this beat a lot. It sounds like a retro video game. Carti is sounding pretty antisocial on this cut. This song, like many, runs like a structureless motif, which is a fine way to structure an album if most of the songs reinforced each other instead of cancelling each other out.
23. Not PLaying – The beat is very Uzi, again. His delivery is very Uzi, again. I’m over it at this point. Skip.
24. F33l Lik3 Dyin – This beat is smooth. I guess Carti is more vulnerable on this track? He just sounds like Future, to be completely honest. When he goes derivative, he just makes me want to listen to the artist that he’s pulling from. Yeah, I’m over it.
Score: 5/10
Favorite Track in Bold
Just my opinion