Playboi Carti (mixtape)

In September 2016, it was announced that Playboi Carti had signed to AWGE and Interscope Records.^[5] Two days later, he confirmed the project's impending release.^[6] Recording sessions for the mixtape took place in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York, with Carti focusing on a spontaneous recording process—often freestyling entire songs rather than writing lyrics in advance.^[7] Carti recorded much of the mixtape between 2016 and early 2017, working primarily with producer Pi'erre Bourne, whose futuristic and bouncy beats became a defining element of the project.^[8]

Bourne, who had been gaining recognition for his work with underground artists, became instrumental in shaping Carti's sound. His production, characterized by spacey synthesizers, looping melodies, and hard-hitting 808 drums, complemented Carti's freewheeling approach to rapping.^[7] Other producers, such as Southside, Jake One, and Harry Fraud, also contributed beats, but Bourne's style became the foundation of the project.^[9] He explained that Carti's recording process for the mixtape was focused on capturing raw, spontaneous energy. Carti often recorded songs quickly, sometimes in a single take, to preserve the organic, unpolished feel of the music. Bourne highlighted that the process was more about feeling and vibe than meticulous planning.^[8][7] Bourne and Carti had recorded "Wokeuplikethis" on February 14, 2017,^[10] and continued to record until two days before Carti's performance at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, in March of that year.^[8]

The composition of Playboi Carti is rooted in minimalism, with an emphasis on repetition, mood, and atmospheric production rather than lyrical complexity. According to Pitchfork, Carti's verses and hooks "smash into each other with repetition", and his signature ad-libs aren't just embellishments but function as "the main attraction", sometimes even becoming the lyrics themselves.^[11] Carti's flows are described as "punctuated" and rhythmically freeform, with rhymes that "float between the production rather than on top of it", creating space for beats to take the forefront.^[11] Tracks like "Location" are described by Pitchfork as feeling "celestial", while "No. 9" is described as "exotic and regal", showing Carti's tendency to let the instrumentals guide the song's momentum rather than traditional rap structure.^[11]

The mixtape's production plays a significant role in shaping its identity. XXL highlights producers like Harry Fraud, Southside, Hit-Boy, and Jake One, but especially points to Pi'erre Bourne as the "audible MVP", producing nearly half of the tape and crafting what Pitchfork calls a balance of "cloud rap with straight up bangers".^[11][12] Bourne's beat for "Magnolia", described as "rumbling infectiously" and accented with a "summery flute", pairs seamlessly with Carti's performance, which XXL likens to his 2015 breakout "Broke Boi".^[11][12] Carti's lyrical content is intentionally sparse, often centering on themes of flexing, lifestyle, and surface-level attraction. On "Half & Half", he repeats the phrase "this is not pop, this some rock" nearly 30 times, and rhymes most of "Other Shit" with the name of the song—examples that Pitchfork cites as an "economical method of getting from one 'Yuh' and 'Ooh' to the next.^[11] XXL adds that "Location" revolves around four repeated bars, but Carti's performance over Harry Fraud's beat elevates it into one of the project's best tracks.^[12]

Rather than aiming for lyrical density, the mixtape is "based almost exclusively off vibes," as XXL describes, calling it "sonically pleasing, hypebeast swag rap." HipHopDX similarly describes that Playboi Carti "isn't a lyricist's album", but praises it as "a confident exercise in brand building", describing it as "a fashion-forward soundtrack for the flex generation".^[12][13] Collaborations also shape the mixtape's tone. Lil Uzi Vert appears on "Wokeuplikethis" and "Lookin", adding "raspy mumble rap expertise" and creating moments of harmony with Carti.^[12] ASAP Rocky, a major influence and mentor, delivers a verse on "New Choppa", elevating the lyrical delivery while reinforcing the shared themes of "guns, groupies and ganja". The mixtape's release was marked by a long delay, which Carti attributed to his search for a producer who could help him develop "Carti's sound".^[11]

In an article by Hypebeast from January 2017, it was stated that the mixtape was expected to be released in the first quarter of the year. Carti commented, “I just want niggas to look at it and say, 'If this young nigga from Atlanta can do this, so can I.' [...] I want everybody to get money. My new mixtape is going to show niggas this is the way."^[14] In January 2017, Carti announced that his debut mixtape would be released in spring 2017.^[15] On April 13, 2017, Carti revealed the official artwork and tracklist for the mixtape.^[16]

Two singles were released prior to the mixtape's release. These included "Lookin", which featured Lil Uzi Vert, released on March 9, 2017, and "Wokeuplikethis", which also featured Lil Uzi Vert, which released on March 10, 2017. The singles "Magnolia" and "Let It Go" was released on April 14, 2017, a few hours prior to the mixtape's release. A music video was released for "Magnolia" on July 10, 2017. It was directed by Hidji Films and features cameo appearance from the song's producer Pi'erre Bourne, as well as cameo appearances from Southside, ASAP Rocky, Slim Jxmmi, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Don Q, Nav, Casanova, Smooky Margielaa, Squidnice and Cash, one of the XO members. It has amassed over 200 million views as of January 2025.^[17] A music video was released for "Wokeuplikethis" on August 9, 2017. The music video features Lil Uzi Vert, and has amassed 100 million views as of January 2025.^[18] A music video for "New Choppa" was released on August 31, 2017. It features ASAP Rocky, and has amassed over 30 million views as of January 2025.^[19] To support the mixtape, Carti embarked on the Playboi Carti Tour during the summer of 2017, performing across various cities in North America.^[20][21]

On review aggregator website Metacritic, Playboi Carti holds a score of 69 out of 100, based on reviews from five critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[22] In a positive review, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the project "erratic, sometimes transfixingly so", stating that "Playboi Carti's album takes hip-hop's ad-lib era to its logical extreme — everything sounds like an ad-lib, even the main lyrics".^[27] In a more negative review, HipHopDX critic Narshima Chintaluri described the record as "simply a glorified beat tape with ad-libs", stating Carti "need[s] to further develop his songwriting in order to maintain this allure alongside his more successful contemporaries".^[23]

Brian Duricy of PopMatters described the record as "the sonic equivalent of the stereotypical laissez-faire worker who breezes through presentations on sheer personality alone", stating that "over the production, however, you're not getting particularly much".^[24] Pitchfork's Briana Younger wrote that "Playboi Carti feels like a break from life, the soundtrack to a mindless good time", and adding that "Carti is tactful in discerning where and when he can get away with letting the instrumental ride and when he needs to rise to the occasion".^[1] The single "Magnolia" was awarded Best New Track by Pitchfork.^[28]

The mixtape appeared on 2017 year-end album lists by publications such as Fact,^[29] Pitchfork,^[30] and Tiny Mix Tapes.^[31] John Twells of Fact stated that the project "adeptly taps into a widespread youthful malaise and the genre-fluid playlist culture that has come to dominate rap's mainstream [...] Sad and restless but also party-ready, Playboi Carti doesn't need political rambling or conscious posturing to get its message across".^[32] Corrigan B of Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that "of everything that 2017 promised about rap's future, Playboi Carti felt the most like a real path forward, a crystallization of the SoundCloud underground's zeitgeist in a format built to transcend the scene's messy adolescence".^[31]

The mixtape debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200, with 28,000 album-equivalent units, of which 21,000 were streaming units and 7,000 were pure album sales.^[37] As of September 2017, the mixtape has moved over 367,000 units.^[38] The mixtape was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 10, 2018, for sales over 500,000 units.^[39] Later on February 28, 2020, the mixtape was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes^[40] and ASCAP.^[41]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an uncredited co-producer
• "Wokeuplikethis" is stylized as "wokeuplikethis*"
• "Dothatshit!" is stylized as "dothatshit!"
• "No. 9" is stylized as "NO. 9"
• "Let It Go" features uncredited additional background vocals by MexikoDro
• "Kelly K" features uncredited additional background vocals by Blakk Soul^[43][44]

Sample credits

• "Location" contains samples of "Endomorph", written by Allan Holdsworth and Rowanne Mark, as performed by Holdsworth.^[45]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[40]

Technical