| "Rather Lie" | ||||
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| Single by Playboi Carti and the Weeknd | ||||
| from the album Music | ||||
| Released | March 26, 2025 | |||
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| Length | 3:29 | |||
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| Songwriters |
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| Playboi Carti singles chronology | ||||
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| The Weeknd singles chronology | ||||
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"Rather Lie" is a song by American rapper Playboi Carti and Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was sent to US rhythmic radio as the lead single from the former's third studio album, Music, on March 26, 2025.[1] It was also sent to Italian radio airplay two days later.[2] The song was produced by F1lthy, Ojivolta, Jarrod "Twisco" Morgan, and Ramzoid. "Rather Lie" reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked within the top-10 of several countries.
"Rather Lie" features a chorus sung by the Weeknd which was described as a "dose of pop clarity" with a "breezy" and "earworm"-like hook, while Carti can be heard mumbling "sweet nothings". As a result, the song was one of the album's moments to be considered a "love song".[3][4] On the song, Carti "calms things down" but switches it up later on by "manipulating his voice" and "gaslighting" his girlfriend as he gives an insight into his love life.[5] It highlights the "ups and downs of intimacy" as Carti sounds "clear-eyed rather than self-pitying".[6]
The song was well received by music critics. In a ranking of all features on the album, Billboard's Mackenzie Cummings-Grady placed "Rather Lie" second and opined that the duo completed "their hat-trick" coming off the success of "Popular" (2023) and "Timeless" (2024). Cummings-Grady predicted the song to be another hit for the both of them.[4] Angel Diaz and Michael Saponara later also ranked the song second of the overall album, calling it the "radio single" of the record and expressing their desire for a joint album of the two.[5]
C. Vernon Coleman II at XXL listed "Rather Lie" as one of the early standout tracks and called it one of the "heaters" on the album.[7] In a premature evaluation for Stereogum, Tom Breihan saw the song as a switch to "pop clarity" and viewed the track as one of the moments on the album that breaks the "storm" as "something more approachable shines through".[3] Georgia Evans of Time Out named it one of the best songs of 2025 so far, calling it an "absolute belter" and praising the Weeknd's contributions.[8]
Carti performed "Rather Lie" live for the first time at a 2024 Rolling Loud Miami flagship Festival,[9][10] held on December 15.[11][12] On June 9, 2025, Carti, alongside DJ Swamp Izzo, performed "Rather Lie" at the BET Awards 2025.[13][14][15]
Credits and personnel adapted from Tidal.[16]
Musicians
Technical
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