- I AM MUSIC: A Year Later — Tracklist Part I
- I AM MUSIC: A Year Later — Tracklist Part II
- I AM MUSIC: A Year Later — Tracklist Part III
By John Medina, Staff Writer, and Draven Copeland, Managing Editor
It has been a little over a year since Playboi Carti released his newest album, MUSIC, also dubbed as I AM MUSIC. The record has been among one of the most anticipated albums of the decade, with fans clamoring for its release ever since Carti’s rapper-rockstar pivot on 2020’s Whole Lotta Red. Carti, himself, has been able to grow a rapid fanbase through clever marketing, chaotic live performances, word of mouth, and artistic reinvention.
After working through the first 20 songs, this final part will round out the album by going through the final 10 tracks to hopefully find out whether the five-year wait for this album was worth it, compare this album to the artist’s previous releases, and form a definitive opinion on the album as a whole.
So far, tracks have been kind of all over the place, and this next track is one of the most ill-fitting on the entire album…
“WE NEED ALL DA VIBES”
<Draven>
It’s not a hot take to say that this song feels like a Young Thug song that Carti hopped on and used for his album. With Thug and Ty Dolla $ign leading the beat for the majority of the song – along with it feeling very much like a Young Thug beat all throughout – added on to the fact that Carti only gives us a measly six bars on this song, it’s the only song on the 30 track album that doesn’t feel like Carti at all. For reference, the average verse in a rap song is 16 bars, meaning that Carti didn’t even give us half a verse here, and what “verse” he had was finished with two bars from Thug himself. This is not to say at all that I dislike the song; in fact, I actually consider it one of the high points of the album. I only mean to say that it’s a primary example of a track that truly feels like a rushed addition, with minimal input from Carti as he chooses to instead let his features do the vast majority of the work.
“OLYMPIAN”
<John>
This track makes me feel victorious. The standout lyric from this song is “Too many chains, like an Olympian.” – comparing his diamond-encrusted chains to the medals awarded to Olympians. Kind of a simplistic track in the grand scheme of the album, but I enjoy it. The instrumental sounds like the end credit music to a video game; it is smooth and easy to vibe out to, though I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone.
“OPM BABI”
<John>
So for many of the more out there tracks on the album, I can get enjoyment out of them from their crafted chaos. The beats and Carti’s vocal performances mesh together into a perfect encapsulation of chaos that can also be catchy. This track is another chaotic one, but it seemingly falls short in multiple areas. The havoc on this track is not controlled. For other songs like “POP OUT”, a clear flow and song structure are established, but on this one, effects and sounds just pop up at random. The vocals on this track are all over the place, too, with Carti just starting to moan near the middle of the track, which is around the time I decide to tune out.
I recommend giving this one a listen, not because it’s good, but because I can’t put into words how disorganized, overwhelming, and messy this song is. Not a fan.
“TWIN TRIM”
<John>
The beat on this track rides out for a decent bit before the vocals begin, making it to the halfway point of this 1:34 song before any vocals are heard. This song stars Lil Uzi Vert as the only added vocals, with no Carti to be seen anywhere. I really wish he would’ve at least had one verse, or literally anything at all. Uzi’s flow on the song is good, but it’s just kind of … meh, without any added pazazz or extra verses. They really put two throwaway songs on here when they know they are able to do better.
Truly disappointed by this track.
<Draven>
Having literally nothing at all to do with the previous “TRIM” track on the album, “TWIN TRIM” is quite literally just Uzi vibing on the beat for about 45 seconds. I’m almost glad Carti didn’t come in – I mean, we saw what he did with the last “TRIM” song – but it really just feels like a little Uzi interlude in a spot on the album that really doesn’t need an interlude. Just cutting “OPM BABI” would’ve been enough to keep the flow going.
All of that to say, I actually don’t hate the song, it’s Uzi being Uzi, and I honestly would say these are their best bars on the album after their middling display on “JUMPIN.” It’s just another B-side song added to the already over-full tracklist and a waste of Uzi’s talent just for Carti to take the credit when he literally didn’t do shit on this song.
“LIKE WEEZY”
< John >
Finally, a much-needed banger to water down all the mid songs we’ve been subjected to. This song features a prominent sample from the song “Bend Over” by Atlanta group, Rich Kidz. The main chorus refers to Carti feeling like and “lookin’ like weezy”, a nickname given to the rapper Lil Wayne. Wayne’s influence is evident throughout the album, taking inspiration from his vocal inflections, mixtape-like presentation of the album, Carti’s outfits, etc. Due to this, I think it’s nice to have a song commemorating him on the track list.
This track is a tasteful blend of old and new sounds to create a fun, energetic, and catchy experience.
“DIS 1 GOT IT”
< John>
“MOLLYS, PERKIES, I FEEL SO INVINCIBLE.”
I enjoy the main chorus as well as the piano beat on this song, but overall not too much to write home about this track. On previous tracks like “Toxic” and now as “DIS 1 GOT IT”, Carti has a vocal style akin to one of his contemporaries, Future. This decision, in my opinion, muddies the album’s artistic image. In addition to Future being featured on tracks like “TRIM” or “CHARGE DEM HOES A FEE”, some may interpret the vocal style as copying Future. I will say it gets kind of difficult to distinguish the two, especially since features weren’t listed on the tracklist upon first release.
Solid flow, but the vocal inflections by Carti can be uninspired or a little too unintelligible at times.
“WALK”
<John>
I guess I can admire the beat’s horns and general triumphant energy that this track exudes. Though 27 tracks in, I can feel my brain starting to turn into mush from Carti talking about the same four topics with barely comprehensible vocals. This song could really benefit from less brain-numbing vocals since it somehow manages to overstay its welcome at a swift 1:34 runtime.
“HBA”
< John >
The final previously released single that was added to the album tracklist is “HOOD BY AIR”, abbreviated to “HBA” for the album release. HOOD BY AIR is a New York-based fashion brand that garnered popularity in rap and streetwear circles throughout the 2000s. Aside from the high fashion origins of the title, I really like the tone set on this track. Heavy bass acts as a steady background for the dark strings progression, trap drums, and synths that add a nice ambience to the song. This track is a lyrical high point on the album; Carti reflects on his rise in the music industry, pressures copycats of his style, and boasts his fashion sense.
“I was seventeen on the mic.
I’m tryna be Carti, not Mike.
I’m a gigolo, ho, I bite.
My wholе career, they bite.
Some ****** still thinkin’ thеy faster than me.
Somebody should tell ’em they dyin’”
The track ends on one last triumphant note, with Carti talking about his two children. One of whom, Yves, was not publicly known until the release of this song. I will say, this is another case of Carti fumbling an album release version of a single. New drum patterns are added to the instrumental, which I enjoy, but critical lyrics are cut out at points, leaving an awkward blank space in the track for some reason.
Overall, I enjoy this one a lot. The energy on this song is intense, horror movie-like, and endlessly quotable.
“OVERLY”
<John>
It took some time for me to come around on this track. I think when I was first listening to the album, I had gotten partly tired of the album’s run-time. But after multiple revisits to this track, it is almost infectious.
The rapid piano melody matched with Carti’s deep voice works really well together. The added synths are also nice, such a good track.
Very fun and upbeat, two big thumbs up from me.
“SOUTH ATLANTA BABY”
<John>
The album concludes with an upbeat and triumphant beat. The album’s DJ host begins the song by boasting that Carti had created a new genre of music with this album and that no one should box them into any category moving forward.
I can commend the ballsiness of an outro like this if the main performer, Carti, showed the same level of enthusiasm. Despite bragging, Carti’s verse is fairly subdued with him talking about the usual stuff like repping his state, talking about his artillery, and his cars. As a result, the outro feels kind of similar to the rest of the tracklist and doesn’t really seem like a proper conclusion to the album. Although, I don’t really know how you would wrap up an album that is all over the place.
ALBUM’S RECEPTION AND CONCLUSION
I want to extend one last thank you to managing editor, Draven Copeland, and my friend, Chandler, for providing their own commentary on tracks across the past three article parts. Really appreciate your additional thoughts and opinions on the album.
What a confusing, disjointed, and delayed (but also seemingly rushed) album. MUSIC by Playboi Carti is an overbloated mess that should not have taken five years to make. So is it so bad that I like it? At least in bits and pieces.
Some of my highlights on the tracklist include: The insane and industrial intro “POP OUT”. “EVIL J0RDAN” without the extended, and in my opinion, drawn-out intro. “TOXIC” with the killer Skepta feature and beat that makes you feel luxurious. The absolute nightmare that is “CRANK”. The joyous energy on “LIKE WEEZY”, among others.
Though I would be lying if I didn’t say this album suffers from a severe case of tracklist bloating, even with the context of a five-year wait. There is no universe where an album should be 30 songs long. This isn’t a compilation CD; this is an album release. I believe that an artist should aim to create a cohesive body of work that encapsulates a vibe or theme through an album. But MUSIC hops around from sound to sound on a whim with very little to tie each individual song together. I personally wish that Carti would trim down the album to a cool 10-15 songs long and try to maintain the energy on tracks like “POP OUT” or more carefree and vibe-worthy energy on “LIKE WEEZY”. This would have made for a more easily digestible album experience that is more focused and works with Carti’s strong suits.
Some people believe the long tracklist to be intentional and an homage to mixtapes that inspired him. I can commend Carti for drawing from early Atlanta mixtapes and presenting them on a scale that feels unique to him, with grander production value and a higher budget; although, I don’t believe that the excuse of “it’s supposed to be long and disjointed” works in this case. If Carti were to trim off the fat on this album, it would have done wonders for its replayability, and I believe the general public would have a fonder recollection of the project as a whole. As some of the songs on here have me scratching my head for what he was going for in many instances.
But what do I know? My favorite songs on the album are simultaneously tracks that others find annoying or just straight up terrible. It really depends on the listener’s own palette. Whether you prefer the hype concert tracks, more smooth and vibe-heavy songs, or whatever the hell “OPM BABI” was trying to be. I guess you have to give that credit to the album; there’s seemingly something here for everyone.
I feel like it should go without saying, but the use of AI on this album is extremely lazy and downright embarrassing. It really acts as a giant stain on this album’s reputation, and I hope that
Carti does not continue this trend on future releases.
As for how the album stacks up against his previous work, I still think his 2018 album Die Lit has the better blend of his hype moshpit style rap with a good amount of trippy, abstract, and minimalist rap sprinkled throughout. That is not to diminish the highlights on this record.
Some of his best work appears on this album, really pushing that rage sound that was first captured on Whole Lotta Red to its absolute limits while also having smooth and vibey tracks tucked into the tracklist.
Despite my opinions, Playboi Carti has been able to reach new heights through the release of this album. Not that numbers inherently determine an album’s quality, but Carti had the largest first week sales out of any rap album in 2025, with MUSIC selling over 300,000 units in its opening week. He has also gone on to be the opening act for The Weeknd’s “After Hours” tour and headlined his own sold-out “Antagonist” tour with his music label OPIUM. Carti also currently stands within the top 100 artists with the most monthly listeners on Spotify, placed as number 98 with 42 million monthly listeners. So he clearly has to be doing something right.
So, did Carti back his bold claim of being music? Despite the mixed state that the album was released in, there are some really quality tracks that I’ve been able to take away from this album. I would also like to argue that “being music” is much more than the inherent “quality” of your musical output. When looking back at some of the most memorable artists or performers of the last 50 years, it doesn’t begin and end with the music itself. It’s a look, it’s the way you carry yourself, the way you are able to move people, how your art connects with audiences. Taking into account album sales, quantity of output, performing on two separate tours, inventive marketing, people’s obsession with basically his every move, as well as quality and catchy songs. It is undeniable at this point that Carti has all of it. I believe that Playboi Carti has proven that he is, in-fact, music.
