Does "Music" Deserve Album of the Year Status?

Based on the initial week’s figures, possibly so.

Stills from "FE!N" Directed by Gabriel Moses Produced by DIVISION.

Playboi Carti’s long-anticipated third studio album, Music, finally dropped on March 14, 2025, and it’s nothing short of a cultural event. Released through AWGE and Interscope Records, the project spans 30 tracks and marks Carti’s most ambitious body of work yet, both in scale and sound. After months of cryptic social media teasers, leaks, and delays, Music arrives with a star-studded lineup and a genre-pushing aesthetic that reinforces Carti’s position as one of hip-hop’s most enigmatic and influential artists.

The album features heavyweight collaborations with the likes of Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Jhené Aiko, Skepta, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Ty Dolla Sign, and Young Thug. Each feature is carefully placed, not just for clout, but to enhance the mood and experimentation Carti is chasing. Tracks like “Crush” with Travis Scott and “Mojo Jojo” with Kendrick Lamar highlight Carti’s evolving sound, still rooted in his trademark chaotic energy, but now layered with more abstract, melodic choices and distorted production.

The standout single “Pop Out” sets the tone early. It’s loud, brash, and stripped-down pure Carti. But other tracks dive into more unexpected territory. “Rather Lie” featuring The Weeknd leans into dark pop, with both artists trading haunting falsettos over a warped synth beat. Meanwhile, “Evil J0rdan” is a solo cut that finds Carti rapping in an almost whispered flow, letting the production lead. It’s moments like these that show how Music isn’t trying to please the mainstream; it’s trying to build its own lane entirely and fans showed up.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 298,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week. All 30 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100, making Carti the first rapper in history to do so with a 30-track release. On Spotify, Music racked up nearly 140 million streams on day one, making it the most-streamed album in a single day in 2025 so far, and the seventh-best debut in the platform’s history.

But not everything around the release was smooth. Carti faced accusations that some songs were ghostwritten using AI, a claim he flatly denied in a now-viral livestream. There was also noise around Kanye West’s alleged frustration with not being featured, despite earlier reports of a collaboration. Carti hasn’t addressed that directly, but he’s never been one to explain himself much publicly.

Still, the momentum isn’t slowing down. Carti has confirmed that a deluxe version of Music is already in the works. He’s also teased a follow-up project called Baby Boi, which he says will lean even harder into experimental sounds. Whether that means more rage beats, more goth influence, or something completely unexpected, fans know by now to expect the unpredictable.

In a landscape often driven by formulas and algorithms, Music stands out because it doesn’t try to fit in. It’s sprawling, messy, bold and undeniably Carti.