Playboi Carti, Stop Playing With Us and Drop the Album

It's been 1,181 days since Playboi Carti released his last album Whole Lotta Red on Christmas Day 2020. While the Atlanta rapper might not be counting the passing days, his cult-like following surely is. And they want the album, like, yesterday.  

Details on Playboi Carti's Music Album

Here's what we do know about the album. Carti began teasing the offering all the way back in March of 2021. In his spring 2022 XXL cover story, Carti revealed the album title as Music and talked about some themes of the project.

"Love. Sex. Drugs. Changes in my life," Carti said. "I’ve been rapping about going to rehab. I want to go to rehab because I think I’m bipolar. I want everybody to feel free. I want this album to make everyone feel free. I hope this album brings peace to the world, honestly. I’m in love with what I’m doing. Like I told you, you can’t put a genre alternative [on me]. My little brother told me that all the time."

The album was partially recorded in a cave. Back in November of 2023, Carti told German arts and culture magazine Numéro Berlin about his recording process revealing,  "I'm in my surroundings. I've been recording in Paris. I love Paris. I was recording in a cave for like three months and all the music that came out of that is just chaotic and crazy."

Playboi Carti Keeps Dropping Music, But Has Yet to Reveal Release Date

Last February, Playboi Carti's tour DJ revealed the album is done. That was followed in September of 2023 by songs leaks and rumors that the album might be coming soon.  Then, the music started rolling in. The same month, the eccentric rapper previewed a new Travis Scott collab. That December, Carti posted the message "I Am Music" on his Instagram Story and returned with a new song via his @opium_00pium on Instagram account, putting fans on the edges of their seats. "Prepare," he captioned the post.

There were also reports the album would be dropping in January of 2024. A week later, he released the Kanye West-coproduced track "2024." Several tracks have followed including "H00dbyAir," "Backrooms" featuring Travis Scott, "Katamine," "Evil J0rdan" and others. January came and went, and still there's no album.

So, what's the holdup?

XXL has spoken with Playboi Carti’s team, and hasn’t been able to get a clear answer on when the album is dropping even though he’s been releasing new songs.

Despite fans' pleas, some very directly, Carti has yet to announce a solid release date. But that hasn't stopped him from making headlines. He's featured on Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's chart-topping single "Carnival." Hopefully, that puts the battery in King Vamp's back to drop the album his rabid fans have been waiting 1,181 days day for. But don't hold your breath.