Playboi Carti (mixtape)

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Playboi Carti
Mixtape by
Playboi Carti
ReleasedApril 14, 2017 (2017-04-14)
Recorded2016–2017
Studio
Various
Genre
Length46:50
Label
Producer
Playboi Carti chronology
PlayboiFresh
(2016) 		Playboi Carti
(2017) 		Die Lit
(2018)
Alternative cover
Alternative cover for physical versions
Alternative cover for physical versions
Singles from Playboi Carti
  1. "Lookin"
    Released: March 19, 2017
  2. "Wokeuplikethis"
    Released: April 7, 2017
  3. "Let It Go"
    Released: April 14, 2017
  4. "Magnolia"
    Released: April 14, 2017

Playboi Carti is the debut commercial mixtape by American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released through AWGE and Interscope Records on April 14, 2017.[2] The mixtape contains 15 tracks and features guest appearances from American rappers Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Rocky and Dutch singer Leven Kali.[3] Production was executively handled by ASAP Rocky and was primarily handled by Pi'erre Bourne, alongside several other record producers, including Harry Fraud, Hit-Boy, Jake One, Ricci Riera, and Southside. The physical version of the mixtape was released on October 6, 2017, and a vinyl edition was released on November 17, 2017.[4]

The mixtape's music blends stylistic and production elements from hip hop scenes beyond Playboi Carti's Atlanta roots, particularly drawing from Southern influences. Its production showcases atmospheric soundscapes, laid-back beats, and chopped and screwed choruses. The lyrics explore themes of excess and moral decay, including promiscuity and drug culture, delivered with a confident, melodic flow.

The mixtape was promoted with three singles – "Lookin", "Wokeuplikethis" and "Magnolia", the third peaking at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, which garnered Playboi Carti's mainstream attention. The mixtape debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200, with 28,000 album-equivalent units earned in its first week, of which 21,000 were streaming units and 7,000 were pure album sales. Playboi Carti received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its innovative production and Carti's charismatic delivery. It was featured on several year-end top album lists by critics and publications; being named as one of the best albums of that year by multiple publications.

Background and singles

[edit]

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, prior the mixtape's release.

A music video was released for "Magnolia" on July 10, 2018. 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 180 million views as of August 2023.[5]

A music video was released for "Wokeuplikethis" on August 9, 2017. The music video features Lil Uzi Vert, and has amassed 90 million views as of September 2023.[6]

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 September 2024.[7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
HipHopDX2.9/5[9]
Pitchfork7.3/10[1]
PopMatters6/10[10]
ViceA−[11]
XXL4/5[12]

The mixtape received generally positive reviews from critics. 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".[13] 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".[9]

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".[10] 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.[14]

Accolades

[edit]

The mixtape appeared on 2017 year-end album lists by publications such as Fact,[15] Pitchfork,[16] and Tiny Mix Tapes.[17] 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".[18] 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".[17]

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Fact The 50 best albums of 2017
25
[15]
Gorilla vs. Bear Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2017
7
[19]
Tiny Mix Tapes 2017: Favorite 50 Music Releases
9
[17]
Rolling Stone 40 Best Rap Albums of 2017
8
[20]
Cult MTL's Mr. Wavvy Best Music of 2017
9
[21]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2017
35
[16]
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s
150
[22]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Playboi Carti 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.[23] As of September 2017, the mixtape has moved over 367,000 units.[24] The mixtape was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 10, 2018, for sales over 500,000 units.[25] Later on February 28, 2020, the mixtape was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Track listing

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[26] and ASCAP.[27]

Playboi Carti[28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Location"
Harry Fraud2:48
2."Magnolia"
Pi'erre Bourne3:01
3."Lookin" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert)
Roark Bailey3:03
4."Wokeuplikethis" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert)
  • Carter
  • Jenks
  • Woods
Pi'erre Bourne3:55
5."Let It Go"
  • Carter
  • Cameron Pitts
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne2:30
6."Half & Half"
3:47
7."New Choppa" (featuring ASAP Rocky)
Riera2:06
8."Other Shit"
Hit-Boy2:48
9."No. 9"
  • Carter
  • Jonathan Stewart
JStewOnTheBeat3:19
10."Dothatshit!"
  • Carter
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne3:04
11."Lame Niggaz"
  • Carter
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne2:53
12."Yah Mean"
  • Carter
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne2:45
13."Flex" (featuring Leven Kali)
  • KasimGotJuice
  • J. Cash Beatz
4:00
14."Kelly K"
4:31
15."Had 2"
  • Carter
  • Pitts
MexikoDro2:19
Total length:47:00

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[29][30]

Sample credits

  • "Location" contains samples of "Endomorph", written by Allan Holdsworth and Rowanne Mark, as performed by Holdsworth.[31]

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[26]

Technical

  • Hector Delgado – mixing (tracks 1, 7, 13), recording (tracks 7, 13)
  • Frankly Kastle – mixing assistant (tracks 1, 7)
  • Harry Fraud – recording (track 1)
  • Tatsuya Sato – mastering (tracks 1-3, 5-15)
  • Kesha Lee – mixing (tracks 2-5, 9, 10, 11, 15), recording (tracks 2, 4, 5, 9-12, 14, 15), mastering (track 4)
  • Roark Bailey – recording (track 3)
  • Max Lord – recording (track 6, 7)
  • Finis "KY" White – mixing (tracks 6, 12, 14)
  • Dan FryFe – recording assistant (track 7)
  • David Kim – mixing (track 8), recording (track 8)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] Gold 10,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[39] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[41] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Label(s) Format(s) Ref.
Various April 14, 2017
[42]
October 6, 2017 CD
November 17, 2017 Vinyl [43]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Younger, Briana (April 22, 2017). "Playboi Carti: Playboi Carti". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Servantes, Ivan (April 14, 2017). "Stream Playboi Carti's Self-Titled Debut Mixtape". Spin. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  3. ^ Craighead, Olivia. "Listen to Playboi Carti's Self-Titled Debut Mixtape". The Fader. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  4. ^ Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti (LP) - Amazon.com Music
  5. ^ "Playboi Carti - Magnolia". YouTube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  6. ^ Playboi Carti - wokeuplikethis* ft. Lil Uzi Vert (Official Video) - YouTube
  7. ^ Playboi Carti - New Choppa ft. A$AP Rocky (Official Video) - YouTube
  8. ^ "Reviews and Tracks for Playboi Carti [Mixtape] by Playboi Carti". Metacritic. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Chintaluri, Narshima (April 19, 2017). "Review: Playboi Carti's Self-Titled Debut Is Simply A Glorified Beat Tape With Ad-Libs". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Duricy, Bryan (April 19, 2017). "Playboi Carti: Playboi Carti". PopMatters. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 19, 2018). "Robert Christgau on Joey Bada$$'s Timely Consciousness". Vice. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Glaysher, Scott (April 26, 2017). "Playboi Carti Flexes on Debut Mixtape". XXL. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  13. ^ Caramanica, Jon. "In New Albums, 21 Savage and Playboi Carti Go Against the Flow". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  14. ^ ""Magnolia" by Playboi Carti Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  15. ^ a b "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Fact Magazine. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c "2017: Favorite 50 Music Releases". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  18. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Fact Magazine. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  19. ^ "Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2017". Gorilla vs. Bear. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  20. ^ "40 Best Rap Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  21. ^ "These are the best albums of 2017". Cult MTL. December 22, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  23. ^ "First Week Sales For Playboi Carti's Self-Titled Debut Project". HNHH.
  24. ^ "Rumor Mill - TOP 50 STREAMED SONGS, SPS ALBUMS THIS YEAR". hitsdailydouble.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  26. ^ a b Playboi Carti (CD liner). Playboi Carti. Interscope Records.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ "ACE Repertory". ASCAP. Select "TITLE", type "Song" in the search engine, and click "Search". Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  28. ^ "Playboi Carti on iTunes". itunes.com.
  29. ^ "Instagram post by Snare Jordan • Apr 14, 2017 at 4:18pm UTC". Instagram.
  30. ^ "Instagram post by Eric Keith • Apr 14, 2017 at 8:21pm UTC". Instagram.
  31. ^ "Playboi Carti's 'Location' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.
  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Playboi Carti – Carti Playboi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  33. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  34. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  35. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  36. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  37. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  38. ^ "Danish album certifications – Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  39. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 24, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Playboi Carti in the search box.
  40. ^ "British album certifications – Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  41. ^ "American album certifications – Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  42. ^ "Playboi Carti's Debut Mixtape Is Finally Here". www.complex.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  43. ^ "Playboi Carti (Explicit) Vinyl Record". www.merchbar.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
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