After a nearly four-year hiatus from releasing music, Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti released a new single as a teaser for his potentially upcoming album, “I AM MUSIC.” Titled “ALL RED,” it showcases a recently introduced sound from Carti: his actual voice.
The first instance of Carti not using his iconic baby voice was in February on the smash hit Kanye song “CARNIVAL.” Fans at the time, myself included, were intrigued by the unique and new style, and were left hoping to see both new music from Carti and more use of his deeper, more grounded voice.
Aside from Carti’s vocals, the production quality varies minimally from other recent works from both Carti and other artists on his label.
Considering Carti’s last release, “Whole Lotta Red,” completely revolutionized the production style of Carti’s label Opium, which is also used as a moniker for his current sound, many fans were left expecting a major creative jump, especially considering the wait time for “I AM MUSIC” has been nearly double “Whole Lotta Red’s.”
The single’s sound is very reminiscent of Carti’s Opium’s major artist, Ken Carson, who recently has made major waves among music fans. As such, this is a boring release from Carti as “ALL RED” doesn’t feel new or refreshing. This is only a major issue because of the absurdly long wait times Carti has left his fans with. There is an expectation for high-quality, revolutionary music when left with such a long wait time.
Unfortunately, “ALL RED” completely fails to deliver on any new ideas or production. While the current Opium style is very enjoyable, Carti has an obligation to his fans, as any artist who takes unnecessarily long to create new music, to continue to innovate.
3/5 stars
dwolf1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @nachitheboy, X
