The recent success of Playboi Carti has left the world under his influence, inspiring fans to reinvent their personal styles. His shows are known for outrageous mosh pits, sometimes causing serious injuries, yet fans continue to adore him. At his 2024 concert at NRG stadium in Houston, Texas, officials cancelled his second show due to safety concerns caused by the previous night’s “aggressive” energy and volatile crowd. This decision by officials shows just how wild Carti’s performances can become.
Carti’s influence has even permeated the Ransom Everglades campus, with many students talking about his music before school, between classes, and at the lunch table.
The Atlanta rapper began making music at 16, releasing singles “just for fun.” By 2017, at 22, he started to take making music more seriously and dropped his debut studio album. His fame has only grown since. Early projects like “Die Lit” and “Red” were major successes, but nothing compared to his most recent album, “I AM MUSIC.” Released five years after his previous project, the album features his trademark aggressive sound and experimental vocal inflections. It went platinum, receiving 139.3 million first-day streams on Spotify. Carti is also known for his collaborations with his best friend and fellow rapper, Lil Uzi Vert. Some of Carti’s most popular songs—like “Shoota”—feature Uzi’s contributions.
Millions love Playboi Carti because of how original he is as an artist, musically and stylistically. But that individuality also sparks controversy. His upside-down cross chain, which some interpret as Satanic symbolism, has pushed certain fans away.
“I think [the chain] is definitely a part of why people like him, but he looks like he does a lot of Satan stuff, and he does a lot of things that can be taken as Satanic, so I don’t really mess with that,” Kellyn Capo ’28 said.
Playboi Carti’s rapping style is defined by his memorable ad-libs and varied inflections. His originality helped him create his own record label, OPIUM, which promotes artists with a similar dark, rage-rap aesthetic.
“He has the best ad-libs in the game. They’re so memorable,” said Spencer Stokes ’28. “Everybody knows him.”
While millions are drawn to this sound, however, some listeners struggle with the fast pace of the lyrics or the boosted beat of his songs, which can make them difficult to understand. Critics have argued that his lyrics are indiscernible and that he “mumbles” in his songs.
“Yeah, it’s so annoying. You can’t even tap into the music because you can’t understand anything… I’m kind of rotating out of his music,” Capo said.
Carti responded to these criticisms in his song “R.I.P.,” saying, “This mumbling bought my mama a house.”
Listening to Playboi Carti can be an unpredictable experience. It may feel energetic, confusing, or even unenjoyable, depending on the listener. Songs like “wokeuplikethis” feel like upbeat parties, giving listeners a burst of energy. Many athletes choose his music to hype themselves up before games.
Beyond music, Carti is widely seen as a fashion icon. His recent collaboration with Supreme boosted his influence even further. Izzy Diamond ’28 commented, “Yes, it’s definitely part of the appeal. I mean, people barely even know if he exists or not, and that kind of adds to the music. I like that background.”
Also, a few months back, Carti posted multiple photos to his Instagram with him in a durag, and backwards jerseys, which set fashion and TikTok trends that went extremely viral. With these looks, he inspired many Halloween outfits for Trick-Or-Treaters this October. Along with that came the trend of overly baggy jeans; he has made them a global staple, and even in his public appearances, he is almost always wearing a pair.
Of course, the same traits that fuel his hype also fuel criticism. Diamond added that older fans miss the 2016-2018 era of Carti, when he “was dropping banger after banger” and collaborating widely. Many fans hope he returns to that earlier sound.
