So "Broke Boi," the song that broke Playboi Carti out (as far as the music side of his persona is concerned), never dropped officially for the longest time, and the low-bitrate version floating around the internets, presumably ripped from his Soundcloud account, had tags on it. That didn't matter, because Carti had already blown up, shutting down shows and fielding calls (more like DMs maybe?) from anyone that mattered in anything. Jordan Carter signed with Father's Awful Records in 2012, and he'd work with Ethereal on somewhat viral numbers like "YUNGXANHOE" and "Lost." Through chance encounters w/ youth influencer #1 Ian Connor, he'd meet ASAP Rocky, and this affiliation w/ the Mob would land him crucial guest spots on Cozy Tape Vol.1. But even before this high-profile co-sign, Carti had "Broke Boi," "Fetti," and other potent earworms (which he'd often showcase snippets of on social media) that made him an internet sensation, and he quickly became a part of the elite new-wave rapper class that included artists like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty. What set Carti apart from other cloud rap names is that he didn't have a full project out. Fast forward to 2017, he releases this self-titled mixtape (on the same day as Kendrick Lamar's DAMN.), and w/ the help of a producer named Pi'erre Bourne (who is popping on his own now), he's taken over the charts w/ bangers like "Magnolia" and "Woke Up Like this." All that to say, Carti was already a star, but Playboi Carti helped him become a bigger, more mainstream star (he guested on a Lana del Rey single). But yeah, the project is super solid. Carti has said that the delay in dropping a mixtape was due to him wanting to find his own sound w/ the right producer, and the bouncy productions, which complement his effortless, simple, ad-lib-heavy, all-drip rapping style, have helped him achieve this goal. In addition to the aforementioned cuts, also check out non-chart-toppers like "Location" (produced by Harry Fraud, samples Allan Holdsworth's "Endomorph"), "New Choppa," and "Dothatshit!," and "Lookin."

• black vinyl pressing
• music label: Interscope 2017

reviewed by rei kwondo 12/2017

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