Retrospect: Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti | 2020

Revisiting Playboi Carti’s seminal third album

On Christmas Day 2020, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Playboi Carti’s long-awaited 2nd studio album Whole Lotta Red finally dropped for all to hear. Since its announcement in 2018, just a few months after the release of Die Lit, Whole Lotta Red turned the A$AP Rocky consignee into a worldwide enigma. Noted for many leaks and an arduous rollout strategy, WLR established Carti’s now cultlike following, as well as the rap subgenre “Rage”. As we passed the album’s 5th anniversary, let’s take a look back on this essential part of Playboi Carti’s discography.

Background

With 2018’s Die Lit, Playboi Carti would see a drastic change, as his fanbase and reach grew. He was transforming from a SoundCloud/blog darling to a household name in mainstream rap. His performances between 2018–19 at events such as Rolling Loud and Camp Flog Gnaw drew him to more listeners, all eager to hear what he had to offer.

His focus on simple lyrics and a sonic world executive produced by Pi’erre Bourne, a name synonymous with Carti’s music, captivated listeners such as myself. From the hypnotic beats of “Lean 4 Real” to the moody euphoria on “Long Time”, fans would become enamored by this cloud rap meets trap sound that Carti envisioned.

Now with a new set of ears tuned in on him, Carti wasted no time in setting up the hype for his follow-up album Whole Lotta Red. Initially, the lead-up to WLR started as your typical run of cryptic teasers and snippets. [Notably this clip featuring Carti and Skepta](http://Eso me pregunto! Borraron muchos de sus videos de ph, solo hay 2 videos con Mark y los demás son solo play y con otros hombres... Me sentí tan tan triste y decepcionada porque me encantaban sus videos de antes pero encontré todos en xvid gracias a dios), which coined the term “My stummy hurt”, for an unreleased song titled “Cancun”.

The WLR hype train would reach biblical levels however, once a number of songs got leaked . “New N3on” for example, made its way online without Carti’s acknowledgement. It sparked a reaction from him when he previewed the song live in 2019, with many audience members reciting the lyrics and him asking the crowd: “How the fuck do ya’ll know that song?”. Throughout the year, more and more tracks would leak, some of which made it onto the final cut and others being forgotten. With so much material making its way ahead of release, production on the album kept getting pushed back. However, the leak of a pivotal song would not only generate even more excitement, but made the need for Whole Lotta Red imminent.

“Pissy Pamper” AKA “Kid Cudi”

The Young Nudy track “Pissy Pamper” featuring Carti, as a track on Nudy’s Sli’merre mixtape, found its way online and became a worldwide sensation overnight. The unofficial leak was uploaded to Spotify on April 18th, 2019, and it climbed up to the #1 spot on Spotify’s United States Viral 50 chart. The song’s catchy hook and overall vibe was well received by fans, old and new alike.

Measures were taken to get the song taken down asap. Yet when one version was gone, another would show up. Often times with pitched down vocals, or a fan-made remix sloppily taking verses from other songs and melding them into “Pissy Pamper”. Due to sample clearances, the song never made it on Sli’merre. However, in December 2020, speculations on “Pissy Pamper’s” inclusion on Whole Lotta Red would stir up when Carti shared the following video of himself with rapper Kid Cudi, teasing the idea of a remix featuring the latter.

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Despite this, “Pissy Pamper” would never see the light of day. Yet because of this one track, it made the hype for Whole Lotta Red even bigger than it was.

The Release

Following 2019, Carti would remain tight lipped on WLR’s progress. While he would drop the stand alone single “@MEH” and would feature on Drake’s *Dark Lanes Demo Tapes* both in April 2020, nothing was being said on the upcoming album.

That would change in November of that year, Carti took to social media to announce that he turned in WLR to his record label, and would go on Instagram Live to share a snippet of “New Tank”. After another couple weeks of nothing, Carti would tweet out the release date. Whole Lotta Red would drop on Christmas Day, a gift to those who patiently waited for 2 and half years.

At midnight while Santa Claus was making his rounds around the world, Whole Lotta Red made it’s way to streaming services. As fans hit play to experience the whopping 24 tracks, initial reactions were all over the place. Twitter/X became a battlefield, as listeners were either all aboard the WLR train or were incredibly disappointed in what the album offered, with a majority of fans negatively reacting to it.

The Production and Initial Response

When I first listened to WLR, I too was quite confused. Carti’s introduction of a raspier voice didn’t sit well with me, and the album’s production was so abrasive and messy that I got turned off by a number of songs. I think at the time of release, I only really liked “Stop Breathing” and “New N3on” if I can recall. It was a huge step away from what I heard on Die Lit, and had none of the qualities that made that album so good in my eyes.

A huge detriment to Whole Lotta Red was the shift away from the cloud rap of Carti’s past works, to this off-kilter and psyched-out style of production. Save for a few tracks, it was clear that Carti was no longer relying on longtime collaborator Pi’erre Bourne. Instead enlisting the likes of F1LTHY, Star Boy and Art Dealer amongst others. These 3 in particular, took Carti to punk-rock levels with his music, using blown-out basslines and obscure samples to craft a sound that was darker than Die Lit. On paper it sounded like a good idea, especially considering Carti began adopting a gothic persona for WLR, however in practice it came off as a huge misstep.

It was so bad that not only did WLR’s reception become a trending topic on Twitter/X, but fans would flood Carti’s IG live on the album’s release with hate and disappointment. As he was vibing along to the album, negative comments were piling up and increasing as the stream continued.

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Around the 2:34 mark, you can see Carti beginning to look upset, just as a comment reading “THIS ALBUM IS FUCKING SHIT” shows up in the chat, Carti would end the stream immediately.

Suffice to say that fans were not pleased with Whole Lotta Red. Especially after the chaos that 2020 brought down on everybody, the last thing hardcore fans of Playboi Carti would want is a bad album from the rapper, especially on Christmas Day. However, public reception of the album would change going into 2021. With people going back to WLR, fans would begin warming up to the album.

The Whole Lotta Red Effect

Over time, it seemed like fans were slowly coming around to Whole Lotta Red. Like most albums, re-listening to them will obviously change your perception on them from the initial first reaction. I too am guilty of that, as I found myself revisiting the album more and more. Songs like “Teen X” and “King Vamp” were getting more replays from me.

The same can be said for other listeners. Those who were confused with WLR were beginning to understand the album, and would appreciate it’s chaotic energy. the majority of opinions would change positively though around August 2021, when Playboi Carti performed at Lollapalooza.

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Witnessed by a crowd of thousands of people, and possibly even more who were tuning in virtually, Carti performed a handful of cuts from WLR and showcased the album’s high energy in real-time. It was here that Carti’s new body of work finally received the love it was yearning for. Scan through the comment section of the above video and you’ll see many people reiterating the same sentiment, how this performance cemented WLR for them or that this is where the album finally clicked for them.

Following this, Carti would embark on the short-lived Antagonist tour. He would elevate his live performances of WLR’s tracks with live instrumentation, specifically enlisting electric guitarist Mark “Oji” Williams. His raging riffs added a heavy metal element to Carti’s live shows, increasing the intensity of the album’s notable bangers.

So after a messy first impression, over time Whole Lotta Red began to resonate with listeners. Soon after it all began to make sense, and thrust Carti into the mainstream limelight. Now 5 years later, the album is fondly looked back at for pushing the rapper into a new soundscape, and introducing a subgenre that would bring in newer artists looking to expand on the sound Carti brought to the forefront.

WLR’s Legacy

It’s widely acknowledged that Playboi Carti pioneered the “Rage” subgenre of rap music with WLR. While it’s history dates back before the album, namely rappers such as XXXTentacion were known for utilizing blown-out bass and heavy 808s with his earlier songs. It was Carti who took the sound to the next level, and considering he started gaining more popularity between Die Lit and WLR, it was clear that more listeners would gain exposure to the subgenre.

Following this, a slew of rappers would emerge in the early 2020s that would embrace the rage genre. Particularly artists such as Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Yeat. It was also no surprise that with the launch of Carti’s label Opium, Carson and Lone would sign with the label as artisically it does make sense.

However, despite the numerous releases from both underground and mainstream rappers, none can come close to what Carti and co. did on Whole Lotta Red. It’s sound is something that can’t be duplicated or remade, no matter how many rage rappers try to emulate it.

Whole Lotta Red, as one of the decade’s first big rap albums, left a mark that no other album in the genre has done even 5 years later. I find myself constantly coming back to WLR every winter, and taking in the sheer ferocity and zaniness that it offers. It’s redemption story is one to be remembered, and helped solidify Playboi Carti as one of this decade’s top artists in my books.