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WHO IS PLAYBOI CARTI?
Jordan Terrell Carter, known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an Atlanta rapper known for his aggressive and often innovative hip-hop music. He began as a relatively underground rapper, emerging at the height of hip-hop’s soundcloud era, characterized by self-produced and self-released music on the app SoundCloud. With several breakout singles early on, his self-titled mixtape led him to massive fame and success. His second studio album, Whole Lotta Red, gained massive commercial success with hit breakout singles like “Sky”, “Control”, and “Stop Breathing". In 2021, through his influential music and groundbreaking albums, excitement began to brew around his upcoming third studio album, rumored to be called I AM MUSIC. However, Carti was hesitant to share details about the album as his social media pages were filled with pictures of his outfits instead of information about new music. When Carti was featured on Travis Scott’s song FE!N, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200, fans began speculating that the rollout for I AM MUSIC had begun.
I AM MUSIC ROLLOUT:
Beginning with Carti’s feature on FE!N, Carti went on to appear on The Weeknd and Madonna’s “Popular.” These features eventually culminated in the release of the first two singles from I AM MUSIC, with “Ur the Moon” on December 8th 2023, quickly followed by “2024”, released on YouTube on December 14th, 2023. However, none of these singles were released on any streaming platform, and this trend continues as Carti opted to unofficially release his music through leaks and short music videos. Carti continued to drop music as on the 19th he dropped “H00DBYAIR”, began 2024 with “BACKR00MS” and released “EVILJ0RDAN” on January 16th. With several rappers such as Ye and Future dropping albums, Carti featured on their new albums on tracks such as “CARNIVAL” on Ye and Ty dolla $ign’s VULTURES 1 and “Type Sh*t” on WE DON’T TRUST YOU. On September 13th, 2024, Carti dropped his first and only official single from this era of his music, “ALL RED.” The constant flow of music every other week sparked hope, optimistic fans speculated that the album was bound to drop in 2024. However, after numerous features and a Billboard Hot 100 charting single with The Weeknd called “Timeless”, the end of 2024 was approaching with no sign of an album.
THE GENIUS OF I AM MUSIC’S MARKETING:
As 2024 came to a close, fans theorized that the album would be released on December 31st. But as fans anxiously waited for the album, nothing came. Carti’s betrayal, lies and manipulation to his own fan base began the online trend #IAMLIAR. Furthermore, many fans began calling to “leave Carti in 2024” and to unfollow him at mass in 2025. Although Carti’s hesitance to release music may seem like it has permanently damaged his reputation, this strategy of edging the album is a stroke of marketing genius. The constant mystery surrounding Carti and his music creates a mythical aura around even the smallest thing he does, building hype and excitement for the eventual album. The enigma and mystery that shrouds Carti ultimately leads people that were not even fans to become excited for the album. Carti has proven to his fans that he is still the secretive and spontaneous person that they know.
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