Playboi Carti [Mixtape]
by Playboi Carti
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 107 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 107
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 107
  3. Negative: 10 out of 107
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  1. clem666
    Apr 23, 2021
    2
    If this mixtape benefits from what I can barely call a decent start as Playboi Carti shows his best flow on the best produced tracks, the rest is all about repeating the same formula over and over to eventually reach a point of total disgust.

    The production may actually shine here and there from time to time but nothing can erase Carti's terrible tone, dumb lyrics and awful lyrics    If this mixtape benefits from what I can barely call a decent start as Playboi Carti shows his best flow on the best produced tracks, the rest is all about repeating the same formula over and over to eventually reach a point of total disgust.

    The production may actually shine here and there from time to time but nothing can erase Carti's terrible tone, dumb lyrics and awful lyrics delivery. If repetitiveness constitues the main flaw of the 'Playboi Carti' mixtape, there still are numerous others. The overall product sounds truly as emotionless as effortless. I feels like some tracks were produced just to demonstrate Carti's team ability to craft the most boring, uninspired, unergetic and generic songs. At least it is still better than those tracks made to make your ears instantly bleed like 'New Choppa', 'Half & Half' or 'Kelly K'. Conclusion: vulgarly talentless. Seeing such high scores (from users and the press) really makes me lose faith in a considerable part of humanity.

    I absolutely had to try it, but now I feel terribly ashamed to have listened to it.    … Expand
  2. Anke51
    Jan 5, 2021
    0
    Nothing special, just a generic, uninspired project that does not belong on the music market.
  3. TrapBenintendi
    Sep 30, 2017
    8
    This was a great debut for Carti to deliver as all eyes were on him. Having not released any major projects prior and thriving off the momentum of tracks like "Broke Boi" I was not sure if Carti could provide the same momentum as he has before, but with the success of Magnolia and Wokeuplikethis*, he was able to reinvigorate his momentum extremely. This debut effort proves that Carti isThis was a great debut for Carti to deliver as all eyes were on him. Having not released any major projects prior and thriving off the momentum of tracks like "Broke Boi" I was not sure if Carti could provide the same momentum as he has before, but with the success of Magnolia and Wokeuplikethis*, he was able to reinvigorate his momentum extremely. This debut effort proves that Carti is only elevating towards new heights as we can from the opening track "Location" and "Flex". I'm really excited to witness his progression as an artist, can't wait for his next project.… Expand
  4. freshie
    Jan 11, 2018
    9
    Mindless at times; the project holds great strength in catchy hooks, ad libs and a highly commendable effort on production
  5. MR_headphones
    Jul 20, 2017
    1
    playboy carti - playboy carti
    mini review
    playboy carti has no talent he has terrible lyrics he has crap flows he's unenergetic to the point of not even forming words and just saying the first syllable then slurring the rest into a one syllable noise at the end of almost every line right before saying what yeah or i thought soulja boy had no talent but at least he sometimes tries and    playboy carti - playboy carti
    mini review

    playboy carti has no talent he has terrible lyrics he has crap flows he's unenergetic to the point of not even forming words and just saying the first syllable then slurring the rest into a one syllable noise at the end of almost every line right before saying what yeah or i thought soulja boy had no talent but at least he sometimes tries and even though he has no content and doesn't even try i still find playboy carti worse than him i hate this album so much i'm only going to say mostly positive things because all of the content is horrendous. anyways let's start

    location: 0/10 nothing salvageable
    magnolia: 4/10 good beat
    lookin: 2/10 you are actually not saying words
    woke up like this: 1/10 i really like this beat
    let it go: 4/10 catchy with a nice beat
    half and half: 3/10 catchy with an interesting beat
    new choppa: 8/10 rocky
    other sh!t: 0/10 nothing salvageable
    NO. 9: 0/10 nothing salvageable
    do that sh!t: 3/10 nice flow in the opening lines
    lame n****z: 1/10 ok flow
    yah mean: 1/10 you have no flow to have taken from you
    flex: 2/10 1:01 thats disgusting you know that they suck your blood right
    kelly k: 0/10 nothing salvageable
    had 2: 0/10 nothing salvageable

    i never thought there could be a worse album than revenge but i might have found one i can't use words to describe how much i hate this album.

    best: new choppa
    worst: NO.9, location, kelly k, otha sh!t, had 2, yah mean, woke up like this, lame n's, lookin, do that sh!t, half and half,

    19/100

    strong 1    … Expand
  6. barrk
    May 12, 2017
    0
    Contrary to what KTT Trump supporters would have you believe, Playboi Carti is not a musical genius. This mixtape is basically a microcosm of Carti's entire library--mumbled chants sprinkled with ad-libs. Do not be mistaken, unlike Uzi, who makes up with his repetitiveness and lyrical lacking with melody, or Future, who can actually craft a song; Carti is unable to make real melody orContrary to what KTT Trump supporters would have you believe, Playboi Carti is not a musical genius. This mixtape is basically a microcosm of Carti's entire library--mumbled chants sprinkled with ad-libs. Do not be mistaken, unlike Uzi, who makes up with his repetitiveness and lyrical lacking with melody, or Future, who can actually craft a song; Carti is unable to make real melody or express himself in any meaningful way.

    Carti takes the repetitiveness that the new wave has been criticized for and turns it up to 10. You can honestly listen to one or two hooks from any of his songs and you've heard his entire discography. His songs are basically 80% filler hooks of him chanting one or two words ("pump fake, pump fake") followed by 'verses' that are more ad-lib than rapping. He has zero personality or interesting things to say (unlike contemporaries like Young Thug, Future, Uzi) , which I guess is fine because he's trying to appeal to an audience of people who find personality and lyrics about anything other than prescription drug addictions 'corny'.    … Expand
  7. jfsmoncrief
    May 19, 2017
    10
    Nice debut for Carti. Excellent sound and production from Pierre Bourne and friends. This album is a easy listen and can be played entirely without skipping. Carti may not say much on the album, but his style and charisma bleeds on the album. This probably the coolest album of the year. Standout track is obviously Magnolia which is gaining steam on the charts. My personal favorite tracks:Nice debut for Carti. Excellent sound and production from Pierre Bourne and friends. This album is a easy listen and can be played entirely without skipping. Carti may not say much on the album, but his style and charisma bleeds on the album. This probably the coolest album of the year. Standout track is obviously Magnolia which is gaining steam on the charts. My personal favorite tracks: Let It Go, Had 2, NO.9, Half & Half. Least Favorite: Lookin. I will be interested to see how his next project will and sound and how his career play out, but this nice debut album from him.

    Check out In Abundance by Playboi Carti on Spinrilla if you want to listen to more from him.    … Expand
  8. Thegodfatherson
    May 15, 2017
    7
    While there isn't much here, contrary to all the hype this rapper has received lately after his signing to the A$AP Mob. Playboi Carti is developing a very interesting and catchy sound with this mixtape. The features with Lil Uzi Vert, Leven Kali and A$AP Rocky add a layer of much-needed effect to the rapper's much-loved style of rapping. This is a solid project that is produced well, andWhile there isn't much here, contrary to all the hype this rapper has received lately after his signing to the A$AP Mob. Playboi Carti is developing a very interesting and catchy sound with this mixtape. The features with Lil Uzi Vert, Leven Kali and A$AP Rocky add a layer of much-needed effect to the rapper's much-loved style of rapping. This is a solid project that is produced well, and is pleasing to listen to sometimes. "Magnolia" is probably the best track on the project, with its smart and well-deserved homage to the Magnolia Housing Projects over a catchy beat.… Expand
  9. Wooks
    Apr 27, 2017
    9
    Great debut by carti. This isn't hip hop so it's not meant to be lyrical, this album has great feels, Carti oozes confidence and style. Magnolia is easily the standout track but tracks like wokeuplikethis* and **** make you feel like a million bucks.
  10. hiphopguru8
    May 9, 2017
    8
    Enjoy the album for the vibes. The beats are spacey and different. Carti isn't the most original lyrically but his beats are definitely worth it. And the ASAP Rocky feature on New Choppa is amazing
  11. khaledyt
    May 14, 2017
    8
    Great debut by Playboi Carti with nice and smooth sounding tracks like "Magnolia" and **** with hard hitting tracks like "New Choppa". The tracks are filled with his "What" and "Glockie" ad-libs. The features are some of the best I've heard, with "Lil Uzi Vert" coming in on "WokeUpLikeThis" and "Lookin", "Asap Rocky" coming in on "New Choppa", and "Leven Kali" on "Flex" where he brings inGreat debut by Playboi Carti with nice and smooth sounding tracks like "Magnolia" and **** with hard hitting tracks like "New Choppa". The tracks are filled with his "What" and "Glockie" ad-libs. The features are some of the best I've heard, with "Lil Uzi Vert" coming in on "WokeUpLikeThis" and "Lookin", "Asap Rocky" coming in on "New Choppa", and "Leven Kali" on "Flex" where he brings in a nice singing interlude halfway through. The tape is filled with production from Pi'erre Bourne", who brings a spacey feel to all the tracks he produced. Not everything on this album is good though. Some of the tracks just end abruptly, like "Let it Go" and "Kelly K", which are both some of the worst tracks. Some tracks start abruptly like "Other **** and "NO.9", and sometimes the hook blends into the verse because he doesn't switch his flow up. Tracks like "Yah Mean" get lost into the much better tracks a lot and are skipped frequently. But there all still bangers like, NO.9, Magnolia, WokeUpLikeThis, Lookin, Lame **** DoThat****, Half & Half, Flex and New Choppa, where Rocky comes in with a fast flow dominating the track with Carti's "What" ad-libs in the background. Kelly K has a repeated "White Hoe, Black Hoe" hook where gets annoying after a while, but stays catchy. The track "Had 2" is a short, extremely repetitive outro track with a 30 second verse, and a one minute 30 second hook. "Other **** is also repetitive but at least he has two verses this time. The intro track, "Location", has a nice glitzy sample, with Carti bragging about tats on his neck and his arm, and "Getting top in a drop".
    Overall, the tape gets an 8/10, with a lot of bangers and smooth beats, this shows Carti's place in the rap game.
    Favorite Tracks:
    Magnolia
    Wokeuplikethis
    Half & Half
    New Choppa
    NO.9
    Lame ****

    Worst Tracks:
    Let It Go
    Yah Mean
    Had 2
    Kelly K    … Expand
  12. nereed678
    May 23, 2019
    7
    Playboi Carti breaks down hip hop to it's bare essentials, and creates an album that is simultaneously stupid and one of the smartest things to come out of hip hip in the soundcloud age
  13. switch_cat_mac
    Mar 12, 2018
    8
    Super solid hip hop project, and might represent the high water mark for 'mumble rap'/soundcloud rap/whatever you want to call this new wave. Now before you get all tight, I mean the high water mark in terms of a complete project--other artists certainly have bigger songs and more influence, but I can't think of another new wave rap tape that's this solid front-to-back (DS2 doesn'tSuper solid hip hop project, and might represent the high water mark for 'mumble rap'/soundcloud rap/whatever you want to call this new wave. Now before you get all tight, I mean the high water mark in terms of a complete project--other artists certainly have bigger songs and more influence, but I can't think of another new wave rap tape that's this solid front-to-back (DS2 doesn't count... maybe Barter 6).

    On this tape, Carti has weaponized the adlib. This may be final-form adlib, I really can't imagine anyone doing it better. He also does off-beat rapping better than anyone else currently, in my opinion--for most other rappers, that technique makes a song feel anxious and claustrophobic, but for Carti, it somehow loosens up the whole vibe of the tape.

    The production is of course a stand out. This is producer Pi'erre Bourne's coming out project, and him and Carti have the best chemistry together of any producer/rapper duo of 2017 (up there with Jay/no ID, 21 Savage/Metro Boomin). Pi'erre really is pushing beatmaking forward with his bop and sonic palette--suddenly we are hearing a lot more of those muddy, punchy, plunky kicks he likes so much, and much less of the stuttering hi hats he so shrewdly shuns.

    It's not that Carti can't rap... when he shares a track with A$AP Rocky, he speaks in complete sentences, is on beat, audible, and delivers his punchlines cleanly. So he's clearly capable of rapping, he just chooses not to--and for that I'm thankful, as the track with Rocky is probably my least favorite on the tape, no offense to Rocky (but I'm glad that that track turned out the way it did, because Carti can 'real rap' better than Rocky can 'mumble rap'--see A$AP Mob song RAF for reference). As for the broader lyrical content, I won't address it, because I don't think that's how this music is meant to be enjoyed.

    This is one of the best mixtapes of 2017, and a good entry point for people interested in the new wave. I hope Carti can keep up the momentum and find ways to keep evolving his style. Looking forward to what happens next.    … Expand
  14. WayneKest
    Mar 7, 2020
    10
    This very well may be the greatest debut album of all time. The production is masterful, Pierre Bourne is an absolute genius, and Cash Carti's lyrics are beautiful. The complaint that you "can't understand him" or that "he's just mumbling" is not valid. If you don't understand Carti, then you clearly just aren't intelligent enough to understand Carter's genius. Opening up with a trackThis very well may be the greatest debut album of all time. The production is masterful, Pierre Bourne is an absolute genius, and Cash Carti's lyrics are beautiful. The complaint that you "can't understand him" or that "he's just mumbling" is not valid. If you don't understand Carti, then you clearly just aren't intelligent enough to understand Carter's genius. Opening up with a track as strong as "Location" shakes the musical world like nothing anyone has ever seen before. Having features that include other musical geniuses such as A$AP Rocky and Lil Uzi Vert is just the cherry on top of the sundae. Bottom line, this album should be required to be played in schools in order to educate everyone on the importance of Jordan Carter.

    Top Tracks:
    Location
    Magnolia
    Lookin
    wokeuplikethis*
    Let It Go
    Half & Half
    New Choppa
    Other ****
    NO. 9
    dothat****!
    Lame ****
    Yah Mean
    Flex
    Kelly K
    Had 2    … Expand
  15. master_sebo
    May 28, 2020
    7
    Playboi Carti's self-titles provides a wide pack of well sounding songs that can be fully enjoyed even if used as background music, defining a brand new style of rap music. Wokuplikethis, Half & Half, Magnolia and Dothatsh*t! are only few of the light tracks that lay out a chilling atmosphere, with good rhythm and beat
  16. boondocks
    Jan 7, 2021
    7
    Nice vibey debut by Carti. It's not meant to be lyrical and is definitely an acquired taste. There are a few misses in the tracklist but songs like "Location", "Magnolia", "wokeuplikethis*", and "dothatsh*t*" make this a mostly good debut by Playboi Carti.
  17. Creedinho
    Sep 19, 2021
    10
    Carti goat carti goat carti goat carti goat carti goat carti goat carti goat carti goat carti goat playboi carti is the goat
  18. Hendo250
    Apr 6, 2021
    7
    this album is a 7 this album is a 7 this album is a 7 this album is a 7 this album is a 7
  19. WarudoDZ
    May 18, 2022
    0
    **** album for guys who lean all time, nice for mattew 13 years old and skinheads
  20. ianlindodemais
    Nov 11, 2022
    9
    direto coloco essa mixtape pra ouvir, traz uma energia sensacional, considero o melhor do carti
  21. captainfall
    Apr 29, 2023
    8
    Carti is able to make an entire vibe with this album as he is with any of his music.
    Pierre bourne should have as much credit as carti has because he also makes this album come to life with the way he produces almost every song on the album.
    Cartis repetitive adlibs and lyrics may be a bit jarring at first but they grow on you the more you listen to them for how catchy they are. Best    Carti is able to make an entire vibe with this album as he is with any of his music.
    Pierre bourne should have as much credit as carti has because he also makes this album come to life with the way he produces almost every song on the album.
    Cartis repetitive adlibs and lyrics may be a bit jarring at first but they grow on you the more you listen to them for how catchy they are. Best songs
    Yah mean
    Wokeuplikethis
    Lookin
    Had 2
    And the holiest song ever created: location    … Expand
  22. 4rr4nW3th3rh111
    Aug 19, 2023
    7
    This album has not aged too well, especially with Cartis more recent style after "Die lit". Despite this there's no denying the impact this album had upon release that can be seen on basically any rap album released in the last 5 years or so. Tracks like "Location" and "New Choppa" use complete polar opposite beats on the same project yet somehow still work together. Best song on theThis album has not aged too well, especially with Cartis more recent style after "Die lit". Despite this there's no denying the impact this album had upon release that can be seen on basically any rap album released in the last 5 years or so. Tracks like "Location" and "New Choppa" use complete polar opposite beats on the same project yet somehow still work together. Best song on the album "Location".… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. The New York Times
    Jul 20, 2017
    70
    Playboi Carti’s self-titled major-label debut album, which was released in April, is erratic, sometimes transfixingly so.
    Read full review
  2. XXL
    Apr 26, 2017
    80
    Carti’s efforts on this debut project are definitely well-absorbed and not taken for granted. While the majority of the mixtape isn’t anything radically different from the music he’s been making for the past three years, it’s a sign of consistency in sound.
    Read full review
  3. HipHopDX
    Apr 26, 2017
    58
    There’s not much range here, just an excess of swag, but it’s worth a listen solely for the moments where Carti seems to accidentally stumble upon a wild flow (“Dothatshit!”), or an irresistible infection (“Half & Half”)
    Read full review
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