Playboi Carti Speaks on His Upcoming Album, New Record Label and Relationship With Lil Uzi Vert
Keeping fans excited for his ‘Whole Lotta Red’ followup.
Playboi Carti opened up about his upcoming fourth studio album, Opium record label and friendship with Lil Uzi Vert for the Spring 2022 issue of XXL Magazine.
The Fairburn, Georgia-raised rapper revealed that his Whole Lotta Red followup was almost named Music because of his mindset. “Music because that’s all it is at this point,” he said, also explaining the difference between his last three albums and the new record. “Yeah, then it’s that. Like I said, it’s music. That’s what it’s for so everybody can just… I got a lot of people that I got to take care of so I’m here, forever. So, the music that I’m making is forever. I’ve been listening to Mayhem, The Weeknd, a lot of old Atlanta shit, ratchet shit. Do you think sometimes I need to dumb it down? Do people think I’m too ahead? Because sometimes I feel like dumbing it down makes more money.”
Carti further touched on being more honest about his mental state in his new album, “Love. Sex. Drugs. Changes in my life.” He added, “I’ve been rapping about going to rehab. I want to go to rehab because I think I’m bipolar. I want everybody to feel free. I want this album to make everyone feel free. I hope this album brings peace to the world, honestly. I’m in love with what I’m doing. Like I told you, you can’t put a genre alternative [on me]. My little brother told me that all the time.”
He also reaffirmed that he has nothing but love for Lil Uzi Vert, despite the notion that the two were not on good terms at the time Carti dropped “@ Meh” and Uzi seemingly responded by tweeting “Just Meh.” “I love Uzi. I forgot to mention him. I love Uzi to death,” he said, adding that their joint project 16*29 may eventually see the light of day as Uzi is “working on mad music” at the moment. “I don’t know if he’s serious about a lot of things. But I hope one day we can change the world with that, for sure.”
With his experience in the industry, Carti finally launched his own record label, Opium, which currently has a roster of four artists and several producers. “My artists that I have are Ken Car$on, Destroy Lonely and Homicide Beno! And Homixide Meechie. I have a gang of producers. I came in first just signing a gang of producers,” he revealed. “Ken and Lonely, they are two kids who grew up where I’m from. And they are family. As they got older, they started rapping.”
“I met Homicide about three years ago,” he continued. “And when I first got with them, my cousins, they good friends with them—boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I had Beno! with me every day and one day he just sent me a song and I was just like, “Wow!” They’re superstars. I love them. They have my full focus. That’s it.”
Fans can expect Carti to drop a new track entitled “Wicked,” which is expected to appear on his new album. “I have a lot to say, I’m ready to speak my mind and just let it all go,” he said of the song. “It’s me.”
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