Whole Lotta Red is the second studio album by American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released on December 25, 2020, by AWGE and Interscope Records. The album consists of 24 tracks and features guest appearances from American rappers Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Future. West served as the executive producer for the album, contributing to its overall production and appearing on the track "Go2DaMoon". The primary production was handled by F1lthy and Art Dealer, alongside a host of other producers, including Pi'erre Bourne, Maaly Raw, Lil 88, Jasper Harris, Ojivolta, and Wheezy. Recording for Whole Lotta Red began in late 2018 and concluded in November 2020. The album serves as the follow-up to Carti's debut studio album, Die Lit (2018).
Whole Lotta Red received generally positive reviews from music critics upon release, with praise for its experimental production and Carti's distinctive vocal style. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 100,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming Carti's first number-one album. It also achieved commercial success and was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album has since been recognized on several year-end lists, with Rolling Stone ranking it among the "200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time".
Background and release
In August 2018, shortly after the release of Playboi Carti's debut studio album Die Lit, a video surfaced showing Carti discussing his next project, which he referred to as Whole Lotta Red.[4] By November of that year, Carti was already performing unreleased tracks from the album at a concert in Seattle.[5] In March 2019, during an interview with GQ, Carti revealed that Virgil Abloh would serve as the creative director for the album.[6][7] The anticipation for Whole Lotta Red continued to build as Carti featured on Tyler, the Creator's "Earfquake", the lead single from Igor, where fans noticed his distinctive "baby voice" style.[8]
Later in May 2019, a leaked song titled "Pissy Pamper", a collaboration with Young Nudy, went viral on TikTok and even reached number one on Spotify's US Viral 50 chart before being removed. Numerous other leaks from the album surfaced on platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud, leading to speculation that these leaks caused Carti to remake parts of the album.[9] In a June 2019 interview with The Fader, Carti shared that he had begun recording Whole Lotta Red in late 2018, with sessions held at DJ Drama's Means Street Studios in Atlanta and at his own home.[6] On April 14, 2020, Carti teased the single "@ Meh" by tweeting the cover art, and the track was released two days later.[10] This song featured Carti's signature "baby voice," which had become a hallmark of his style.[11] In May, Carti appeared on Drake's track "Pain 1993", from the Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape. The collaboration, continuing his "baby voice" usage, became Carti's first top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven.[12]
Following a social media hiatus, on November 23, 2020, Carti returned to social media, posting blurry photos of himself and announcing that the album had been submitted to his label.[13] That same day, in an interview with GQ, he described the album as "alternative" and "psyched out".[14] In the days leading up to the album's release, Carti teased collaborations with artists such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and Future, and also hinted at potential collaborations with Post Malone and Pharrell Williams.[15][16][17]DJ Akademiks, a prominent media figure, added to the excitement by tweeting that Whole Lotta Red was scheduled to drop on Christmas Day and would be executively produced by Kanye West, even claiming he "nearly sold his soul" to obtain this information.[18]
On December 21, 2020, Carti officially revealed the cover art, release date, and pre-order details for the album's merchandise.[19]Whole Lotta Red was executively produced by Kanye West and became one of the most highly anticipated follow-ups to Die Lit.[20][21][22][23]
Composition
American rapper Kanye West (pictured in 2009) served as executive producer of the album.
Whole Lotta Red showcases a notable evolution in Playboi Carti's sound since the release of his previous album, Die Lit. The project highlights a shift in Carti's vocal approach, where he significantly reduces the use of his signature "baby voice" style. As noted by Hypebeast writer Nicolaus Li, the album presents a "frenetic vocal styling that... defines Whole Lotta Red", illustrating the album's raw, chaotic energy.[1] Latesha Harris of NPR also observed that Carti has traded his earlier baby cadences for a more aggressive, hard-hitting vocal performance. Harris describes Carti's approach as one that continues with his "signature unearthly sound" while opting out of traditional lyricism. Instead, Carti acts as "a conductor of fun", allowing his bars to bounce over the "synthy, fractured beats" crafted by an array of producers. According to Harris, the end result demonstrates Carti's comfort with "toeing the line between riveting and repetitive".[24]
The album features production from several prominent producers within the contemporary trap scene, including Pi'erre Bourne, Art Dealer, Outtatown, Star Boy, F1lthy, Juberlee, Richie Souf, Maaly Raw, and Wheezy, among others. These producers collectively help deliver Whole Lotta Red's distinctive, modern trap sound, characterized by its abrasive, experimental beats and unconventional song structures. The album's innovative production and Carti's unique vocal performance have been key to its polarizing yet impactful reception in the rap and trap music landscape.[1]
Artwork and aesthetic
On December 22, 2020, Playboi Carti unveiled the cover art for Whole Lotta Red on social media. The cover was designed by Jung "Art Dealer" Chung and features a black-and-white image of Carti outlined in white, with the word "Red" displayed in bold red letters at the top.[25] The design is an homage to the cover of the late 1970s punk-rock magazine Slash, which once featured David Vanian of the band the Damned on its cover.[26][14] In addition, the left side of Carti's cover, beside the parental advisory label, reads "Volume One Number One Of Red", referencing a fictional magazine from Carti's Opium imprint.[14][22]
The album's visual aesthetic, as well as the accompanying merchandise designs, have been noted by journalists for their influence from heavy metal imagery, further contributing to the rebellious, punk-inspired vibe of the project. Throughout Whole Lotta Red, Carti adopts the persona of a vampire rock star, complementing the album's dark and gothic themes. Despite shifting his vocal approach at times on the album, Carti still incorporates his signature "baby voice" style across various tracks, reinforcing his distinctive sound and artistic identity.[27]
Promotion
On April 16, 2020, Playboi Carti released the anticipated expected lead single for Whole Lotta Red, titled "@ Meh".[28] The song achieved commercial success, peaking at number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Carti's second top 40 entry as a lead artist on the chart.[29] Alongside the single's release, its music video debuted the same day, co-directed by Carti himself and Nick Walker.[30]
On December 25, 2020, the same day as the album's release, the music video for the track "M3tamorphosis", featuring Kid Cudi, was also released.[14] The video was directed by Nico Ballesteros.[31]
Whole Lotta Red was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[32]
Fred Thomas reviewed the album for AllMusic, lauding the "blown-out instrumentals" and "demonic vocal performances".[34] Paul A. Thompson of Pitchfork described Whole Lotta Red as "both wildly innovative and strikingly consistent", praising the "bright and serrated beats" and Carti's "soutré, expressive" vocals.[3] Danny Schwartz from Rolling Stone enjoyed the album, saying, "Playboi Carti—Gen Z's answer to Nosferatu—performs emotions, toggles between them, and disguises them with a disquieting ease. He has never been more enigmatic".[27] Reviewing the album for PopMatters, Semassa Boko stated, "Whole Lotta Red demonstrates Playboi Carti's commitment to dynamic growth and experimentation. However, it's painfully apparent that Carti needs more features".[39] Colin Dempsey of Spectrum Culture praised the album, stating, "Carti comes into his own by stepping into the coffin of a vampire, scoffing at every critique tossed towards his vaudeville fangs".[40] Vivian Medithi of HipHopDX said, "Semi-automatic dracos are made in Romania and Dracula was too. Whole Lotta Red is the sound of a new legend dying to be born. It'll be album of the year in 2022".[37]
In a mixed review, NME's Kyann-Sian Williams said, "Initially, you might be disappointed to have waited two years for what at first sounds like an underworked collection of throwaways. In places, though, the record rewards repeat listens. [...] But there's no getting away from the fact that at 24 tracks long, there's not a lot of variety on 'Whole Lotta Red', and the biggest take away here is perhaps that perennial rap fan favorite: less is most definitely more".[38] In a negative review, Beats Per Minute's Mimi Kenny stated: "Whole Lotta Red has a vibe the same way a TGI Fridays has an atmosphere; it just rides a wave of different shades of lifeless trap, an endless TikTok dance in purgatory. [...] The problem is Whole Lotta Red hardly ever gives Carti a chance to be real. He puts on vapid personas like 'rock star' and 'vampire' like he's at Halloween Express. Tracks are Seinfeldian in their nothingness."[36] Veteran critic Robert Christgau highlighted "Rockstar Made" and "Punk Monk" while conceding that Playboi Carti "sounds like nobody else", but concluded that he "means as little as any rapper of consequence ever".[35]
Whole Lotta Red debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 100,000 album-equivalent units (including 10,000 pure album sales) in its first week.[50] This became Carti's first US number-one debut and his second top 10 album.[50] The album also accumulated a total of 126.43 million on-demand streams for its tracks, in the week ending December 31, 2020.[50] On January 11, 2022, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streams in excess of 500,000 units in the United States.[51]
