Playboi Carti fans are still waiting for him to release his debut mixtape Cash Carti. It's hard to believe that the young Atlanta rapper hasn't released a single project. He's signed to A$AP Rocky, Awful Records, and he's already made music with Frank Ocean and Skepta.
Tall, angular, with a signature rectangular birthmark on his left cheekbone, Playboi Carti has become one of the most recognizable faces (and voices) among the "internet rapper" set. Given the damage he's wreaked on SoundCloud without having released a tape, imagine what he'll do once Cash Carti drops.
Click through the gallery to hear 10 of his best tracks.
"Broke Boi"
Thanks to Playboi Carti, "Keep a small circle, I can't fuck with squares" has become the mantra for millions. "Broke Boi" is an attack on broke bois -- to reject this song is to be a broke boi yourself.
0:40 mark in the music video: evidence that Ian Connor has been steady perv'n.
"YUNGXANHOE"
The most notable aspect of "YUNGXANHOE" is that it samples the sound one hears one they turn on a Playstation 2. In this context, it might signify the popping of the Xan. The track offers a radical and beautiful appropriation of a sample that so many of us took for granted. We've heard that sound thousands, millions of times. But never like this.
"Sauce"
Was Playboi Carti an avid gamer in his youth? "Sauce" begins with a sample from the timeless classic "Crazy Taxi." Like many of Carti's songs, "Sauce" does not include a chorus. However, his laconic yet rhythmic style lends to a distinct impression that the entire song is, in fact, one long chorus.
"Outchea"
Playboi Carti first carved a name out for himself as a rapper of the internet -- a land where there are no rules. By his standards, "Outchea" is a more conventional rap song, as he employs a relatively serious flow and, most importantly, a bangin' flute sample.
"Beef" feat. Ethereal
In "Beef," Carti assumes the air of a mafia don -- a man with soldiers who will carry out hits and serve prison time at his behest. His words jive strangely with the beat, a janky ICYTWAT-esque romp. Whoever produced this is a chord-trigger cavalier, a DJ Rashad for the young people of the internet.
Father - "Fake AF (Remix)" feat. Playboi Carti
Carti has positioned himself nicely between the fashion-forward A$AP Mob and the wacky, nihilistic Awful Records.
Both are skilled marketers with plenty of cache in their respective arenas. "Fake AF" was originally released as the leadoff track on Father's 2014 album Young Hot Ebony.
"Fade Away"
"Fade Away" is actually just Carti's verse on Reese's "Party Song". Carti is at his peak here. He is really feeling himself, and he is really feeling this beat, provided by Ear Drummerz affiliate Ducko McFli. It's type of beat that the Oompa Loompas probably bump at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory to stay motivated during the graveyard shift.
"3 Chains" feat. Rich the Kid
Carti activates the autotune on "3 Chains." This beat makes no sense harmonically, but our boy Carti makes it work.
Carti and Rich the Kid have collaborated on numerous occasions -- to gain a better sense of their chemistry, check out "Plug," "Spike Lee," & "No Pressure."
"Heavy"
At first glance, "Heavy" is pure flex music. "If a opp pull me over, I'ma rob him up," Carti raps. "Or duct tape his mouth, shut that nigga up." But as the song continues, it is clear that Carti's supreme confidence has been induced (or amplified) by a Xanax- and lean-induced stupor.
"Fetti" (w/ Maxo Kream & Da$H)
(Not to be confused with Young Thug's "Fetti" ft. Fetty Wap, Lil Uzi Vert, & Juggman or Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, & Alchemist's "Fetti.")
Carti's "Fetti" is arguably the best of the three "Fetti"s. His turnt up chest-beating refracts through the beat, produced by Chris Fresh of 808 Mafia, in a manner almost poignant.
"I just left Houston, I just left Earth."