Playboi Carti is an odd guy. He's gone through several aesthetic changes, and he has changed his voice more times than most rappers physically could. The oddities are part of the appeal, though. Carti has not lost sight of this, as evidenced by the surprise music video for his new single, "FOMDJ." The rapper has fully emerged from the shadows and secrecy that defined the last few years, and it seems like he's on a celebratory streak. "FOMDJ" is cool in a distinctly Playboi Carti manner, which makes it one of the most entertaining videos he's dropped in a long time.
Playboi Carti spends a good chunk of the video riding around in an SUV. He dangles out of the side, like so many other rappers (Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino) who love The Dark Knight, and then he posts up on top of it. It's fun to watch Carti flow while sitting atop a car in motion. The empty nighttime streets also play perfectly into the wonky, nocturnal vibe of the song. "Crash out for the gang, hol' up, crash out for a mixtape. Have you f*ck on my peers, I'ma hit all the gears," Carti raps. "Have you switchin' your lips, yeah, she got all the skills. And I'm still on the hill, yeah, I'm still in the Hills."
Playboi Carti New Video
The cool aesthetic switches up toward the second half of "FOMDJ." Playboi Carti takes control of a video recorder, adding a neon-drenched, lo-fi vibe to the second verse. We also get treated to the location the SUV was headed, which appears to be a bedroom/bar bathroom. Take a look for yourself, that's as good a description as we can come up with. The rapper posts up with two women, alternating between filming them and smoking with them. He's also getting a tattoo near his temple at one point. It doesn't follow a clear logical narrative, but who cares? Looks cool.
It was unclear whether Playboi Carti would be able to emerge from his years long hiatus and be able to maintain fan interest. He's managed to become even more popular. The cult following has blossomed into a commercial following, and the Die Lit star has now become a bona fide superstar. He is breaking records every other day, and seemingly picking fights with other rappers in between. This is Carti world and we are just living in it.
