My selection of Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red as the album of December may surprise, upset, or excite you. This album has proved to be without a doubt one of the most polarizing of the year. Music listeners, and particularly Carti’s fans, seem to be split on whether this album is genius or laughably bad. Personally, I have been a fan of Carti’s music for a while now as I feel his style is captivating and unique. After having to deal with an onslaught of leaks and ever-growing pressure from fans, Playboi Carti took a musical risk. Instead of playing it safe and sticking to the sugary minimalistic pop-rap displayed in his leaked music, Carti decided to push his style in a new, punk influenced direction. This change of pace is what I believe has rubbed many fans the wrong way, but I cannot help but find Whole Lotta Red endlessly fun. The experimentation of Playboi Carti’s vocal delivery and punk influence showcased in Whole Lotta Red make it one of the year’s most exciting and lively records for me.
The production alone on Whole Lotta Red is some of the year’s most entertaining with its mix of electronic, punk, trap-rap, video game synths, and hardcore hip-hop sounds. While admittedly not every song features a stellar contribution from Playboi Carti, you can count on each track to have a captivating instrumental. The album starts off extremely aggressive with the jarring “Rockstar Made” and its bleeding synth lines and spine-tingling bass line. One thing that may have instantly turned fans off the album was the change in mixing. Taking inspiration from punk rock music, the mixing is loud and bold with Carti’s vocals on full display. In contrast with Carti’s previous work where his vocals would seamlessly blend with the beat, his screeching and torn voice sticks out. I originally found this change odd, but grew to appreciate its creativity and ability to convey the raw energy that Carti brings to every track.
Other production highlights include the menacing violins of “Go2DaMoon”, the chopped sample lead of “Slay3r”, the heavenly riser synths on the love anthem “Control”, and the beautiful choir singing on “F33l Lik3 Dyin” to name a few. However, every song truly has something special instrumentally. “Vamp Anthem” in particular has a hilarious and genius loop from Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”.
As I mentioned before, Carti has totally flipped his whole vocal style on its head with a majority of this album. His vocals are for once mostly understandable and clear even through his odd, nasally voice. Whether he is screaming his head off on “Stop Breathing” or crooning his way through the wavy “Over”, Carti is entertaining and dynamic. His flows as always are simple but catchy and punchy. On “Beno!”, his flow seamlessly floats over the track’s plucky synths. As always, Carti’s lyrics are far from perfect, but his music is more about the sound anyway. I will say though, songs like “Sky” and “Punk Monk” do show signs that Carti can write something of value every once in a while. “Sky” is a song about escapism through drug use and the insecurities of having a relationship in the spotlight. While it is not anything to note lyrically, it is a noticeable improvement over almost anything Carti has put out until this point. Playboi Carti’s more in your face vocal delivery, dynamic vocal inflections, and subtle improvements lyrically all contribute to a fascinating listen.
The Verdict: For the experimental layered production, Playboi Carti’s lively demeanor, and the inescapable euphoric energy of the project, Whole Lotta Red is December 2020’s Album of the Month.
