Isaac Vergun, a senior journalism major and environmental science minor from Oregon was helping lug boxes into a friend’s new apartment. Exhausted from the long haul, one thing kept their spirits alive — rapper Playboi Carti was set to drop his long-awaited album, “I Am Music.”
At 3 a.m. on Friday, March 14, the eclectic sound of Carti’s newest project played at full volume.
According to Billboard, the album became Spotify’s most-streamed album with 139.3 million streams in a single day in 2025 so far, breaking records immediately upon release. It’s projected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Beyond his return to music, his style as an artist expanded past his label, Opium, and became an aesthetic that blends music, fashion and a distinct, moody identity.
Despite the five-year silence since 2020’s “Whole Lotta Red,” Carti has only grown more powerful. His monthly Spotify listeners have soared past 54 million, now reaching 57.7 million listeners.
For many fans, Carti’s return after a five-year hiatus was more than an anticipated release, it was a homecoming.
“It was a surreal experience hearing new Carti music after so long,” Vergun said. “I even shed a tear. It was nostalgic.”
Javyn Morthel, a junior psychology major and San Francisco native, was skeptical at first.
“I talked a lot of trash, saying he’d never drop this album,” he said. “But when he finally did, I was one of the first to listen.”
Though he joked that five years might be a stretch to justify, he acknowledged its impact.
“It’s a 30-track album. In this age of quick, dopamine-driven media, that was revolutionary,” Morthel said.
Vergun echoed the sentiment, calling it “an evolution not only in his flow but also in his sound, becoming more and more distinguished.”
If “Whole Lotta Red” was jarring, “I Am Music” builds on that chaos with intention and broader ambition.
Clocking in at one hour and 17 minutes, the 30-track album showcases his genre-blending sound vision, fluctuating between hypnotic beats, experimental distortion, and moments of melodic clarity
It features appearances from Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert, Skepta and Ty Dolla $ign. On the production side, Carti enlists heavyweights like Metro Boomin, Southside, Cardo, Ye, Cash Cobain, F1lthy and the duo Ojivolta, among others.
Vergun called it, “Dungeon rage music, the kind of music you’d play while working out or when you’re feeling a surge of strong emotions.”
Echoing this intensity, Billboard praised the album as a “throw-everything-at-the-wall” exploration of Carti’s diverse artistic repertoire.
For Morthel, the soundscape of the album is “authentic, esoteric, diverse.” He pointed to the opening track, “Pop Out.”
“There’s something dope about an in-your-face song to start an album,” he said. “It forces the listener to open their mind.” Both fans agreed that Carti isn’t chasing coherence or commercial polish.
Fans say that Carti’s evolution as an artist is what’s keeping him ahead.
“A lot of artists struggle with staying relevant because they can’t adapt to new sounds,” Vergun said.
Morthel made a comparison to other male rappers in the industry.
“That’s why Drake and Kendrick are fading out,” he said. “Music these days is more about the experience than lyrical content. Carti is intentional about making you feel something.”
Carti’s fanbase is often described as cult-like, but the connection runs deeper. According to Soap Central, Carti’s fans even joked that the 139.3 million first-day streams “weren’t enough” and vowed to stream it until their speakers blew out.
“Growing up in Oregon, being Black in an area where we are an extreme minority, his music made me feel connected to a broader Black community that isn’t present where I’m at,” Vergun said.
For Morthel, Carti is more than a rapper, but a shapeshifter. He shifted into the persona of “King Vamp,” a title Carti has embraced both musically and aesthetically.
More than just a stage persona, “King Vamp” embodies his gothic, otherworldly energy — dark, enigmatic and emotionally charged. King Vamp is a vessel for Carti to express angst, detachment and beauty through contradiction.
“He personalized this kind of idea of the “vamp,” a creature that expresses [itself] through music,” Morthel said. “Now, things like all-black garb, archive pieces and mystery are part of his image.”
That mystery, Morthel added, is part of the draw.
“Whether intentional or not, he curated an image around anonymity and not caring, and people gravitate toward that,” he said.
Carti’s style has influenced everything from Instagram fits to fashion runways. Vergun noted how his own look shifted. “I’ve definitely incorporated his style into my everyday wear, like all-black, lots of silver, stacking chains and platform shoes.”
Before Opium became an aesthetic, it was a label—Playboi Carti’s own music collective, home to artists like Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson.
But more than a roset, Opium has evolved into a fashion and cultural identity. It’s defined by moody, all-black fits, distorted silhouettes, cyberpunk influences and a post-apocalyptic high fashion that blends streetwear with runway edge.
The Opium look is less about luxury labels and more about an attitude that embraces darkness, detachment and experimentation.
Morthel, who considers himself more colorful in his fashion choices, still acknowledges the impact.
“Opium popularized slimmer, avant-garde silhouettes. People started wearing super long hoods, oversized sleeves, it was hard,” he said.
From sheer mesh tops and leather skirts to pearl necklaces, manicured nails and exaggerated silhouettes, Carti’s fashion choices challenge the idea that masculinity must be rigid or hyper-masculine.
“He’s influencing Black men to step outside the box and feel confident doing it,” said Morthel. “Even the subtle expressions of femininity—he’s showing you don’t have to be loud about it to push boundaries.”
His use of eyeliner, fitted corsetry and archival womenswear pieces from brands like Raf Simons or COMME des GARÇONS embrace traditionally labeled feminine elements. In doing so, Carti creates a space where softness, drama and androgyny don’t cancel out masculinity.
“Even people who weren’t into fashion are now inadvertently engaging with designers and silhouettes outside the norm because of Carti,” Morthel said.
Whether one sports an Opium-inspired look or engages with his music in a mosh pit, “I Am Music” marks the beginning of a new era for Playboi Carti.
“Music is about keeping yourself relevant and Carti isn’t just keeping up,” Vergun said. “He’s setting the tone.”
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
