Diverging from the melodic sound of Playboi Carti (2017) and Die Lit, Whole Lotta Red is a trap, rage, and experimental hip-hop album that incorporates influence from punk and electronic music. Music critics highlighted its loose structure and frenetic pace; several songs abandon traditional verse-chorus structures in favor of chants or ad-libbing with an emphasis on atmosphere over narrative. Whole Lotta Red features a dark, gothic tone in which Carti adopts the persona of a vampire rock star, and its abrasive sound drew comparisons to West's Yeezus (2013).
Whole Lotta Red received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its production and Carti's vocals, but criticized its guest appearances and lack of depth. It earned 100,000 album-equivalent units in its first week to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming Carti's first US number-one album; in January 2022, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Multiple publications recognized Whole Lotta Red as one of the year's best albums, and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it among the "200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". An accompanying tour began in October 2021.
Background and development
In May 2018, Playboi Carti released his debut studio album, Die Lit, through AWGE and Interscope Records. The album received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its appeal and production. In August 2018, shortly after the release of Die Lit, a video surfaced showing Carti discussing his next project, tentatively titled Whole Lotta Red.[1] By November 2018, Carti was performing unreleased material from the album at concerts, indicating that work on the project had begun.[2] In March 2019, during an interview with GQ, Carti revealed that Virgil Abloh would serve as the creative director for Whole Lotta Red.[3][4] That same year, his feature on Tyler, the Creator's "Earfquake", from Igor (2019), prominently showcased his high-pitched "baby voice" vocal style, drawing critical attention and further anticipation for the forthcoming album.[5] In May 2019, a leaked collaboration with Young Nudy titled "Pissy Pamper" gained viral attention on TikTok and briefly reached number one on Spotify's US Viral 50 chart before being removed. The song, originally intended for Nudy's and Pi'erre Bourne's Sli'merre (2019), was never officially released.[6][7]
Recording took place both at DJ Drama's Means Street Studios in Atlanta and in Carti's home, where he frequently recorded alone and for long stretches, referring to his late-night sessions as "Carti hours".[8] By mid-2019, he estimated that he had made around fifty songs for the project. During this period, Carti worked with a range of producers, including Metro Boomin, Maaly Raw, Richie Souf, Don Cannon, and his engineer Roark Bailey. His longtime collaborator Pi'erre Bourne, who had been central to his earlier sound, was less involved than on Die Lit, though Carti continued to praise Bourne's influence.[8] Carti described Whole Lotta Red as a search for "new sounds" and an expansion of his vocal style. While retaining his signature "baby voice", he experimented with higher-pitched, falsetto, and distorted deliveries, which he developed further across numerous recordings and unreleased snippets.[8] He characterized the project as influenced by a vampiric persona inspired by cult films such as The Lost Boys (1987) and Interview with the Vampire (1994), an image that shaped the album's aesthetic.[8][9] After relocating from Los Angeles back to Atlanta in 2018, Carti lived and recorded in the city's Buckhead neighborhood.[4][8] He emphasized a deliberately private and solitary creative process, limiting his daily routine to "studio and the house".[9]
Composition
Whole Lotta Red is a trap,[10]rage,[11] and experimental hip-hop album.[12] Departing from the melodic trap style of Playboi Carti (2017)[12][13] and Die Lit,[12][14][15] it incorporates 808 drums,[15][16]synthesizers,[15][17]drum machines,[11]punk[14][17][18] and electronic influences.[11][12] Spanning 24 tracks over an hour, the album has been described as frenetic and high-energy, with distorted production characterized by chaotic synthesizers and heavy bass. Carti's vocal performances range from rasping, guttural delivery to his high-pitched "baby voice", a variety that critics such as Pitchfork and AllMusic highlighted as central to the album's intensity.[13][14][12] Prior to the album's release, in a November 2020 GQ interview, Carti described the album as "alternative" and "psyched out".[9][19]Pitchfork characterized Carti's vocal variations as a defining element of the album's energy.[12]Executive produced by Kanye West[13][11][12] and Matthew Williams,[20] with contributions from producers like F1lthy, Jasper Harris, Ojivolta, and Pi'erre Bourne, the album was described for its dark, vampire-themed aesthetic.[14][11] Both AllMusic and HipHopDX compared its bold, polarizing vision to West's Yeezus (2013) for its divisive, uncompromising approach.[13][11]
Whole Lotta Red opens with "Rockstar Made", which contains distorted 808 drums and wailing synthesizers that introduce the album's aggressive tone.[15][18] "Stop Breathing" continues this approach, built around a harsh instrumental and short, repetitive vocal phrases referencing the death of a friend.[14][11] According to AllMusic, the song's "blown-out instrumentals" and "demonic vocal performances" exemplify the album's chaotic atmosphere.[13] "New Tank" and "JumpOutTheHouse" use rapidly looped chants and ad-libs instead of conventional verses, a style Pitchfork compared to spontaneous voice-memo recordings.[12] "Vamp Anthem" incorporates an interpolation of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor over trap percussion,[15][12] while "No Sl33p" extends the abrasive energy of "Slay3r", employing synthesizers that blur together across the mix.[12]PopMatters described "Rockstar Made", "Stop Breathing", and "Vamp Anthem" as songs designed for live mosh-pit performance. The first half of the album features punk-inspired production and shouted vocals, while its second half includes more melodic and reflective tracks.[17][11]
"Control", "Over", and "ILoveUIHateU" adopt glossier, synth-based instrumentals and explore romantic themes, with NME highlighting the vulnerability in Carti's vocal delivery.[15][11] "Punk Monk" shifts focus toward the music industry, featuring lyrics about frustration and self-preservation.[12][11] "M3tamorphosis", featuring Kid Cudi, centers on a raspy refrain of its title word and dense layers of ad-libs. AllMusic characterized it as having an "evil atmosphere", while Pitchfork and PopMatters remarked on its extended runtime.[13][12][17] "Go2DaMoon" includes a verse by Kanye West, and "Teen X" features Future. Later tracks such as "Place" and "Sky" return to the airy, melodic production associated with Carti's earlier collaborations with Pi'erre Bourne.[15][17] The closing track, "F33l Lik3 Dyin", samples Bon Iver and includes melodic singing about Carti's relationship with his mother, concluding the album on a more emotional note.[18] Lyrically, critics highlighted that Carti emphasizes atmosphere and persona over narrative content. Carti prioritizes vibe over narrative, with his "King Vamp" persona incorporates recurring themes of excess, paranoia, and self-presentation as a rockstar figure.[11][18]
Artwork and aesthetic
On December 22, 2020, 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.[21] 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.[22][19] In addition, the left side of Carti's cover, beside the parental advisory label, reads "Volume One Number One Of Red" and "The Wonderful World of Red/Mayday Issue 12/25", referencing a fictional magazine from Carti's Opium imprint..[19][23]
The album's visual aesthetic, as well as the accompanying merchandise designs, have been described 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.[18]
Release and promotion
On April 14, 2020, Carti began teasing the single "@ Meh" by sharing its cover art on Twitter,[24][25][26] with the track officially released two days later on April 16 as the anticipated lead single for Whole Lotta Red.[27][28] The song, featuring Carti's signature "baby voice",[29] achieved commercial success, peaking at number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[30] Alongside the single's release, its music video, co-directed by Carti and Nick Walker, debuted the same day.[31]
Following a period of social media inactivity, Carti returned on November 23, 2020, posting blurry photos of himself and announcing that Whole Lotta Red had been submitted to his label.[32][33] In the lead-up to the album's release, Carti heightened anticipation by teasing collaborations with artists including Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and Future, while also hinting at potential features from Post Malone and Pharrell Williams.[34][35][36] Media personality DJ Akademikstweeted that Whole Lotta Red was set to release on Christmas Day and would be executively produced by Kanye West, claiming he "nearly sold his soul" for the information.[37] On December 21, 2020, Carti officially unveiled the album's cover art, release date, and pre-order details for merchandise.[38]Whole Lotta Red was released on December 25, 2020.[39][23][40][41] On the same day, the music video for the track "M3tamorphosis", featuring Kid Cudi, was released, directed by Nico Ballesteros.[19][42]
After the release of Whole Lotta Red, Carti explained that his approach to Whole Lotta Red reflected what he called a "punk monk" mindset—a disciplined, almost spiritual devotion to recording.[20] He said that he envisioned the songs as being performed live, tailoring their energy for concerts and mosh-pit-style audiences.[20] Fashion designer Matthew Williams of Givenchy was credited as an additional executive producer on the project, illustrating Carti's continued blending of fashion and music.[20] On April 2, 2021, Carti released the music video for "Sky", the nineteenth track from Whole Lotta Red.[43] Directed by Nick Walker and produced by Chad Tennies and Rachel Walden, the video features Carti and his crew causing chaos in a grocery store, knocking over shelves, spilling products, and riding carts, with a distinctive green-tinted aesthetic and faux security camera footage.[44] The video, which includes a cameo from a fellow Opium signee, Destroy Lonely,[45] reflects the album's punk-inspired aesthetic and has garnered over 100 million views on YouTube as of April 2025.[46] To support the album, Carti embarked on the King Vamp Tour, originally titled the Narcissist Tour, during the fall of 2021, performing across various cities in North America.[47][48][49]
On review aggregator website Metacritic, Whole Lotta Red holds a score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from seven critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[51] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[50] Fred Thomas reviewed the album for AllMusic, lauding the "blown-out instrumentals" and "demonic vocal performances".[13] 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 "outré, expressive" vocals.[12] Danny Schwartz of Rolling Stone praised the album's eccentric performance style, noting that Carti expressed emotion in an elusive, theatrical manner that made him seem "more enigmatic than ever".[18] Semassa Boko of PopMatters observed that the album showed Carti's willingness to experiment and evolve stylistically but felt that it would have benefited from more guest appearances.[17] 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".[16] 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".[11]
Kyann-Sian Williams of NME offered a mixed review, suggesting that while the album could seem uneven at first, it became more engaging with repeated listening. She also commented that its 24-track length limited its variety.[15] Mimi Kenny of Beats Per Minute gave the album a negative review, describing it as lacking substance and consistency, with Carti adopting exaggerated personas rather than showing authenticity.[14] 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".[52]Pitchfork and NME critiqued tracks like "New N3on" and "Over", describing them as filler compared to the album's stronger cuts.[12][17] Guest appearances, including Kanye West on "Go2DaMoon" and Future on "Teen X", were seen as lackluster by Pitchfork and PopMatters, with critics noting they failed to match Carti's commanding presence.[12][17]
Upon its release, Whole Lotta Red received a polarized response from listeners but was later credited with helping to define the rage microgenre of trap music.[62] Gabriel Bras Nevares of HotNewHipHop wrote that, despite its mixed early reception, "as happened with Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak (2008) twelve years prior, a mixed reception preceded one of the most influential albums of the next few years".[62] Nevares described the album's sound as "raw, in your face, and completely chaotic" and noted that "many young producers and rappers would seek to replicate Whole Lotta Red's stand-out moments and mold it into a defined sound".[62]Whole Lotta Red's avant-garde and aggressive production—largely crafted by Pi'erre Bourne, F1lthy, and Art Dealer—was likened by critics to West's Yeezus for its boundary-pushing experimentation.[13][11]Rolling Stone called it "one of the most forward-thinking rap albums since Yeezus" and later named it the best rap album of 2021.[58] In 2022, the magazine also included it in its list of "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time".[59]
According to Nevares, the album's influence was identifiable in its "buzzing synths, compressed and hyper-aggressive drum patterns and bass, and repetitive lyrics that were now screamed instead of crooned", traits that became central to the developing rage subgenre.[62] He noted that while artists such as Mario Judah and others "laid the groundwork", Carti "put all the pieces together to define rage as a genre while already being one of hip-hop's most influential artists".[62] Following the album's release, a new wave of artists—including Yeat, Ken Carson, and Che—borrowed many of its sonic and visual elements. Yeat's Up 2 Me (2021),[63] Carson's Project X (2021),[64] and A Great Chaos (2023)[65] all drew from Whole Lotta Red's template, incorporating distorted production, heavily filtered vocals, and dark, cartoon-like aesthetics. Carti's Opium label, which signed Carson and Destroy Lonely, also amplified this sound and visual culture, helping to spread it across underground and mainstream hip-hop alike.[66] The album influenced numerous contemporary underground hip-hop albums, including Che's Rest in Bass (2025), which Pitchfork described as "the platonic ideal of rage rap", with Che containing "10 Whole Lotta Reds' worth of Playboi Carti within his chest".[67] In 2025, The Guardian credited Whole Lotta Red as "a massive influence on a whole generation of rage rap from Yeat to Ken Carson, OsamaSon, and numerous other noisy young MCs".[68]
Commercial performance
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.[69] This became Carti's first US number-one debut and his second top 10 album.[69] The album also accumulated a total of 126.43 million on-demand streams for its tracks, in the week ending December 31, 2020.[69] 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.[70]
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