# Playboi Carti

Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995 or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. He first signed with local underground record label Awful Records in 2014, and later signed with ASAP Mob's record label AWGE, in a joint venture with Interscope Records two years later. Carter gained mainstream attention following the release of his eponymous debut mixtape (2017), which peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles "Magnolia" and "Wokeuplikethis" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert).
Carter's debut studio album Die Lit (2018) saw further commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200. Following a two-year hiatus, his second studio album, Whole Lotta Red (2020) debuted atop the chart and was met with positive reviews; it was listed as among the best albums of that year by Rolling Stone and The Washington Post, with Rolling Stone ranking it on their list of the "200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". He guest performed on ¥$'s 2024 single, "Carnival", which became his first song to peak atop the Billboard Hot 100. Carter released his long-anticipated third studio album, Music, on March 14, 2025.
Aside from his recording career, Carter founded the record label and rap collective Opium in 2019, through which he has signed aesthetically-similar fellow Atlanta-based rappers Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely, as well as the trap duo Homixide Gang.

## Early life

Jordan Terrell Carter was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 13, 1995 or 1996. He grew up in the nearby suburb Riverdale. In a 2016 interview with Complex, he stated, "My ma couldn't tell me shit. Nobody could tell me shit." This type of lifestyle influenced Carter to get into trouble as a youth and sway away from the idea of pursuing a higher level of education after high school. He attended North Springs Charter High School in Sandy Springs.
Before rap, Carter wanted to become an NBA star to try and make something of himself. In an interview with The Fader, he said, "I was a young and didn't go to practice. That was the time I was really ducking school and it was all hoop and no rap. I would smoke before practice, get on the court and drop 30". He stopped playing basketball after a disagreement with his coach. He then dedicated his time to music.
Carter skipped high school classes regularly to work on his music or go to his job at H&M, which led to Carter barely graduating high school. In an interview with The Fader, he said, "I was in class with freshmen finishing work, and if I finished the nine assignments before this time I could graduate."
Carter developed a unique fashion sense from an early age, shopping in thrift stores. He told Vogue that he was teased for his choices in fashion, such as sporting colored skinny jeans.

## Career
### 2011–2016: Career beginnings

Playboi Carti began his musical career under the moniker Sir Cartier in 2011, initially uploading his early tracks on SoundCloud. By 2013, he rebranded himself as Playboi Carti and expanded his reach by sharing his music on platforms like Newgrounds. In 2014, after meeting fellow Atlanta native, Ethereal, a producer and member of the underground collective Awful Records, Carti soon joined the Awful roster. Carti credits Ethereal with helping him discover and develop his distinctive sound.
As Carti committed to pursuing music full-time, he made the significant decision to relocate to New York City, where he temporarily stayed with a drug dealer he knew. During this time, he frequently encountered members of the influential ASAP Mob, eventually meeting ASAP Bari, who introduced him to ASAP Rocky. This connection was instrumental in Carti's career, leading him to accompany Rocky on a trip to Texas, marking the beginning of his rise in the music industry.
In 2015, Carti began attracting widespread attention with the release of his singles "Broke Boi" and "Fetti", featuring Dash and Maxo Kream. These tracks, shared on SoundCloud, quickly gained traction within the underground scene. Concurrently, Carti was actively collaborating with artists in Atlanta's burgeoning underground rap scene, including UnoTheActivist, Thouxanbanfauni, Yung Bans, Lil Yachty, as well as producers MexikoDro and Icytwat. His growing influence led to tours with ASAP Ferg and Lil Uzi Vert, ultimately resulting in a record deal with Interscope Records. In 2016, he officially signed to ASAP Mob's AWGE imprint, aligning himself with one of the most influential collectives in hip-hop.

### 2017–2020: Playboi Carti, Die Lit, and Whole Lotta Red

Playboi Carti released his self-titled debut mixtape in April 2017, which garnered significant attention from major music publications such as XXL, Pitchfork, Spin, HotNewHipHop, and PopMatters. The mixtape debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and produced two successful singles: "Magnolia", which peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Wokeuplikethis" featuring Lil Uzi Vert, which reached number 76. To promote the mixtape, Carti embarked on a tour alongside Gucci Mane and Dreezy. In June 2017, he was named one of XXL's "2017 Freshman Class," a list that also included rappers such as XXXTentacion, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and Ugly God. During this period, Carti was featured on ASAP Mob's single "Raf" from their album Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy and on Lana Del Rey's single "Summer Bummer" from her album Lust for Life.
In May 2018, Carti released his debut studio album, Die Lit, which debuted at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200, earning 61,000 album-equivalent units, including 5,000 pure album sales, in its first week. Later that year, in August 2018, Carti announced his second studio album, Whole Lotta Red, which would be released two years later. Work on Whole Lotta Red began in late 2018. During the next two years, numerous tracks, including the fan-favorite "Pissy Pamper" were leaked online, amassing tens of millions of streams. Despite the leaks, Carti did not release any new original music during this period, though he was featured on several singles, including "Baguettes in the Face" with Nav and A Boogie wit da Hoodie from DJ Mustard's album, and "Earfquake" by Tyler, the Creator.
In April 2020, Carti broke his musical silence by releasing the single "@ Meh", which peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following month, he was featured on Drake's single "Pain 1993", which debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Carti's first entry into the chart's top ten. In November 2020, Carti announced that Whole Lotta Red was complete and had been submitted to his label. He was also featured on Lil Yachty's deluxe album Lil Boat 3.5 on the track "Flex Up", alongside Future. On December 21, 2020, Carti confirmed that Whole Lotta Red would be released on Christmas Day. True to his word, the 24-track album was released on December 25, 2020, debuting at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming Carti's first chart-topping album.

### 2021–present: Music

In June 2021, Playboi Carti was featured on tracks by Pi'erre Bourne, including "Switching Lanes", and Lil 1 Dte's single "Homixide". In August of the same year, he appeared on ABRA's song "Unlock It" and contributed to several tracks on Kanye West's album Donda, including "Off the Grid", "Junya" and "Junya Pt 2".
On December 25, 2022, after more than a year away from Twitter, Carti returned with messages hinting at new music. In March 2023, he performed an unreleased track titled "Rockstar" at Rolling Loud California, teasing fans about his third studio album. In May 2023, Carti returned to Instagram following his December 2022 arrest and posted a screenshot of him FaceTiming with the Weeknd. Just a few days later, the Weeknd announced their collaboration "Popular", featuring Madonna, set to be released on June 2, 2023. On July 7, 2023, Carti performed a new song called "Pop Out" at Wireless Festival. On July 28, 2023, Carti appeared on Travis Scott's highly anticipated album Utopia on the track "Fein". The following day, he posted on Instagram, sharing excitement about his upcoming music and stating, "New shit on the way, believe that".
In December 2023, Carti hinted at an album release in January 2024. He posted "I am music" on Instagram, followed by a tweet from Pharrell Williams saying "Prepare". On December 8, Carti confirmed the 2024 release date with a snippet featuring DJ Swamp Izzo. Later that day, he dropped "Different Day" on his secondary Instagram account and released "2024" on YouTube, produced by Kanye West, Ojivolta, and Earl on the Beat. He also confirmed he has a daughter named Yves with the track "H00dByAir". On January 1, 2024, he shared that he would release a song that day and dropped "Backr00ms", featuring Travis Scott. On February 4, 2024, Carti made a guest appearance during Travis Scott's performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. A week later, he was featured on Kanye West's and Ty Dolla Sign's album Vultures 1 on the tracks "Carnival" and "Fuk Sumn", with "Carnival" becoming his first chart-topping single. In March 2024, he collaborated with Future and Metro Boomin on the song "Type Shit", and on March 27, he worked with Camila Cabello on "I Luv It". On September 13, 2024, Carti released "All Red", marking his first solo streaming release since 2020. He also teased his third studio album by launching various merchandise bundles, building excitement among fans. In October 2024, Carti and the Weeknd collaborated on the song "Timeless".
On December 15, 2024, Carti performed at Rolling Loud in Miami; he had announced weeks prior that he intended to play Music during his one hour and fifteen minute set. Ultimately, he played five new songs.
On March 14, 2025, Carti released his third studio album Music (also known as I Am Music) to streaming services, after a series of teasers by Spotify, his first tweet since 2022, and an Instagram video post of British performance artist Blackhaine promoting and confirming the release.

## Fashion and modeling

Carter's fashion style is one of the main features of his public image. He has called himself a "thrift store kid" and often prefers vintage garments. GQ has defined Carter as the "leader of a youth style", and said that he represents a stylistic midpoint between the "fashion gloss of ASAP Mob, the punk-rock attitude of Lil Uzi Vert, and the playful camp of Lil Yachty."
Carter's favorite designer label is Balmain and his favorite designer is Raf Simons, whom he met at a 2017 fashion show in New York City. Carter is featured on the song "Raf" by ASAP Mob, which was dedicated to Raf Simons. The music video for the song included Carter, ASAP Rocky, and Quavo wearing rare Raf Simons-designed clothing. In 2017, Carter told Vogue that he considers Kanye West and ASAP Rocky his fashion inspirations.
Carter has modeled numerous times, including Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week, Kanye West's Yeezy Season 5, VFiles, and Drake's OVO Lookbook alongside Ian Connor and John Ross.

## Artistry
### Influences and musical style

Carter has cited influences from a variety of artists, including ASAP Rocky, Kanye West, Jay-Z, MF Doom, Slayer, the Sex Pistols, and Kiss. He embodies a "rock star" persona and is known for his playful, hard-hitting, and melodic style. Almost all of Carter's raps are freestyled, which was directly inspired by Lil Wayne. Carter's approach to music emphasizes atmosphere over traditional lyricism, with critics noting that his rapping is often "spare and repetitive," focusing more on flow and catchy phrases. Briana Younger at Pitchfork said that "Carti's music is less about lyricism and more about atmosphere", going on to say that "whatever Carti lacks in substance he makes up in sheer audacity."
Carter's music primarily falls under the "mumble rap" genre, characterized by a focus on catchy hooks and infectious beats. His early work showcased a carefree and youthful vibe, often steering clear of serious themes. However, as his artistry evolved, he began to incorporate more experimental sounds, particularly in his later projects. Songs like "Earfquake" and "Pissy Pamper" reflect his exploration of various vocal techniques, including his distinct "baby voice," which features high pitches and frantic cadences. This vocal style contributes to the playful yet edgy atmosphere of his music.
In 2020, Carter released Whole Lotta Red, which further showcased his experimentation with sound, featuring inspirations of punk and metal into his hip-hop roots. This album marked a significant shift in his artistic direction, allowing him to delve into more intense themes while maintaining his signature melodic style.

### Voice

Carter is recognized for his unique vocal delivery, often described as a "baby voice" technique that captures attention with its high-pitched, unclear pronunciations. He has used this technique on popular songs such as "Almeda" with Solange, "Earfquake" with Tyler, the Creator, and "Pissy Pamper" with Young Nudy and Pi'erre Bourne. After the release of Whole Lotta Red, he has also experimented with various metal-inspired vocalizations, such as his coarse “deep voice” first being displayed on the song "Mr. Miyagi" with Kanye West and Future, later being displayed on other songs like Travis Scott's "Fein", the collaborative single "Type Shit" with Future, Metro Boomin, and Scott, and Camila Cabello's "I Luv It"; but it is more common on many unreleased, non-album songs.
The New York Times noted that Carter's style seems to emphasize performance and persona over conventional rapping skills, allowing him to create a captivating experience for listeners. His aesthetic choices often incorporate Satanic imagery and vampire influences, adding a layer of intrigue to his artistry.

## Personal life

In 2017, he briefly dated American model Blac Chyna. In 2018, Carter was romantically involved with Rubi Rose, a model and rapper who rose to fame after appearing in the music video for "Bad and Boujee" by Migos. He allegedly fired a gun in the air after Rose hid his phones from him before he was due to board a flight. Carter argues his intention was not to shoot Rose. They broke up after Carter cheated on her with Blac Chyna.
Later in 2018, Carter began dating Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, whom he met while he was overseas on tour. In December 2018, they moved in together in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. They split in December 2019. In 2020, Azalea gave birth to Carter's son. In December 2020, Azalea revealed Carter had cheated on her and missed her son's birth. Carter refused to sign their son's birth certificate.
Carter has two children: a son named Onyx and a daughter named Yves.
As of June 2019, Carter is living and working in and around the Atlanta area after relocating from Los Angeles.
Carter suffers from asthma.

## Legal issues

In 2017, Carter was arrested for domestic battery.
Carter punched a driver in Gretna, Scotland during his concert tour in February 2018. He was fined £800 after a trial.
In April 2020, Carter was arrested on gun and drug-related charges in Clayton County, Georgia. After Carter was stopped by police for having an expired tag on his Lamborghini, authorities found 12 bags of marijuana, three guns, Xanax, codeine and oxycodone. After an altercation between Carter and the police, he and another man named Jaylon Tucker, were arrested and taken to Clayton County jail. Carter was charged for expired tags, possession of marijuana and improperly passing an emergency vehicle. The following morning Carter was released on bond.
On September 21, 2022, Carter was arrested for reckless driving. Footage of the incident was released on January 9, 2024.
It was reported on February 14, 2023, that Carter was arrested on December 29, 2022, on a felony assault charge after allegedly choking his girlfriend, who was 14 weeks pregnant. Carter was released on bond a day after his arrest.

## Opium

Opium is an American record label and rap collective that was founded in 2019 by Playboi Carti. The label, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, currently holds four acts all of whom are natives to the city; rappers Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely, and the duo Homixide Gang. The label is also affiliated with a variety of producers including KP Beatz, F1lthy, and Art Dealer, who all worked extensively on Playboi Carti's second studio album, Whole Lotta Red.
Opium artists usually feature a dark rap sound and aesthetic that is built upon the Atlanta rage rap scene and is influenced by the '70s and '80s punk rock era. The niche style of its artists strays away from mainstream trap rappers and has garnered its own cultlike fanbase.

## Discography

Studio albums
* Die Lit (2018)
* Whole Lotta Red (2020)
* Music (2025)

## Tours
### Headlining

* Left Right Tour (with Lil Uzi Vert) (2016)
* Playboi Carti Tour (2017)
* Die Lit Tour (2018)
* Neon Tour (2018)
* King Vamp Tour (2021)

### Supporting

* ASAP Rocky – Injured Generation Tour (2019)
* Wiz Khalifa – Decent Exposure Summer Tour (2019)
* The Weeknd – After Hours til Dawn Tour (2025)

## Awards and nominations
### BET Hip Hop Awards

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2017 | Himself | Best New Hip-Hop Artist | Nominated |
| 2017 | Playboi Carti | Best Mixtape | Nominated |

### MTV Video Music Awards

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2024 | "Fein" (with Travis Scott) | Best Hip Hop | Nominated |

### Grammy Awards

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2022 | Donda (Kanye West, as featured artist and songwriter) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2025 | "Carnival" (¥$, as featured artist and songwriter) | Best Rap Song | Nominated |

### iHeartRadio Music Awards

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2018 | Himself | Best New Hip-Hop Artist | Nominated |