Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti is the stage name of Jordan Terrell Carter, an Atlanta rapper born in 1995. He works in cloud rap, hip hop, plugg, rage, southern hip hop and trap, and is associated with AWGE. His music is known for its atmospheric, avant-garde sound, unusual vocal delivery and a focus on mood and persona rather than conventional lyric writing. He is also described as an influential figure in modern hip hop and a pioneer of the rage microgenre.

Career beginnings and early releases

Carter starts making music in 2011 under the name Sir Cartier and releases early tracks on SoundCloud. He signs with Awful Records in 2014 and later joins ASAP Rocky’s AWGE imprint in 2016, a joint venture with Interscope Records.

Albums, singles and collaborations

His self-titled debut mixtape, Playboi Carti (2017), brings him mainstream attention and reaches number 12 on the Billboard 200. It includes the singles “Magnolia” and “Wokeuplikethis”, the latter featuring Lil Uzi Vert. His debut studio album, Die Lit (2018), debuts at number three on the Billboard 200. Whole Lotta Red (2020) becomes his first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and is later ranked by Rolling Stone among the greatest hip-hop albums. His third album, Music (2025), is his second consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200 and includes “Evil J0rdan”, which debuts at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

He also appears on major collaborations including Travis Scott’s “Fein” and Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s “Carnival”, with the latter becoming his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

Opium and associated artists

In 2019, Carter founds the record label and rap collective Opium. Artists signed to Opium include Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Homixide Gang and ASAP Nast of A$AP Mob. The label is linked to his later work and wider influence in contemporary rap.

Style and influence

Carti’s work is frequently described as dark, spacious and experimental, with a distinctive “baby voice” style among the vocal techniques associated with him. His fashion and overall image are also part of his public profile.