After five years of waiting, Playboi Carti has released his new album, I Am Music. The project, released March 14, follows his 2020 album Whole Lotta Red.

Fans had anticipated new music since Carti first teased the album in 2023. Despite occasional singles and guest features, I Am Music is his first full-length solo release in half a decade.

Over the years, Playboi Carti has become known for his unconventional album rollouts, teasing projects with cryptic posts and often missing release dates.

Despite repeated delays, Carti’s influence remained significant, especially among young listeners.

“Carti delaying his album over and over again—it kind of broke me,” junior Jayden Collins said. “I kept getting all excited thinking he was gonna drop, and turns out it was just some merch release. It really tore me apart and destroyed my viewpoint of Carti.”

One of the most infamous examples came in 2019, when Carti teased that Whole Lotta Red would drop within 48 hours. The album wouldn’t actually arrive until over a year later. Collins said the repeated delays affected his loyalty to Carti.

“I’ve slowly been losing my opiumness, you know,” Collins said. “I used to be a real Opium fan, but with how Carti treats us—it’s hard to defend him. I’m loyal…but I’ve almost moved on from him completely.”

Opium, Playboi Carti’s record label founded in 2019, includes Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Homixide Gang and Carti. Known for their nonchalant, mysterious personas and dark clothing, they define a new goth era.

“I don’t think it was worth the delay,” he said. “It was good, but when you wait like five years for an album, it’s gotta be perfect. I was surprised he actually dropped—I didn’t believe it until I saw the bald guy saying Carti was really dropping.”

Collins said that although some listeners have criticized the album, he believes it deserves a second listen.

“A lot of the hate is just because it took so long,” he said. “I think the album’s good—there are some songs in rotation for me right now.”

Playboi Carti tweeted the word “Monday” in 2020 that fans thought signaled a release—only for 36 more Mondays to pass before the cover art even dropped. Eighth grader William Grimison said Carti’s frequent delays affected his perception of the rapper.

“I think Carti’s a deadbeat, man,” Grimison said. “He’s dropped the ball on this one. His 2020 album, Whole Lotta Red, was perfect—it was amazing. But we’ve waited five years for… really, I’m just gonna say it, a mid-album. Five out of 10 at best.”

Grimison said fans have not been critical enough of “I Am Music.”

“People haven’t been judging it enough, honestly,” he said. “There’s just so little reaction to it, that’s the thing. That’s an album I would expect after six months, not five years.”

Grimison also discussed Carti’s impact on underground music culture.

“Carti’s kind of a symbol for the underground,” he said. “He’s what a lot of these guys—like Nettspend or Edward Skeletrix—want to be. But he’s kind of full of it now. He’s too big.”

Grimison said Carti’s rise in popularity after Whole Lotta Red changed the way he approached music releases.

“He’s dropped more fit pics than songs, you know?” Grimison said.

Seventh grader Cillian Dunne also shared his experience as a fan discovering Carti in recent years.

“When I first found Carti, I thought the album was going to come out maybe next month,” Dunne said. “Little did I know it was going come out a whole year later. I listened to the entire thing. I thought it was a six out of 10 album. No one could look at me with a straight face and say it’s a 10 out of 10 album.”

Dunne said the long delay affected how people reacted when the album finally dropped.

“I never really heard anybody talking about the new album when it dropped,” he said. “It just wasn’t that big of a deal anymore.”

Dunne also commented on Carti’s influence on youth culture and trends. Notably through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Carti’s mysterious persona has taken influence on many.

“Carti has three different voices he uses in his songs,” Dunne said. “He’s just a unique rapper. I don’t think anyone around school really tried to copy him, because you can’t really beat that.”

When asked about Carti’s broader impact on rap culture, Grimison said he believed it had been negative.

“A lot of people want to be Playboi Carti now,” Grimison said. “But he’s not consistent, he says whatever he wants, and he lies to his fans. That’s not who you want to be.”

Despite the criticism, Collins said he still believes Carti’s musical influence remains strong.

“It’s crazy to think how much he changed the game—both for better and for worse,” Collins said.