Whole Lotta Red

Whole Lotta Red (alternatively titled Red) is the second studio album by American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released on December 25, 2020 by Interscope as well as ASAP Rocky's label AWGE.
Highly anticipated, work on the album commenced in late 2018 and concluded in November 2020. The album consists of 24 tracks and features guest appearances from Future, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi, while production was handled by Carti's frequent collaborator and producer Pi'erre Bourne, along with Matthew Williams and Wheezy, among others.
Background and release
In August 2018, following the release of Carti's debut studio album, Die Lit, a video surfaced of him discussing his next album and calling it Whole Lotta Red. In November, he performed unreleased songs at a concert in Seattle. In March 2019, during an interview with GQ, Carti said that Virgil Abloh would be the album's creative director. In May 2019, he featured on "Earfquake", the lead single of Igor by Tyler, the Creator with fans noting his nearly unintelligible "baby voice". Later that month, a song titled "Pissy Pamper" with Young Nudy leaked and went viral on social media platform TikTok. "Pissy Pamper" also reached No. 1 on Spotify's US Viral 50 before being removed. Several other songs would go on to leak via YouTube and SoundCloud as well, reportedly causing Carti to remake the album. In June 2019, he revealed in an interview with The Fader that he began recording Whole Lotta Red towards the end of 2018, recording at DJ Drama's Means Street Studios in Atlanta and at his own home.
On April 14, 2020, Carti tweeted the cover to "@ Meh", which was released as a single two days later. The song was noted for Carti's usage of the aforementioned "baby voice". In May, Carti was featured on the track "Pain 1993", from Drake's mixtape, Dark Lane Demo Tapes, which continued his use of the "baby voice" and became his first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven on the chart.
On November 23, following a social media hiatus, Carti posted on his socials, blurry photos of himself, while revealing that the album was turned in to his label. The same day, in a GQ profile, he called the album "alternative" and "psyched out". In the following days, Carti announced collaborations with several other rappers including Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and Future. He also tweeted at Post Malone and Pharrell Williams.
On December 21, Carti announced the cover art, release date, and pre-orders for merchandise.
Artwork and aesthetic
On December 22, 2020, Carti announced the cover art for Whole Lotta Red via social media. It was designed by Jung "Art Dealer" Chung. The cover is a black and white image of Carti with a white outline and the word Red in large red letters on the top of the cover. The cover is based on and pays homage to late 70s punk-rock magazine Slash; on the left side of the cover, next to the parental advisory label, it reads "Volume One Number One" Of Red", the fictional magazine from Carti's Opium imprint. The album's imagery and merchandise designs have been noticed by journalist to be drawn from heavy metal imagery.
Promotion
On April 16, 2020, the album's expected lead single, "@ Meh", was released. The song peaked at number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it became his second top 40 entry on the chart as a lead artist. Its music video debuted on the same day as the song's release, and was directed by Carti himself and Nick Walker.
On December 25, 2020, on the album's release date, a music video for the track "M3tamorphosis" featuring Kid Cudi was released. It was directed by Nico Ballesteros.
Composition
Whole Lotta Red sees Playboi Carti showcases "a unique depth that has developed since the release of Die Lit", with him minimizing the use of his "baby voice". Instead, as noted by Hypebeast's Nicolaus Li, the album contains "frenetic vocal styling that introduces a cohessive tonal cohesive that defines Whole Lotta Red". Latesha Harris of NPR also noted how Carti trades in his baby cadences for a more aggresive sound, as he "continues with his signature unearthly sound. He opts out of being a traditional lyricist and instead acts a conductor of fun. His bars bounce among synthy, fractured beats from various producers , the end result showcasing how comfortable he is toeing the line between riveting and repetitive". The album features production by Pi'erre Bourne, Art Dealer, Outtatown, Star Boy, F1lthy, Juberlee, Richie Souf, Maaly Raw, and Wheezy, among others, all of whom help deliver a contemporary trap sound.