Playboi Carti is everywhere. His new album smashed charts, broke records and had everyone talking. But that success raised controversies, too. Some people think the numbers are exaggerated, while others point to the massive streaming stats.
That’s not it. Kanye and AI were also discussed, which made the whole situation messy.
Curious to know the details? Then, keep reading! You may even find some of the things to be surprising. Stay tuned.
Playboi Carti’s Chart Success: Is the Hype Justified?
After the album became available for listeners to hear, these critics who had previously dismissed its promotion now confirm that the original excitement surrounding it was accurate.
Unbelievable Streaming Records
Carti’s album generated 134 million Spotify streams 24 hours after it was released. Spotify’s history books recorded this album as their seventh biggest debut since its release. Only Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and Drake have achieved higher streaming numbers.
Huge Billboard Sales
The first-week sales for the album reached 298,000 equivalent units across the United States, which included pure album sales, digital downloads, and streaming totals converted into unit sales (1,500 streams = one album unit). This number made Carti’s album the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 for that week.
Only a handful of rap albums cleared that number in recent years. Drake’s Certified Lover Boy sold 613k. Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers sold 295k. Carti matched Kendrick, which shows how serious this release was. He’s in that top tier.
But the more groundbreaking stat was this:
Every one of the 30 songs on the album successfully entered the Billboard Hot 100 ranking. Rap artists with thirty songs in their albums had never achieved this milestone before.
International Success
Carti secured the number one spot on multiple official album charts throughout the world, starting from the UK and continuing to Australia and New Zealand. Becoming number one there shows that Carti is now a global superstar.
In the UK, the album debuted ahead of pop and indie artists who usually dominate the charts there.
In Australia, ARIA (the main charting body) also confirmed Carti’s chart-topping debut. Again, this is a country where local acts and international pop artists usually lead. New Zealand followed a similar pattern.
However, the chart’s success didn’t come without noise, and it’s time to learn more about them.
3 Playboi Carti’s Chart Controversies That You Need to Know
A controversy emerged shortly after Carti’s album release because of AI claims alongside Ye’s absence. Some fans even said the only reason Carti dropped the album was to avoid giving out refunds for his merch.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Allegations
Several listeners claim the artist developed his music through AI technology. After checking their comments, we came to know that these two songs are under the fire:
- Rather Lie (featuring The Weeknd)
- Fine Shit.
Even a few critics claimed the songs sounded “too polished.” They began to suggest that Carti may have used artificial intelligence tools to help write or structure those tracks.
The claims mostly came from social media, Reddit threads, and a few independent reviewers.
Unexpected Exclusion of Kanye West
Right after the album dropped, people began asking why Kanye West was missing. Instead of Ye, Kendrick Lamar showed up on the album, which became one of the biggest controversies in recent times.
Most thought Kanye would be on it, considering his past work with Carti. When that didn’t happen, fans started saying Kanye was left out on purpose.
Others brought up Kendrick’s issues with Drake and said Carti. They wrote that Carti might have picked a side. But the reality is that it was one of those moments where nobody really knew the truth, but everyone had an opinion.
The Merch Bundle Mess
Before the album even saw the light of day, Carti launched a merch bundle that included a digital copy of the project. No tracklist. No release date.
Fans didn’t even flinch — they paid, no questions asked.
However, Carti failed to release his album even though many weeks had passed. Fans lost their patience and began sending messages to the artist both for the album release and money refunds.
According to some fans, Carti pushed his album release date because he wanted to avoid returning the money he owed. People speculate the album has an AI-generated feel because of this reason.
Bottom Line
Playboi Carti’s newest album started with unprecedented success as it moved 298,000 units during its first week. All 30 tracks made it to the Billboard Hot 100. It was a record-breaking release, making him the first rapper to ever achieve that with a 30-track album.
Still, there’s no denying that the album is a huge success, and it has made Carti one of the most popular rappers today.
Leave a Reply