If you’ve never really been a Playboi Carti fan, or if this is the first album of his that you’ve ever listened to, please don’t bother. That being said, Playboi Carti is not for everyone. If you’re not a Playboi Carti fan, there’s two main things you need to keep in mind before reading this review: Playboi Carti is not a “lyrical” rapper (I hate that term, but that’s another convo for another day) and I do not consider Whole Lotta Red a rap album in the traditional sense. Sure, you can’t always understand what he’s saying, his pictures on Instagram are sometimes a bit scary looking, and he always tYp3s LYk tHi$>+*, but it’s about the ~vibe. Playboi Carti has always held a place in music as someone who no one really “gets” at first. There was so much hype built up around this album - nobody really believed it was dropping on the 25th and when it finally did drop, there was a whole lotta drama. I wanted to wait a few days before sharing my thoughts because to be honest, after the first listen I was left more puzzled than anything. On Christmas Day 2020, more than a year after his initial announcement, Playboi Carti finally, finally, finally gave us Whole Lotta Red. Drake and Carti blend their styles while still bouncing off each other, creating a hybrid that’s distinct but new, with a Drake who’s eased into a transition, mellow and hardened.Well, it’s here. Then, when it’s Carti’s turn, he doesn’t upstage Drake so much as demonstrate an extreme way to flourish in this world that Drake’s visiting, showing how his visceral and unorthodox sounds complement Pi’erre’s sci-fi soundscapes. He hypes Drake for the new song’s first half, guiding him through the uncharted waves. “Pain 1993” also showcases the two sides of Playboi Carti: He was once a living punctuation mark, accenting the songs of superstars like Lana Del Rey and A$AP Rocky with his yips and yuhs, before breaking out as a hyphenate solo star, someone who can baby-voice, rap, and command a track all on his own. In Pi’erre’s hands, Drake can rap fewer words and he doesn’t need to stir intrigue with TMZ bars. And there’s plenty of room for Drake to operate without sounding like he’s a carpetbagger in the land of youth and zeitgeist.

Even without the unauthorized previews, there’s a recognizable comfort to the pristine and serene “Pain 1993.” Carti’s go-to producer Pi’erre Bourne offers a beat that glimmers like sheet metal. Because the track features Playboi Carti, it’s been leaked and anticipated like few other entries on the project, available in low-grade snippets for months. And now there‘s “Pain 1993,” the standout track on Drake’s first full-length project of 2020, Dark Lane Demo Tapes.

When i heard that playboi carti tape