Playboi Carti opened the floodgates of a new generation in rap with his own imprint, Opium, kickstarted by the release of Whole Lotta Red in 2020. Since then, his signees Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely, (and Homixide Gang, too, I guess) have released droves of music and cultivated swarming fanbases. Yet, somehow, Playboi Carti never releases music with any of them. Even Music, a sprawling epic that features guest vocals on nearly half of its 30 songs, doesn’t find space for the artists under his wing. Instead, he reunites with plenty of familiar faces: Travis Scott, Future, Skepta, Young Thug, and the Weeknd, all past collaborators, each contribute at least once on the record. Most surprisingly, Kendrick Lamar appears three times on Music, acting as hypeman on “Mojo Jojo” before dropping off scathing verses on “Backd00r” and “Good Credit.” Dot’s uncanny laughter on the latter track is something out of a horror flick.

The Return of 16*29

If you were there when Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert dropped their first-ever collab, “Left Right,” in 2015, you may be eligible for senior health benefits. This release, and the short-lived Left Right Tour from 2016, marked the start of a bromance for the two self-proclaimed rockstars. They’ve dropped several tracks together and spent years teasing a joint-album, 16*29, before leaks and diverging life paths prevented it from properly materializing. For a while, it seemed like they wouldn’t collaborate again. Thankfully, Uzi and Carti have finally linked again on Music, joining forces on “Jumpin.” It’s a far cry from the bubbly effervescence of “Lookin” and “Wokeuplikethis*.” Here, they’re instead intoning from the bottom of their throats, tweaking off drugs in dark rooms. On the flip side, “Twin Trim” gives Uzi the space for a solo interlude, lilting over twinkling horns and smiley synths to bring back the shiny gleam of the old days.