On March 14, Playboi Carti released his long-awaited third album, MUSIC. The album featured a long line of collaborators, including Lil Uzi Vert and three different appearances from Kendrick Lamar. However, one big name was conspicuously absent from the tracklist: Kanye West. West co-produced the song “BACKD00R,” a track that featured Lamar and Jhene Aiko. He did not rap on the album, which he attributed to Carti's fear of including him after his latest string of hateful activity on X.
Following a back-and-forth that included Iggy Azalea (the mother of Carti’s son) asking West not to name-drop her and Carti’s young son and Carti telling Ye to “STFU” in an X post that’s since garnered over 750,000 likes, it seems that a once-productive relationship is no more. But, how did we get here? How did their creative partnership, which resulted in several hit singles and platinum records, turn so sour, so quickly? Let’s take a look at their history and what led to such an explosive fallout.
After Playboi Carti relocated to New York City in 2016, he signed with AWGE and joined A$AP Mob. Joining A$AP Mob and working with de facto collective leader A$AP Rocky proved to be his way into more mainstream music circles, as he was still an aspiring artist with a cult following before that meeting. The following year, Kanye West, who Carti called a “fashion inspiration” in a Vogue Magazine interview shortly after releasing his self-titled debut mixtape, cast him as a model for his popular Yeezy clothing brand, marking the first time the two ever crossed paths.
On December 25, 2020, Playboi Carti released Whole Lotta Red, his second album. Carti experienced viral success ahead of the album’s release, with the unreleased track “Pissy Pamper” dominating TikTok in 2019 and 2020. He also appeared on the song “Pain 1993,” a collaboration with Drake. Carti had expectations to deliver on, and one of the men who helped him meet those expectations was Kanye West.
West, who was deep into his short-lived rebrand as a Christian rapper, was the executive producer of Whole Lotta Red. In a conversation with Kid Cudi for Interview Magazine, Carti called West “the OG.” He showed his appreciation for West and how he operated. “Being able to talk to somebody who understands what I’m saying, I got that from his whole camp. I felt that energy from everybody he deals with.” Carti also called him the “ultimate big bro.”
Whole Lotta Red divided fans initially, with the new aesthetic being much different from his self-titled mixtape and Die Lit. Despite that, fans quickly latched onto “Go2DaMoon,” the track with West. Despite his growing list of controversies, as well as the potential hypocrisy of being a self-professed “Christian rapper” and having such a large role in the creation of a Playboi Carti album, West was among the most celebrated hip-hop artists of the 21st century. His co-signs mattered. Whole Lotta Red is still a divisive release, but nearly five years later, it’s a foundational recording in the rage subgenre of trap music.
In 2021, Kanye West released Donda, his tenth album. The song “Off The Grid,” featuring contributions from Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign, immediately became a fan favorite. Fans and critics called it one of the best hip-hop songs of 2021. The track also experienced success numbers-wise, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and going platinum.
To open 2024, West and Carti reunited for several more songs, which appeared on West and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures collaborative albums. Of the several songs they made, “CARNIVAL,” from Vultures 1, was the topic of most discussions. West received most of the criticism for calling himself “Ye Kelly” and making references to Bill Cosby, Diddy, and Jesus. Carti received praise for his verse and energy on the track, one of the highlights on an album met with an otherwise lukewarm response. “CARNIVAL” became far and away the biggest hit of the Ye-Carti partnership. It was West’s fifth #1 single on the Hot 100 and Carti’s first. It’s also been certified double platinum. Even as West’s already precarious public image continued to deteriorate, he and Carti continued to find success musically.
NEWS
Nick Cave has reflected on reports that his massive Preston Park concert with The Bad Seeds became “the largest ticketed event in Brighton’s history”.
Read More: In conversation with Nick Cave: “There’s no metric that says virtuousness makes good art”
The legendary rock band performed in Brighton on Friday, July 31, delivering their only UK show to more than 50,000 fans while celebrating their praised 2024 record, ‘Wild God’.
The Flaming Lips, English Teacher, Cate Le Bon and Warmduscher appeared as special guests, while Kylie Minogue joined Cave for a moving rendition of ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’.
Before the main concert, the group gave fans another unexpected treat by performing an intimate acoustic set on the rooftop of Brighton’s Resident Records.
Following the packed Preston Park performance, Cave has now reflected on the milestone event, revealing that the occasion felt like a “homecoming” for several reasons.
Responding to a fan through his Red Hand Files website, Cave explained that he spent the following morning sitting along Brighton’s seafront and taking in the “near-empty, early-morning streets” while thinking about the previous night. He also revealed that his manager had told him “last night’s show was the largest ticketed event in Brighton’s history”.
While remembering the concert, Cave called it a “big day for The Bad Seeds” and said he could not “overstate the pride I feel in performing with a band that can play the rooftop of a record store in the morning, and then perform to nearly 50,000 people in the evening with the same ferocious intention”.
“There is simply no other group that can summon pure chaos and the most acute intimacy almost simultaneously, and that is both tight and anarchic within the same song,” he continued. “They are a force to behold, and it is a sheer privilege to share a stage with them.”
Discussing Minogue’s surprise appearance, Cave shared that her outfit had been created by his wife, fashion designer Susie. He also praised the Australian star as “a performer who only gives, gives and gives, then retreats, as ghosts and great performers do.”
The ‘Red Right Hand’ singer went on to express his gratitude to “everyone who came to the concert”, explaining that the evening felt like “a homecoming in many different ways”.
“Although part of me is relieved the Preston Park show is behind me, sometimes my job is so completely and emotionally overwhelming, I’m happy we could, for a delirious moment in time, create a place where the absent and the present could dance together. Again, thank you,” he finished.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will now complete their tour with a final series of European festival appearances. The group has also suggested that another record may be approaching, having revealed earlier this year that they were “messing around” in the studio and considering what could follow ‘Wild God’.
Following the release of that project, Cave appeared on ‘Honora’, the first solo album from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. He has also created a fresh recording of ‘Red Right Hand’ for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
