Playboi Carti Spent 4 Years Perfecting New Album, Producer Cardo Says

Playboi Carti’s new album has been four years in the making, according to the rapper’s producer Cardo, who recently shared insights about the project’s intense creative process.

In an interview with Lucid Monday, filmed during SXSW earlier this year, Cardo confirmed his involvement in the highly anticipated follow-up to Whole Lotta Red and described working on the album as “crazy” and “fun.”

“I’m going to Atlanta to finish up Carti’s s–t. It’s been crazy — in a good way. It’s been crazy fun, just being able to wake up and he decides to drop a song you produced. It’s weird,” Cardo said. “I’ve known Carti since 2016, but me and him have been working on this new album for a good four years.”

Back in April, Cardo also spoke to Billboard about working with the “Sky” hitmaker.

“That’s my little brother, man. Just being around him, the young one, you know, and gaining some kind of different kind of energy and inspiration from what he’s doing, seeing what levels he’s going on, it kind of gives me an idea of what levels I should just keep going,” he said.

“That’s how we’re creating all these fun records, breaking all these barriers that people made up.”

I Am Music, Carti’s forthcoming album, has generated excitement for quite some time now. Back in February, Carti joined streamer Adin Ross on his Kick channel, where he teased what fans can expect from the album.

“Mindblowing,” Carti described the record when asked by Ross. “My best. My very best — it’s actually insane.”

Earlier this year, Carti began the album’s rollout with a series of singles, including the Kanye West-produced “2024,” “Backr00ms” featuring Travis Scott, and “H00dByAir.” The tracks led many fans to believe that I Am Music was imminent, but Carti has since taken a step back from the spotlight, even going as far as to cancel his Antagonist Tour.

Despite this, Carti has had a notable year thanks to several high-profile collaborations.

In March, he scored his first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Carnival,” a track by Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign featuring Carti and Rich The Kid. Another major collaboration, “Type Shit,” featuring Future, Metro Boomin, and Travis Scott from the We Don’t Trust You album, peaked at No. 2 and earned a gold plaque.