Rockstar Made: Playboi Carti's Whole Lotta Red Hits No. 1

all of the way back in May 2018, Playboi Carti dropped his beloved, star-studded debut album, Die Lit, which eventually hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Nearly three years without an album can be a long time in the streaming economy — especially with peers like Taylor Swift releasing two in the length of five months — and as Carti kept busy popping up on features with Solange, Tyler, the Creator, and Drake (and dealing with persistent leaks), his second LP became especially anticipated.


That likely explains the groundswell that's caused Whole Lotta Red to hit No. 1 this week, knocking Swift's Evermore from the best spot, as Billboard reports. It's Carti's first No. 1 and features visitor appearances from Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Future.


The rattling and booming Whole Lotta Red was first reported in 2018, shortly immediately following the release of Die Lit, and was finally released on Christmas. It features 24 tracks across just over a hour — and moreover to being Carti's first No. 1, it also marks his third charting release; his 2017 self-titled mixtape reached No. 12.


Before Whole Lotta Red's release, multiple Carti songs were leaked online, including some presumably intended for final inclusion on the album. Intricate talked to a person who claimed responsibility for uploading them, via The Fader, who mentioned, "It will keep happening because there really are die-hard fans of the artists out here. It's just the nature of things."


Without consideration of the backstory, Whole Lotta Red is here, and it's connecting. Carti tweeted out his thanks to fans any time the news of his latest milestone hit.