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Can Playboi Carti Maintain His Superstar Run For the Long Haul? (Critic’s Take)

After securing the biggest rap album of 2025 so far, can Playboi Carti keep his hot streak intact beyond his MUSIC album?

Over the last couple years, he’s left indelible prints on songs like Kanye’s “Carnival,” Future and Metro Boomin’s “Type S–t,” Travis Scott’s “Fe!n,” and The Weeknd’s “Timeless,” which all became Hot 100 flamethrowers, with the first becoming his first No. So far, Carti might have a heater on his hands with “EVIL J0RDAN,” which is in the early lead as MUSIC ’s most popular record, netting nearly 53 million plays on Spotify and debuts just behind Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s five-week No.1 “Luther” at the runner-up spot on this week’s Hot 100. Carti’s vision isn’t one that everyone can understand, especially those from an older era, but the fact that he has earned the trust and respect of both Mount Rushmore-caliber rappers like Lamar and Future and even current generational leaders like Uzi and Travis speaks to his unflappable influence.

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