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.
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Their First Encounter
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.
The Whole Lotta Red Era
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.
The Donda & Vultures Collaborations
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.
Read More: Iggy Azalea Alleges Kanye West Planned To Start Adult Entertainment Company Called "Donda"
The Falling Out
After MUSIC was released, Kanye West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian posted an Instagram story with a lyric from the song “FINE SH*T” where Playboi Carti mentioned her Skims clothing brand. Carti responded to the story by saying he wanted to do a song with North, West and Kardashian’s eldest daughter. Carti referred to North as his “niece,” indicating how close he and West previously were.
Kanye West did not respond favorably to the request. He took to X to declare that Carti would not be allowed to do any songs with North, voicing his displeasure at being left off the album. “HOW IT LOOK FOR ME TO GET LEFT OFF THE ALBUM AND THEN HE ASK KIM TO HAVE VOCALS FROM MY DAUGHTER,” West wrote in his first tweet for Carti. "HIM GOING TO MY EX TO ASK MY DAUGHTER TO BE ON A SONG 2 DAYS LATER WAS TOO FAR. NOBODY FINNA PLAY WITH ME." During the rant, West also posted a video claiming he “put [Carti] on,” disavowing Carti calling North his niece and saying that if she was his niece, he “wouldn’t let her get trafficked.” He also claimed that he was going to end Carti’s career, intending to do “everything [West] can” to “legally burn [Carti] in a gas chamber.”
He later directed his ire at Iggy Azalea and Onyx (Carti’s son). “HEY IGGG AZALEA I NEED TO GET ONYX VOCALS ON MY SONG THATS MY NEPHEW OH AND IMA RAP ABOUT ONE OF YOUR BUSINESSES THE F*CK?” Azalea responded to West’s comments by asking for her and her son to have some peace, as Onyx will one day learn about all of this. Carti was much more succinct in his response to West’s firestorm. He tweeted “YE STFU,” signaling the end of an ultimately short-lived but popular duo.
Read More: Kanye West Drags "Pawn" Kendrick Lamar And Cuts Playboi Carti & Ty Dolla $ign From "Bully"
Is It Really Over?
On March 20, West resumed his tweet barrage against Playboi Carti, calling being left off MUSIC “the final heartbreak” in a since-deleted post, also sharing the link to a 2022 video that contained police bodycam footage of Carti’s pregnant ex-girlfriend accusing him of strangling her. The claims made in the video led to Carti being charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of hindering persons making an emergency telephone call. Following those tweets, Iggy Azalea recounted her first meeting with West on a Kick stream. She said that he made several lewd remarks and played pornography during their conversation. West himself responded to a clip of the story by simply tweeting “this is true.” Azalea continues to be an unwilling participant in West’s beef with Carti, while Carti himself has not responded to West beyond the “STFU” remark.
Playboi Carti and Kanye West are among two of hip-hop’s most eclectic and controversial artists. They came together because of similar outlooks on music for a collection of hit songs and an album that doubled as a foundational piece for a new sound. One creative decision blew up whatever positive relationship they had. Reconciliation is always possible, as feuding rappers have patched things up after far worse fallings-out than this one. But, based on where they are in their lives, it feels unlikely that these two will ever see eye-to-eye again.
