Playboi Carti dropped his long-awaited third album, MUSIC, on March 14. It had a hugely successful opening, topping the Billboard 200 at release with first week sales of nearly 300 thousand copies. It is the biggest first week for a rap release in 2025 so far. Now, it has added another distinction to its commercial success, by becoming the first rap release of 2025 to reach one million copies sold.
Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U has also sold one million copies since its Valentine’s Day release. However, $$$4U is much more of an R&B album, though there are a handful of rap tracks on the project.
The milestone reiterates Carti’s status as one of the most popular acts in the current mainstream hip-hop landscape. The new release nearly tripled the first week of his 2020 album, Whole Lotta Red, which sold 100 thousand copies at that time. In his time away, he only grew more popular, which is not something that tends to happen in hip-hop.
Playboi Carti MUSIC
Playboi Carti is currently touring with The Weeknd. He’s been opening for the pop star on the presumptive final North American leg of his tour, which has lasted for over three years now. Unfortunately for fans, Carti was not able to perform at the Vancouver or Edmonton stops on the tour, citing “border crossing issues.” His status for the Toronto shows at the end of July and early August remains to be seen.
Musically, Carti has also been a bit more active than usual. He recently appeared on JACKBOYS 2, delivering one of the stronger moments on an album that has otherwise received mixed reviews. Hopefully, he doesn’t make his fans wait another four and a half years for the next album.
