Playboi Carti is one of the most enigmatic artists in all of hip hop.
From his affinity for Rick Owens clothing and tweets that read like Carti is speaking a language he made up himself to the one-of-one sound he’s perfected over the last half-decade, the Die Lit rapper is one-of-a-kind. Backed up by one of the most intense fanbases in music, Carti sometimes feels more like a cult leader than a musician, and based on how his concerts look (and his half-assertions that his fanbase is a cult), the 25-year-old is all about the rage.
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Dropping his second studio album on Christmas Day, 2020, Whole Lotta Red was left off nearly all end-of-year lists last year, and it was unclear if releasing new music on such a major holiday would affect his selling power. Fortunately for Carti, the Future, Kanye West and Kid Cudi-assisted Whole Lotta Red debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (his first #1 album), and moved 100,000 album equivalent units in its first week.
Fast forward almost an entire year to today (December 9, 2021), and WLR has quintupled that number.
According to chartdata on Twitter, Whole Lotta Red surpassed the 500,000 sales threshold, earning the record an RIAA Gold Certification. And while Carti came up short on his promise that his next album, Narcissist, would release on his birthday in September, it’s clear that The Vamps are still spinning Whole Lotta Red as their fearless leaders finishes the third and final leg of its supporting tour.
What do you think of Whole Lotta Red going gold? Let us know & drop your favorite song from the album down in the comments.