For millions of starving fans, gratification comes in the form of a bald British man on Instagram, shrieking a brief announcement of new music on behalf of the enigmatic rap superstar Playboi Carti.
Feral with anticipation, fans of the rapper turn any social media platform into their battleground on these rare and momentous evenings. They boast of their dedication—surviving a year(!) of radio silence and undelivered promises from Carti himself—a self-inflicted abusive parasocial relationship for these staunch supporters.
Whispers of new albums have haunted Carti’s community nearly since its inception, establishing a routine of disappointment for veteran fans leading up to the rapper’s much-rumored and genre-bending 2020 release “Whole Lotta Red.”
More music was announced through an Instagram post by the rapper, scheduled to release on Sept. 13, 2021. The date came and went with no new material, and disappointed fans labeled Carti a liar.
The rollout for his upcoming project, titled simply “Music,” has again been anything but smooth. “Music” was first teased back in December 2022, with nothing but a cryptic image and a title. All other promotional material halted until December 2023, when a snippet dubbed “Ur The Moon” was released alongside a massive banner declaring, “I AM MUSIC.” Those close to Carti ensured that the long-awaited album was guaranteed in January.
After positive announcements, Carti’s upcoming tour has been postponed for the second time in a year, and jaded fans continue to voice extreme disappointment despite being satiated with consistent new singles. Playboi Carti’s signature mystery remains essential to his brand and personality, attracting new listeners and disappointing those who expect transparency from their favorite artists.
Mirroring the devotion and agony found in the Carti community, rumors of Kanye West’s, legally known as Ye’s, new collab album with Ty Dolla $ign, titled “Vultures,” have sent fans of the rapper into a frenzy. Disappointment after continued album rumors has been a hallmark of Ye’s community since 2018, after the cancellation of his now-defunct project “Yandhi.”
Since then, obsessive fans have followed all news of the rapper’s newest projects, including his aforementioned “Vultures,” set to release on Jan. 12. Ye’s antics on social media, and near-constant delays of the album leave its release status murky. Notably, “Vultures” marks Ye’s first release since the anti-Semitic statements he made in 2022, garnering a notoriously poor public perception.
Any news about the album is taken with a grain of salt by fans, disillusioned by previous deception. Both rappers maintain a cryptic persona at the cost of the goodwill of their fans, leading to an arms race of mystery associated with these two landmark album rollouts.
