Allegations of violence surrounding high-profile artists — a 2022 domestic-abuse charge levied against Lil Uzi Vert met with a plea of no contest, and a 2023 felony aggravated assault charge against Carti was later reported as dismissed — imply that abrasive views on these records come from somewhere real and worrying.

After 1,540 days of anticipation, Atlanta-based rapper Playboi Carti has unleashed his third studio album MUSIC to eager fans worldwide. The 30-track collection arrived in the early hours of March 14,