BEHIND THE STITCH: ALANI
June 21, 2024
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Playboi Carti has once again sent waves through the hip-hop landscape with the official confirmation of his next studio album BABY BOI, slated for release later this year. Coming on the heels of his critically acclaimed and chart-topping album MUSIC, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with over 250,000 units sold in its first week, Carti is showing no signs of slowing down. The announcement marks the start of a new era for the Atlanta-born rapper–one fans are already calling the “BABY BOI season.”
Carti’s reputation for mystique and musical reinvention has only intensified the hype surrounding BABY BOI. Longtime collaborator DJ Swamp Izzo confirmed in an interview that the album is fully complete and hinted at an enormous recording vault of 50 to 60 songs created for the project. This massive body of work suggests that BABY BOI may reflect an even more experimental and daring Carti than we’ve seen before. The rapper’s dedication to cultivating a unique soundscape ranging from punk-rap chaos to melodic haze is expected to deepen with this new release.
Two tracks, “SHE DON’T LEAVE” and “I DO THE MOST,” have already been identified as part of the upcoming album, giving fans a taste of what’s to come. While Carti has yet to provide a concrete release date, he’s made it clear via social media and live appearances that the album is imminent. In fact, during his explosive headlining set at Rolling Loud California 2025, Carti teased unreleased material while riding the momentum of MUSIC’s recent success. The performance only heightened fan anticipation for BABY BOI, reinforcing his status as one of the most captivating live acts in hip-hop today.
On platforms like X, Instagram, and Reddit, fan speculation is running wild. Some followers believe BABY BOI may feature surprise collaborations with the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Ken Carson, Justin Bieber, and even a posthumous verse from XXXTentacion. While unconfirmed, Carti’s track record of unpredictable pairings and genre-defying sounds lends some credibility to these theories. The album is expected to push the sonic boundaries further, with Carti reportedly leaning into avant-garde production, otherworldly melodies, and his signature distorted vocal style.
Carti has also been using social media to stir the pot, dropping cryptic Instagram captions and reposting fan edits that feature the phrase “we pushin Bby Boi.” His cult-like fanbase has responded in kind, flooding timelines with imagined tracklists, cover art, and theories about the album’s themes. From early indicators, BABY BOI might not just be an album–it could be a full-blown aesthetic movement in the making.
With MUSIC still fresh and dominating the charts, Carti’s decision to double down with another album release in the same year speaks volumes. It suggests not only a creative high point for the artist but also a calculated bid to cement his legacy in the current rap era. If MUSIC was a statement, then BABY BOI looks poised to be the exclamation mark. And for fans who have waited through Carti’s past delays and evasive drops, the momentum behind BABY BOI feels different–this time, the album really could be coming.
In the cryptic, hyper-stylized world of Playboi Carti, nothing is ever truly predictable. But one thing is certain: 2025 is Carti’s year, and BABY BOI might just be the genre-warping masterpiece that takes him to an even higher stratosphere.
