Rage rap meets a soulful sample. There are times when clashing aesthetics and opposites attract, but this isn’t one, as Swamp Izzo’s tag feels overbearing. Carti touches on substance abuse, from using pills to ketamine, and even compares himself to Young Thug. “OPM Babi” could’ve been taken to another level. — MICHAEL SAPONARA

Four and a half years after releasing Whole Lotta Red —probably the most beloved, influential rap album of the 21st century—he finally said “fuck it” and dropped MUSIC (formerly I Am Music ), a sprawling 30-track odyssey into the mind of one of trap’s true contemporary visionaries.

US rapper Playboi Carti has earned his first number one album in the UK chart with his latest offering, Music. This is the Atlanta-born musician’s third studio album after 2018’s Die Lit, which peaked at number 27,