“Higher than GNX is crazy”- Internet divided as Pitchfork rates Playboi Carti’s 'MUSIC' a 7.7/10

Playboi Carti's third studio album, MUSIC, is reportedly on-track to become one of the largest hip-hop album debuts for 2025, after becoming Spotify's 7th largest album debut of all time, following its release last Friday (March 16).

The 30-record project dominated this past weekend, generating over 139 million opening-day streams, boasting features from rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Future, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, and more.

While the Carti fandom was highly pleased with the project's eventual release, given the Atlanta rapper has been teasing this LP for several years, multiple critics seemed to have had mixed reviews about MUSIC.

Recently, music publication Pitchfork reviewed the album, calling it the "purest distillation of Playboi Carti," while praising the rapper's eccentricities and wild vocal inflections that carried the 77 minute LP.

The review, written by Alphonse Pierre, cites that MUSIC celebrates Carti as a torch-bearer of modern-day Atlanta rap music, with the critic rating the album a "7.7/10".

With MUSIC expected to debut at No.1 on Billboard 200 next week, the news of Pitchfork's recent review of Playboi Carti's third studio album has gone viral across the internet.

Netizens were seen discussing the publication's "7.7" review, which was reposted by NFR Podcast, with one individual poking fun at the fact that Carti scored a higher rating that Kendrick Lamar's chart-topping sixth studio album GNX, which was released to streaming platforms on November 22, 2024.

More reactions followed from individuals drawing comparisons between Playboi Carti's MUSIC and recently released albums like Kendrick's GNX, Ice Spice's Y2K!, and Drake and PartyNextDoor's R&B collaborative LP $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U.

"Higher than GNX LMAOOOOO," a user exclaimed.

"Higher than both $$$4U and GNX... Yeah I agree. King Carti," a fan agreed.

"0.1 more than Ice Spice," cited another.

"Lol higher than $$$4U and GNX," an individual stated.

Playboi Carti fans appeared ecstatic at Pitchfork's review of MUSIC, shouting praise for the Atlanta rapper and his latest effort, with many supporting the publication's review of the project.

"NGL this is about right there are some misses but most were hard, LIKE WHEEZY, COCAINE NOSE, CHARGE DEM HO*S A FEE, GOOD CREDIT, and JUMPIN are my favorites. I’m black, I listen to punk, thrash metal, EDM, trap, etc and this will be like [Whole Lotta Red] people hate it, then love it," a fan claimed.

"That’s fair IMO. If I re-listened to the album a few times and had to make a rating on a scale from 1 - 10, I feel like I’d put it around the 7 - 8 mark too," added another.

"Good rating tbh. I feel like the first half was the best part of the album, 2nd half was very rocky but still has good gems. Overall good album," said another fan.

A few individuals were even seen criticizing Pitchfork and their review model, with individuals claiming the publication's opinion shouldn't be taken seriously.

"We all know Pitchfork is not to be trusted with reviews," a user stated.

"I think them white boys should stick to rock and definitely stay away from Hip Hop. Seriously. They haven’t a clue," another added.

"If your album is highly rated on Pitchfork, it might actually be a bad thing," a user claimed.

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Playboi Carti’s ‘MUSIC’ album expected to sell over 300,000 and debut at No.1

Playboi Carti's third studio album has been taking over the internet generating millions of streams in less than a week of its release, with several chart projections suggesting MUSIC will debut at the top of Billboard 200 next week.

Chart publication HitsDailyDouble reportedly confirmed that MUSIC has expected to sell over 300,000 album-equivalent units in it's opening week, which will mark the largest album debut for the 29-year-old rapper.

With songs like EVIL J0RDAN and RATHER LIE (feat. The Weeknd) getting picked up on social media platforms, generating over 25 million streams since it's release, its highly likely MUSIC will outperform several projects released last week.

With sales projections suggesting over 300,000 album-equivalent units sold in its opening week, Playboi Carti is aiming to push past Lady Gaga and her seveth studio album MAYHEM, to capture the No.1 spot on Billboard 200.

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As it stands, projections suggest MUSIC will mark Playboi Carti's largest album debut for his career, outperforming previous albums like Whole Lotta Red, Die Lit, and his 2017 self-titled mixtape.