When is Playboi Carti’s third studio album ‘I AM MUSIC’ dropping? Release date explored as rapper teases fans on social media

It's been well over four years since Playboi Carti delivered his sophomore studio album Whole Lotta Red, which debuted at No.1 on Billboard 200 after selling 100,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

While his upcoming third studio album, now titled I AM MUSIC, was originally scheduled to be delivered to streaming platforms last year, the project has faced multiple delays in its release. However, the rapper has consistently released singles and snippets of new work on social media.

All through 2025, fans have noticed several "I AM MUSIC" posters and billboards pop up across major cities in North America, hinting at the project's oncoming release.

This past weekend, Carti stirred up fan anticipation around his upcoming LP with several social media posts that suggested his third album would be dropping soon. Carti responded to a fan who commented on his Instagram post, requesting him to drop the album, stating "Fosho".

Notably, Carti tagged Spotify in a series of posts made via his record label, Opium Records, hinting at the release of I AM MUSIC when he stated:

"SPOTIFY WHAT WE DOIN LETS GONE CLEAR DESE HO AHH *** OUT"

According to reports from HipHopDX, the company responded with several hourglass emoticons furthering the hype surrounding I AM MUSIC's 2025 release. As per Playboi Carti's pre-save listing of the album, on his website, fans wishing to purchase the project are greeted with a disclaimer that states:

"ALBUM WILL BE AVAILABLE NEAR THE RELEASE DATE, NO LATER THAN SIX MONTHS FROM SEPTEMBER 12, 2024."

Based on the notice on Carti's website, I AM MUSIC should be scheduled for distribution to all major streaming platforms on March 12, 2024.

With about a week left from the album's speculated release date, the rapper's decision to generate hype amongst his fanbase seems to be working given the rise in search activity surrounding his highly anticipated follow up to WLR.

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When did Playboi Carti first announce 'I AM MUSIC'?

Three months after Whole Lotta Red's 2020 Christmas release, on March 13, 2021, Carti announced his intention to release a follow-up to his chart-topping sophomore studio album.

In August that year, Carti took to Instagram to reveal that an upcoming project would be delivered on his 25th birthday in a post whose caption read:

"NARCISSIST 09/13/21"

The official album cover for Playboi Carti's sophomore studio album 'Whole Lotta Red' released to all streaming platforms on December 25, 2020 (Image via YouTube/@playboicarti)

After months of silence, in an exclusive interview with XXL Magazine, issued in April 2022, Carti confirmed the existence of a new project titled MUSIC, silently announcing the abandonment of his NARCISSIST LP.

During his interview with Vanessa Satten, Carti previewed several unreleased snippets from the project, which she cited as featuring a new "deeper voice". When asked about themes he intended to explore on this project, the rapper stated:

"Love. S*x. Drugs. I’ve been rapping about going to rehab. I want to go to rehab because I think I’m bipolar.”

By November 2023, after more than a year of no new music but several leaks, which included his album's lead single ALL RED, Carti would provide greater details into his highly anticipated project during an interview with German fashion magazine Numéro Berlin, stating:

"I’ve been recording in Paris, in a cave, for like three months, and all the music that came out of that is just chaotic and crazy. Then, I’m in a glass house, somewhere in the hills… And then, I’m in Atlanta and the tensions are just high and the music is biting.”

On December 7, 2023, Playboi Carti took to Instagram to post multiple artworks of the phrase "I AM MUSIC," seemingly confirming the official and running title for his third studio album.

He and everyone from his camp would then reportedly make the I AM MUSIC artwork their profile picture on Instagram. Fans also noticed that Pharrell Williams and producer Goxan had updated their profile pictures as well, seemingly suggesting their contributions to Carti's upcoming album.

Screenshot from Playboi Carti's official visualizer for 'ALL RED' released as the lead single for 'I AM MUSIC' (Image via YouTube/@playboicarti)

Since then Playboi Carti has featured on mutliple singles, including his chart-topping collaboration titled Carnival, featured on Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, and Ty Dolla $ign's 2024 album Vultures 1.

On September 13, 2024, he dropped his first solo release since 2020, delivering the lead single, ALL RED, as part of the rollout for his upcoming I AM MUSIC album. The record was distributed to all major streaming platforms via AWGE and Interscope Records, alongside an official visualizer directed by LOUIEKNOWS.

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With Playboi Carti's I AM MUSIC seemingly around the corner, fan anticipation seems to be at an all-time high, supported by multiple online media outlets reposting the forthcoming release of the Opium CEO's third studio album.