Playboi Carti Previewed New Songs At Rolling Loud Miami

There was a $10,000 prize up for grabs at a recent Drake look-alike contest in his hometown of Toronto. In other news: 

• Billboard Hot 100 📈

• Playboi Carti delivered a wild performance of ‘I AM MUSIC’ 🤪

• Lil Wayne and Skip Bayless talk “wacced out murals” 👀

• Industry Insights 🔎

Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

Songs from K. Dot’s newest album, GNX, like “squabble up,” are still in the top 10 even though Christmas is pushing them down the charts. “Timeless” from The Weeknd and Carti and “Sticky” by Tyler, the Creator are also in a decline this week despite last week’s uptick.

Carti Delivers at Rolling Loud Miami

Playboi Carti has been teasing his next project, I AM MUSIC, since 2022. So far this year, he has dropped new collabs like “BACKR00MS” with Travis Scott, dropped visualizers for new songs like “ALL RED,” revealed that Ye is working on the album and there might be no features. 

When it came to his highly anticipated performance at this year’s Rolling Loud Miami, he said he was planning on previewing new songs from the project. Understandably, fans had their doubts—but it seems like Carti actually came through for his ride-or-dies. 

Carti is back in his bag 

Sunday was a big day for Opium, with performances from Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson, and Homixide Gang. As the label’s leader, he had to show out. His full setlist included “H00DBYAIR,” his Future, Metro, and La Flame collab “Type Shit,” “Different Day,” and “Shoota.” However, he also debuted five unreleased tracks for those eagerly awaiting the new album. 

The first new song and opener of the show, allegedly titled “CRUSH,” features Scott and production credits from F1LTHY. Then, Carti shared “C*CAINE NOSE” with plenty of guitar, fire, and headbangers to support the rock-heavy instrumentals. “WALK” was the next unreleased track that sounded like it would be perfect for next Halloween. 

Finally, Carti closed out his new previews with the songs “DRUGSGOTMENUMB” (which was teased earlier this week on his Instagram with production from Metro Boomin) and a new collab with The Weeknd called “LOSE YOU” (with production also from F1LTHY, Mike Dean and Ojivolta). 

The rapper showed his pearly whites and let the crowd know that he loved them (despite the album being ridiculously delayed). He also made sure to get back in his vampire bag and perform upside down like the bat his fans think he is. 

He might not have dropped the full project yet, but fans are already betting that this project will be album of the year (even though the specific year is TBD). 

Lil Wayne Puts an End to the Kendrick Drama

On September 8, Kendrick Lamar was announced to be next year's Super Bowl halftime performer—and shit immediately hit the fan. Longtime Lil Wayne fans and collaborators like Nicki Minaj immediately began attacking Jay-Z and the others who made the decision. Lil Wayne shared that he was hurt by not being chosen, leading to K. Dot addressing the issue on the GNX track "wacced out murals." 

"Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud, Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down," Lamar rapped. 

Now, on December 16, Lil Wayne sat down with Skip Bayless to share what he felt about the track and K. Dot's performance at one of the most significant sporting events of the year. 

Wayne has no hard feelings

When it came to "wacced out murals," hearing Skip read the mention to Wayne was the first time he had ever heard it (despite a November 23 post that fans thought referenced the song). 

However, he said, "he is a fan like I am a fan of his music. He saw like everybody else how much it meant to me. And I think that is all he meant by that." The Louisiana native also said he talked to Lamar on the phone and "wished him all the best and that he better kill it."

Bayless believed politics played a role in the decision, leaving him "baffled and angry." However, Wayne sees it as not being his time just yet. 

"For whatever reason, I believe it's over my head…I don't know why, period. Obviously, I believe that it's perfect… I do not know why…The person I am? I straight look at it like, 'you ain't there, you gotta get there,'" the rapper said. With his debut album, Tha Block is Hot, dropping in 1999, numerous people believe this should have been when Lil Wayne got his flowers. 

Back in September, Wayne said that the decision "hurt a whole lot. I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot."

He shared that he will be out of the country on the day of the Super Bowl, and it looks like we won't get a joint performance from K. Dot and Wayne. Hopefully, though, the rapper will still feel the love from those who support him the most. 

• Lil Durk is staying behind bars. His 3.3 million dollar bond request was denied after the rapper was linked to another murder-for-hire case back in 2022. 

• The Drake and Kendrick beef brought in major bank. Their diss tracks brought in a total of 15.3 million dollars USD, according to Billboard. 

• Joey Bada$$ is back in school. Next year, he will be the first “Artist Scholar in Residence at Columbia University’s Edmund W. Gordon Institute.”

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