Playboi Carti‘s “Magnolia” Will Be a Summer House Party Favorite

For someone with only a loose connection to A$AP Mob and, until recently, a small fistful of singles, the Atlanta-born rapper Playboi Carti might be gunning for the song of the summer. His self-titled debut mixtape dropped last Friday, and “Magnolia” is its easy standout. The song is titled after the infamous housing project and neighborhood in New Orleans where Southern rap royalty like Juvenile, Birdman, and Soulja Slim all once called home. In line with its geographical inspiration, “Magnolia” boasts a giddy New Orleans bounce beat, filled with booming grooves and rattling low-end bass. Even if he once bore the scarlet letter of a “mumble rapper,” Carti shows up for this song, his nasal voice meeting the challenge for all its worth. It’s as close to an overtime performance we‘ll likely see from Carti–which for him means his voice glides, climbs, and slides all over the instrumental like beads of condensation dripping off a cold drink. It’s a classically carefree rap anthem, all dancing, casual shit-talking (“that’s not your thotty”), and braggadocio (“I’m riding in a Mozzy/this ain’t even my Mozzy”). “Magnolia” crashes the party and starts the summer early.

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