I Can't Even See: Lookin by Playboi Carti
Soundcloud rap is a label that, for better or worse, is slowly starting to fade away. Used to describe a new wave of music exploding into mainstream rap in 2017, hallmarks of the genre included reiterative beats, ad-libs galore, and a distinct unconcern with lyrical value.
Early espousers of the Soundcloud wave included SpaceGhostPurrp, Lil Pump, Lil Yachty, Smokepurpp, and Lil Uzi Vert. Coming relatively late to the scene, however, was Jordan Terrell Carter, better known as Playboi Carti. On April 14, 2017 Playboi Carti released his first commercial mixtape, appropriately titled Playboi Carti. Well received by critics and fans alike, the album featured hypnotic beats from producers such as Pi’erre Bourne and MexikoDro as well as almost unintelligible delivery from Carti himself.
What distinguishes Carti from many of his peers in the “mumble rapper” category is his extraordinary ability to innovate, and, indeed, redefine the limits of Western popular musical form. Determining what era a Carti song is from is as simple as listening to the track, as with every year, Carti continues to push further and further into uncharted musical territory.
The sonic equivalent to the first picture of a black hole, Lookin wastes no time in discussing the crux of the matter with its opening line (don’t worry if you missed it the first time; it comprises perhaps half the song)
Look at these n[**]s.
Making clear his disdain for the gentlemen around him, Carti issues a cautionary tale to choose one’s friends carefully to the backdrop of an oscillating, reverbing synth. Carti’s lyrics, using fewer unique words than a Dr. Seuss novel, complement the trance-inducing instrumental. In fact, Lookin blurs the line between a Soundcloud classic and spiritual meditative music meant to elevate the human condition.
Carti does not leave anything to the imagination when he describes his euphoric state:
I can’t even see, ooh
N[**]s envy me, ooh
B[**], I’m MVP, ooh
Perhaps referring to the transitory period in which one experiences ocular loss when awakening a “third eye,” a sign of enlightenment, Carti proclaims his heightened status to the listener, explaining why he can no longer associate with most mortals.
Another noteworthy line comes from Carti’s longtime associated act, Lil Uzi Vert. Mr. Vert immediately switches up the flow from Carti’s lulling delivery to an infectious, emphatic spitting. Lyrically, he focuses his presentation on several topics, including the fairer sex, firearms, and a fondness for bodily ornamentation. One particularly clever line goes as:
I’m a walking lick, woo, lick, lick, lick, lick
Told the girl I do not wanna fuck told her just lick, woo
Lick, lick, lick, ohh, ohh, ohh.
In its first occurrence, “lick”1 is a colloquialism for an easy source of money, particularly through robbing. However, he later uses the word to describe non-committal oral sex, a clever mix up. Surely there’s no more to be gleaned from that verse, right? Wrong. Take a look again carefully; doesn’t something seem off?
Yes, that’s right; there, in the first line: “I’m a walking lick.” Why would an individual such as Mr. Vert exuberantly proclaim that he is an easy source of money to anyone who would dare divest from him? Indeed, in both classic and modern hip-hop, a common theme is an MC’s desire to protect his hard-earned wealth and personal property. However, Mr. Vert subverts this capitalistic expectation, and almost invites the gentry of the streets to “pull up” on him. This further reinforces his persona as a hedonistic, gung-ho character, singular in his pursuit to enjoy himself, misfortune be damned.
I could go on and on discussing this cornerstone of trap canon, but to be completely honest, no amount of written exposition can do this song justice. Words fail to capture the beauty and sublime found within Carti’s tour de force. What, then, is a fan supposed to do to fully appreciate Lookin? That, dear reader, is to listen.