It seems Playboi Carti is finally getting close to releasing his third studio album, and yesterday, we got another taste in the form of “H00DBYAIR,” his third new song of this month. Like its predecessors, “2024” and “Different Day,” “H00DBYAIR” arrived exclusively as a music video—this one posted on IG—and rose quickly up the Genius Top Songs chart.
Produced by Cardo and Onokey, “H00DBYAIR” finds Carti living large, clapping back at haters, and revealing some personal information—all over a nightmarish minor-key beat. Carti begins with an intro that touches on both his musical success and affinity for certain substances.
Uh, you gotta get high like this
You gotta get high like me
You gotta get high like this
You gotta get high like me
In the first verse, Carti seemingly references the memes comparing him to Michael Jackson in terms of uniqueness. But Carti isn’t trying to copy anyone. In fact, he’s sick of others copying him.
I was 17 on the mic
But I’m tryna be Carti, not Mike
I’m a gigolo, ho, I bite
My whole career, they bite me
On the bridge, Carti calls back to an apparently discarded title once associated with his third album (Mollyworld) and name-checks his buddy Homixide Mali. (Shoutout to Genius user @00Dosa for the Mollyworld info.)
And it’s not my world, it’s Mollyworld
And she’s not my girl, she’s Mali’s girl
You play with my top, get a referral
Put ’em in smoke, you get refeered
The second verse may offer clues regarding the sound of Carti’s next album, possibly titled Music or I AM MUSIC. It turns out the LP might not be as experimental as his last one, 2020’s Whole Lotta Red.
They wanted this album to be offset, but I told them, “I’m comin’ normal”
When you play this shit, wear a white tux, young nigga, like you in a formal, ha
On the outro, Carti appears to confirm the birth of a daughter, who must’ve arrived in the last three months, as the Atlanta rapper turned 27 in September.
I was 24 when I had lil’ Onyx
(Then I had a daughter, I had a daughter too)
Twenty-seven when I had Eve
Now I can finally sleep
You can read all the lyrics to “H00DBYAIR” on Genius now.
