Ranking The Top 5 Playboi Carti Ad-Libs
Analyzing the impact of Playboi Carti’s most iconic catchphrases from his three studio albums.
By Harry Sutton / Visuals from Liv Kienzle
Ad libitum, commonly known as “ad-lib”, is a Latin term that roughly translates to “at one’s pleasure” or “as you desire”. It has to do with the creative freedom of an artist to do whatever they want to in their work. In the modern world, ad-libs have become an incredibly popular part of rap music, and the term has been colloquialized in the world of hip-hop, now meaning an additional punctuation at the end of a bar, typically implemented for emphatic purpose. Ad-libs appear in almost every rap song, but the traditional formulas for ad-libbing have been recycled so many times to the point where many rappers look to differentiate themselves with bold and unique ad-libs. Many rappers have signature ad-libs that became synonymous with their character or brand, such as DaBaby's “let’s go” and 21 Savage’s “skraight up”.
Playboi Carti is one of the most popular trap artists in the world and is notable for a style of music that is entirely his own. Carti popularized a style of delivery in rap that is commonly known as ‘baby voice’, where he raps in a high-pitched voice with punctually delivered bars that feel almost as if he is jabbing the listener with his lyrics. The way the rhythms of his voice jut out from each other augments the chaotic and anarchical vibe of his sound.
On Christmas day of 2020, Carti released his third studio album: Whole Lotta Red. The album featured 24 tracks filled with demonic transylvanian beats and a vocal delivery that sounded like he was out of breath every time he spoke. It received mixed reception from critics, but became incredibly popular in mainstream rap circles.
In his three studio albums, Carti has introduced a profusion of ad-libs to the world. Research conducted in 2019 stated that 12.3% of Carti’s lyrics on his first two albums were ad-libs. Without further ado, let’s jump in and discuss the Top 5 Best Playboi Carti Ad-Libs.
5. Yeah
We start this list out with one of Carti’s most profusely used ad-libs throughout his career. While the affirmation is a simple and common word, Carti delivers it in a plethora of styles in order to accentuate his bars. Carti has used the ad-lib literally hundreds of times in his songs all the way from his days at home in Georgia to his Vamp era.
4. Slatt
While not entirely unique to Carti, slatt is one of the most important ad-libs in the world of rap right now, and Carti has implemented it with his own style well in his music. Popularized by Atlanta record company, YSL, and created by Young Thug, the term slatt is a huge part of rap culture. The acronym stands for “slime love at the time”, an affectionate term that YSL members and affiliates use to show their admiration for each other. Carti has used slatt as an ad-lib in some of his most popular songs, including “wokeuplikethis*”, “Long Time (Intro)”, and “Sky”.
3. Aeeayaahhh
This ad-lib isn’t the most prevalent in Carti’s career, but his squeals in the background throughout his verse on Kanye West’s “Off The Grid” add electricity to his Donda performance, but be prepared to get goosebumps if you choose to listen. While his ad-libs are typically violent and menacing, his noises on “Off The Grid” induce panic as it sounds like Carti is screaming for help while falling off a 12-story building.
2. Bih
Playboi Carti’s “bih” is both a paramounting fan-favorite and one of his most controversial ad-libs. There has been much discussion about its origin and Chief Keef has been credited with using the ad-lib “bee” years before Carti adopted it, but Carti fans will argue that Carti’s phrase “bih” is an entirely different ad-lib. Regardless of the ad-lib's origin, Carti has popularized this ad-lib and used it expertly in many songs. Unfortunately, the ad-lib’s usage has severely fallen off in recent years: while it was one of his go-tos on Playboi Carti and Die Lit, it isn’t featured on Whole Lotta Red even once. Whether this ad-lib will ever be resurrected by Carti is unknown, but fans will cherish it forever in songs like “Magnolia” and “Pull Up”.
1. What (Vamp style)
It’s clear that through working with Kanye West on WLR, Carti was pushed to his creative limits in order to invent new styles, flows, and ad-libs for the project. While Carti had used the ad-lib before in baby-voice, Whole Lotta Red saw the inquisitive ad-lib take on a new form. Carti introduced this ad-lib to the world in WLR’s intro track “Rockstar Made”and heavily featured it on his first collaboration with Kanye West, “Go2DaMoon”. Carti used this ad-lib a staggering 713 times on Whole Lotta Red. This ponderance posed by the King Vamp clearly left an impression on Kanye as he has gone on to use it in production for two songs. Kanye features this curious ad-lib repeatedly on “Off The Grid” and Fivio Foreign’s “City Of Gods”, which doesn't even feature Carti.