While fans are savoring Playboi Carti’s long-awaited release, I Am Music, one artist isn’t necessarily too fond of the new album. On Friday morning (March 14), Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) shared his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar’s heavy involvement on Carti’s 30-track effort.
“I DON’T LIKE KENDRICK LAMARS MUSIC,” an exacerbated Ye posted on X. “HE RAPS VERY GOOD BUT I DIDNT NEED TO HEAR HIM ON CARTI ALBUM.”
Billboard reached out to Playboi Carti and Kendrick Lamar’s reps for comment.
Ye’s targeted post of Lamar comes a month after he said that the Compton rapper was the only one who could beat him in a rap battle. “If you rap against Kendrick, you will lose,” Ye said during his interview with Justin LaBoy on The Download. “This man does this. You know, in Street Fighter, you get Chun-Li, you get a certain kick, and no matter what, you can’t beat that thing?”
Continued Ye, who has faced ongoing backlash for his hate speech: “If you rap against Kendrick Lamar, like Joe Budden said, ‘Never rap against Kendrick Lamar.’ If you rap against Kendrick Lamar, it’s a difficult task, but perhaps it’s something … I’m a psycho genius, so you know, it could be.”
Carti’s colossal release includes three Lamar appearances. The newly formed tandem teamed up on “Good Credit,” “Mojo Jojo” and the Ye-produced song “Backdoor.” For Carti, I Am Music marks his return after a five-year layoff after his seminal 2020 album Whole Lotta Red debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 100,000 equivalent album units, marking his first-ever chart-topper.
Aside from K. Dot’s trio of assists, I Am Music features a stacked lineup of hip-hop heavyweights including Future, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert and more. Fans experienced delays after a promised midnight release from the self-proclaimed King Vamp. After missing out on the initial 12 a.m. ET drop, Cardi vowed the album would come out at 3 a.m. ET, but it arrived closer to 4.
For Carti, I Am Music is shaping up to be a well-timed release. He’ll quickly get the ball rolling with his headlining performance at Rolling Loud California this weekend. Shortly after, Carti will embark on a stadium tour with The Weeknd, where he’ll serve as his opener.
