In 2017, Pi’erre Bourne-the primary architect behind Carti’s self-titled and “Die Lit,” who’d go on to tour Australia and New Zealand with Drake-signed with Interscope. Fifteenth track “Punk Monk” details Carti’s ability to scout the next-next generation of oddball rap: Trippie Redd before the Carti comparisons, future YSL signee Lil Keed. When Tyler, the Creator released the lyrics to “IGOR,” he joked that Carti’s “Earfquake” feature “could not be transcribed.” According to “Whole Lotta Red,” though, such omnipresence bears consequences. In the two years in between “Die Lit” and “Whole Lotta Red,” Carti’s abstracted vocals added an irreverent touch to Solange’s “When I Get Home” (“Alameda”), Drake’s “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” (“Pain 1993”). But while 21-year-old Vicious died of a heroin overdose in 1979, before he could see how everything he represented became romanticized and fashionable, Carti is seeing his influence play out in real time. Anarchy is, simply, “doing whatever the fuck you want and living life to the fullest.” Last summer, Carti even got frontman Sid Vicious’ face tattooed on his forearm. “They had Vivienne Westwood, I got Matthew Williams,” he says, as in Givenchy’s creative director. But with me, I really go deep.”Ĭarti isn’t so invested in the band’s politics, “God Save the Queen” and all that, as he is with its indelible image. That’s an easy route for people not really big into the rock ‘n’ roll world, the punk world. “If I had to talk to somebody who doesn’t know anything about rock ‘n’ roll, I would name Slayer or Kiss because those bands are so big, you can’t miss them.
“Slayer is great, I love Slayer to death, but my actual favorite band is the Sex Pistols,” Carti says, as if confessing some deep, dark secret.