Rapper Playboi Carti sat down for an interview with German publication Numéro Berlin, where he revealed some of the secrets behind his “chaotic and crazy” creative process. The musician, who originally went by $ir Cartier when he broke onto the scene in 2011, began turning heads with the release of his self-titled mixtape in 2017, which featured guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert and A$AP Rocky.
Playboi Carti became known for eschewing traditional hip-hop beats for a more unique sonic experience combining punk, rock, and rap. He became equally renowned for his repeated insistence that he’s a blood-sucking vampire.
In keeping with that narrative, Carti announced to Numéro Berlin that he recently spent three months holed up in a cave. The purpose of the visit wasn’t to get acquainted with his winged brethren, but instead to record some edgy new tracks. Carti told the outlet that his choice of recording locations was borne out of a desire to isolate himself with his art.
"I really try to stay out my head, I try to stay out my phone and I just try to lock in. I’m in my surroundings" Carti explained. “I've been recording in Paris. I love Paris. I was recording in a cave for like three months and all the music that came out of that is just chaotic and crazy."
Carti went on to elaborate that individual locations greatly impact his creative process. After leaving the cave, he found himself “in a glass house somewhere in the [Hollywood] Hills and the music there is just very good to the ears. And then, I'm in Atlanta and the tensions are just high and the music is biting. So, it's the little things like that that keep me going.”
Regarding his vampiric persona, Carti explained to Complex in 2017 that it all goes back to the classic 1987 teen horror movie The Lost Boys. The film stars Corey Haim and Corey Feldman as pals who must defeat a gang of motorcycle riding vampires in a coastal California community.
“I paused the movie and played my music over top of it and it looked so crazy,” he said. “I thought, ‘Damn, I wanna look like this.’ That’s me, that’s Playboi Carti, a vampire on a dirt bike. Flying. Laughing and shit. The fangs, my grills. Long hair, dreads. Rock star shit. You know what I’m saying? It’s fire.”
