Playboi Carti is back—and this time, he’s come with a thunderous impact.

The enigmatic rapper’s latest album, Music, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week, delivering the biggest first-week sales for a rap project in 2025 so far. Released on March 14, the album racked up an impressive 298,000 equivalent units in its debut week, driven largely by streaming.

Of that total, a staggering 283,000 units came from streaming activity alone—powered by more than 284 million on-demand streams across the album’s hefty 30-track lineup.

This marks Carti’s second time topping the Billboard 200. His previous album, Whole Lotta Red, debuted at No. 1 in December 2020, earning a cult-like following and solidifying his reputation as one of hip-hop’s most experimental voices.

Music isn’t just a solo effort either. The project boasts a star-studded lineup of collaborators including Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and Jhene Aiko—each adding their own flavor to Carti’s chaotic yet compelling soundscape. The anticipation had been building for months, with Carti teasing snippets and cryptic visuals before the surprise drop.

While Music holds the title for biggest rap debut of the year so far, it also scores the second-biggest overall album launch of 2025, trailing only The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, which stormed in with 490,000 units back in February.

For Carti fans, this win feels personal. After months of silence and scattered appearances, Music is a loud and unapologetic return to form. For the rap game? It’s a reminder that Playboi Carti is not just an internet phenomenon—he’s a chart-topping force with a fiercely loyal audience and a growing legacy.