Considering “Jumpin’” doesn’t jump out until 18 songs in, the track sounds muddled and gristly when held up against some of the rowdier tracks that came before it, and feels almost like a time capsule. Lil Uzi Vert for some reason shouts out their 2023 album Pink Tape before spinning the usual yarns about pill-popping, “sex dates” and “fast Wraith’s.” Carti, meanwhile, grumbles his way through, offering little light at the end of the tunnel. “Jumpin’” sounds more like a B-side from the Whole Lotta Red era, and gets completely buried under the weight of MUSIC‘s more potent tracks.

Future taps into his grumbly “Plutoski” bag on most of his guest appearances on MUSIC, but his verse on “Charge Dem Hoes a Fee” is barely even a verse. His repetitive hook also doesn’t elevate the track to any heights, and the messy song ends so abruptly it feels almost like a demo. Carti seemed to have tossed this one just to add another Future tag into the mix, but the result goes in one ear and out the other pretty quickly.

Hearing Skepta wade his way through Playboi Carti’s suffocating beat on “Toxic” should be more fun than it actually is. Skepta instead opts for his usual barrage of braggadocious bars, which goes against the grain of the song’s dark and clustered beat. His verse is also incredibly short, which begs the question whether this song would be higher on the list if Skepta had more time to breathe. Guess we’ll never know.

“Crush” is more like Playboi Carti featuring Travis Scott’s signature adlibs — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the insane chemistry between the “Fe!n” duo. The barrage of gospel vocals, synths and crackling high-hats makes “Crush” feel like a pressure cooker. The song barrels towards an unsettling and unknown destination, and Travis Scott crying out “straight up!” makes us even more excited to get there. While better verses exist on the album, the song’s amalgamation of sounds feels like the beginning of an exciting new chapter for King Vamp.

When Future finally enunciates and decides to rap, the result is exactly what you want from a Pluto verse. Carti’s grainy baritone meshes perfectly with Future’s galloping pace, as the two rap stars trade some of their usual verses about sex, partying and making money. The result on “Trim” isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it’s impossible not to nod your head along to its undeniable groove.

Again, the chemistry between these two is just undeniable. Travis comes through and does his thing with his smooth Auto-Tuned flow perfectly complimenting Carti’s twisting voice. But the song is far too short, and ends just as the vibe begins to settle in. One more verse from each rapper would have moved this up the ranking a little bit more.

The Nintendo 64-sounding beat of “Twin Trim” makes the perfect backdrop for Uzi, who comes through and dominates the backdrop with their usual animated, cartoon villain energy. “She can’t suck my d—k, I make this b—h just suck my nuts,” is also just a diabolical way to open up a song. It’s a fun interlude that gives listeners a well-earned break from MUSIC‘s dark trenches, and gives Uzi some room to play in the sandbox before Carti closes out the album.

Even though K-Dot is only tossing in some ad-libs to help push Carti along, hearing him strut around King Vamp’s world is exhilarating. The bass rattles Kendrick’s nasally voice, which Carti drowns in Auto-Tune to make the Nobel Prize winner sound like an alien. “Mojo Jojo” is just a teaser of what’s to come, but hearing Kendrick grumble, “We go dummy” is indeed enough to make anyone go “dummy.”

My God, it sounds good to hear Thugger on a hook again. Carti delayed MUSIC‘s release at the last minute this morning because he needed to get Young Thug to spit some bars on “We Need All Da Vibes.” In hindsight, it was a great call to make. Young Thug sounds like he’s having a blast grooving alongside the emotional croonings of Ty Dolla $ign. Thug’s flow is reminiscent of his So Much Fun album, and feels almost nostalgic. While each artist doesn’t spit the most mind-blowing verses, hearing Thug sound joyous on a beat for a few minutes is worth its weight in gold.

Carti steps out of the darkness for a moment and skates on the light, soulful loopings of “Backd00r.” Kendrick (and maybe Jhené Aiko) can be heard crooning on the hook, and Carti’s melodic verses add the perfect bit of spice to K-Dot’s “Luther”-esque melodies. Kendrick has yet to spit any serious bars at this point in the album, but hearing him and Carti together remains exciting as they chart this new territory together.

Seriously, Travis Scott and Playboi Carti can do no wrong when they join forces. “Philly” is smooth as ice, as both La Flame and Carti glide across the steel guitar-tinged track with ease. Both Scott’s and Carti’s sleek, Auto-Tuned cooing is as sweet as caramel, and both rappers sound right at home as they spit their usual anecdotes about money, fame and luxury. These two have a winning formula, and out of all their songs together on MUSIC, “Philly’s” groove packs the most serious punch.

Playboi Carti and The Weeknd complete their hat-trick with “Rather Lie.” Coming off the success of 2023’s “Popular” and last year’s “Timeless,” “Rather Lie” now shows that anything Carti and Abel touch together will turn into a hit. The Weeknd’s earworm of a hook on “Rather Lie” will likely be screamed out by the masses in sweaty night clubs this summer, and continues to add some serious excitement to his joint tour with Carti later this year.

With all the speculation aside, K-Dot truly pops off on his guest appearance on “Good Credit.” Kendrick steps into the chaotic beat with razor-sharp wit and precision, as he taunts A$AP Relli and possibly other Canadian foes while dissecting fame, wealth and power. He switches flows effortlessly, all while Carti’s high-energy charisma makes the Compton rapper’s controlled delivery pack that much more of a punch. While other tracks on MUSIC lean fully into Carti’s signature blend of rage rap, Kendrick’s meticulous taunts bring a new kind of anger to Carti’s dark world. “Good Credit,” in turn, is one of the best songs on the album because of this balance.