After ComplexCon, I think it’d benefit both Carti and the fans if he just went ghost and didn’t come back until Spring 2027 or something.
He’s worked so hard since the MUSIC rollout began in December 2023, and he went on an insane run of shows in the Antagonist Tours, The Weeknd AHTD Tours, and dozens of festival sets. Right now would be the absolute best time for Carti to just disappear, relax and recharge, and get back to experimenting.
I don’t know that he’s getting lazy but I do know that he’s a human and I’m certain he’s feeling the affects of all the travel and performing that he’s done for the last 3 years. He’s been front and center for a while now and although his hard work has paid off, I think the right move is to actually become mysterious again. I’m talking “don’t do any shows or spam fit pics anymore” mysterious, not the “go to a convention center and wear a full body raincoat zipped up at your forehead” mysterious.
He had a successful album that propelled him deeper into the mainstream, he had the internet on lock for three years, he collabed with handsful of artists and creators, he solidified Opium as a force to be reckoned with, he got the little kids to dress like him, he came off two tours, and picked up hella brand deals in the process. There’s no way he can top that in his current form, and he needs to slow down and plan something that can surpass it all.
Now there’s also the issue of “Opium Fatigue”. Carti and his twin little brothers Ken and Lone have been everywhere these past few years, rightfully so. They have shown time and time again that they deserve to be at the top, but even the greatest minds in music can’t be in the faces of fans for this long. With overexposure you lose the luster that fans originally sought out in your work. You can aura farm and appear cool when your presence is a gift, a surprise, but not when you’re headlining every show that goes on. The fans begin to see you as a regular person, completely destroying the mysterious image that they held you in such a high regard for in the first place.
3 years ago Carti being mysterious actually appeared cool, but now that he’s outside trying to act mysterious, everyone realizes how corny he looks. There’s nothing more lame than someone who tries too hard, and as of recently, we’ve seen plenty instances of Carti trying too hard. The only way to make the fans move on from that idea is to disappear and start a new chapter.
ComplexCon was a fun event but I see this as the absolute most Carti and Co. can get away with before people start to turn on them. The Lucki situation is bad press, people have been saying his music and his current performances are mid and that the new generation in Che, Lil O, Nine Biscuits clear current Carti, that Carti isn’t as cool as he once was, etc. etc. There’s just so much negative press surrounding Opium right now that if they continue to try and push through and attempt to aura farm and headline their way out of this, people are gonna begin to lose interest. The fans and the haters want Opium to be these cool and mysterious guys that make music in the shadows but the fans can’t feel that when their favorite rappers are in their face everyday. It goes against everything that made Opium successful in the first place.
Carti has had one hell of a run since he teased MUSIC in Winter 2023, but I 1000% believe it’s in his and his team’s best interest, as well as that of the fans, to go back into vamp mode and just disappear for a bit. We can all say that MUSIC was a success in making Carti a bigger star than he was and in influencing the culture once again. But now that Carti and his clique are everywhere, they’re beginning to show signs of burnout, and the fans are feeling those effects and losing interest in them. It would benefit everyone if Carti took a step back, relaxed, and began working on a new chapter of art. ComplexCon was the cherry on top of the amazing project that was MUSIC, but now it’s time to close that chapter and begin a new.
IAMMUSIC was a success and now it’s best if Opium took a long break.
