‘Wokeuplikethis’: The song Playboi Carti used to prove himself
Before he was a global superstar known for huge hits, influential collaborations and his infamous baby voice, Playboi Carti was making a name for himself on SoundCloud. Carti quickly found a lot of success on SoundCloud, establishing an individual sound and becoming one of the core influencers in his signature mumble rap style, his popularity grew rapidly.
Though Carti was experiencing this rise, SoundCloud rappers weren’t considered seriously by the mainstream rap media so he decided that he had to make a statement to announce his arrival, which he accomplished through ’Wokeuplikethis’.
The success of the song and its impact on the rap community and Carti’s career begins behind the scenes as he recruited a powerhouse trio that included himself, fellow SoundCloud rapper Lil Uzi Vert and producer Pi’erre Bourne. ‘Wokeuplikethis’ was the fourth collaboration between Carti and Uzi, another pioneer of mumble rap. This chemistry and vibe added a natural flow to the song as both artists were experts in this individual sound whilst they were trying to break into the mainstream rap medium.
‘Wokeuplikethis’ marked the first collaboration between Carti and Pi’erre and set the tone for the careers of both. It’s almost impossible to think of a Carti song without thinking of Pi’erre’s signature “Ayo Pi’erre come out here” tagline. This first link-up was a natural connection as Carti later went on to say “I felt like I had something to prove. He was so excited to work with me, and I was so excited to work with him”. The statement made through this collaboration was strong enough to form a partnership for years later that was so successful that huge artists like A$AP Rocky, Skepta, and Travis Scott soon followed.
Carti made two statements on ‘Wokeuplikethis’, one to his SoundCloud successors and the other warning the wider rap community. Carti put all of SoundCloud rap on notice, letting them all know that he could see them all copying his sound and his flow. Carti repeats in the chorus “woke up to n-ggas talkin’ like me, talk woke up to n-ggas soundin’ like me”. Carti asserts his position as king of mumble rap and modern trap and lets others know that they can’t take his crown, and even challenges them to see what happens if they try.
Carti’s statement to mainstream rappers is one warning them of his incoming success. After placing himself as the head of a new form of rap, Carti lets everyone know who he was even before the fame in the third verse: “I swear I had these thots before I got the fame, and I swear I had the Glock before I got the chain”. Carti was someone before the fame, in the streets and the sheets it seems, but he is nothing if not self-made. Carti drew attention to the fact that he’s made it this far, this soon, by himself and he’s coming for the peak of the mountain.
Carti saw early success with songs like ‘Broke Boi’ and ‘Fetty’ but ‘Wokeuplikethis’ was a major success and saw him break that mainstream boundary. Though it didn’t see the success that ‘Magnolia’ did peaking at 26 on the Billboard Top 100, with ‘Wokeuplikethis’ reaching 76, it certainly is his coming out party.
‘Wokeuplikethis’ doesn’t have a complicated flow or rhyming scheme and it isn’t a display of Carti’s lyrical prowess, it saw success because of the bold statements it made combined with great production. The combination of its commercial success, the substance of the lyrics, and its first collaboration with longtime partner Pi’erre Bourne established it as the song that Playboi Carti used to prove himself.