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K Pop (Playboi Carti song)

"K Pop" (stylized in all caps, also known as "Ketamine") is a song by American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released through AWGE and Interscope Records as the third track from Carti's third studio album, Music, on March 14, 2025. The song was written by Playboi Carti, alongside producers Ojivolta, Cardo and Jarrod "Twisco" Morgan. The song was originally teased online in 2024 with the name "Ketamine".[1]

Background

In 2023–2024, Playboi Carti released several snippets of upcoming music to be released in his third studio album, Music.[2] On March 13, 2024, Playboi Carti released "Ketamine" through social media with accompanying visuals.[3] He then performed it live for the first time, alongside other Music snippets, at the Summer Smash 2024 festival.[4]

On March 14, 2025, Playboi Carti released his third studio album, Music, and included "Ketamine", renamed to "K Pop", as the third song in its track listing.[5]

Production

The song, clocking in at under two minutes, lacks a hook and features Playboi Carti "doing yelpy free-association over an apocalyptically eerie beat."[6]

Critical reception

In a ranking of "loosies" released by Playboi Carti in the lead-up to Music's release in 2025, Complex placed "Ketamine" in seventh place: "The track has arguably some of the best production in the singles run. But there’s something that feels wasted here. The track is just too short, clocking in at not even two minutes, with the last 20 seconds dedicated to the beat riding out."[7]

Hit Channel lauded the song as proof of Playboi Carti's "artistic rebellion" and lauded its "haunting beat and frenetic delivery," ultimately calling him "a testament to the transformative power of chaos. With each release, he defies expectations, carving out a space uniquely his own in the ever-evolving tapestry of music."[8]

Billboard called "K Pop" the seventh best song in Music, calling its production "cinematic, dramatic and fantastic."[9]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[10]

Charts

Chart performance for "K Pop"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 73
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[12] 20
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 50
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[14] 35
France (SNEP)[15] 195
Global 200 (Billboard)[16] 35
Greece International (IFPI)[17] 28
Latvia (LaIPA)[18] 11
Lithuania (AGATA)[19] 26
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[20] 25
UK Streaming (OCC)[21] 77
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 38
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[23] 18

References

  1. ^ Shafer, Steven J. Horowitz,Ellise (March 14, 2025). "Playboi Carti Releases New Album 'Music' With Features From Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, the Weeknd and More". Variety. Retrieved March 14, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Playboi Carti Drops Off "Ketamine"". Hypebeast. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  3. ^ Powell, Jon. "Playboi Carti strikes again with "KETAMINE" visual and the fans are loving it". REVOLT. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  4. ^ "Playboi Carti Debuts 10 Songs During Summer Smash Set". SPIN. June 16, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  5. ^ Strauss, Matthew (March 14, 2025). "Playboi Carti Releases New Album Music". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  6. ^ "Playboi Carti Releases New Song "Ketamine": Listen". Stereogum. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  7. ^ "Ranking Playboi Carti's Loosies From the 'I Am Music' Era". Complex. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "Listen Playboi Carti New Song "Ketamine" | Hit Channel". March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  9. ^ Saponara, Michael; Diaz, Angel (March 14, 2025). "Every Song From Playboi Carti's 'Music' Album Ranked: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  10. ^ "Credits / MUSIC - SORRY 4 DA WAIT / Playboi Carti". Tidal. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  11. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 March 2025". The ARIA Report. No. 1829. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 24, 2025. p. 4.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hip/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  13. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  14. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 12. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  15. ^ "Top Singles (Week 12, 2025)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  16. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  17. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 12/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  18. ^ "Latvijas mūzikas topu pārņem reperis Playboi Carti; vadībā atgriežas "Sudden Lights"" [Rapper Playboi Carti takes over the Latvian music chart; Sudden Lights returns to the top] (in Latvian). TV Net [lv]. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  19. ^ "2025 12-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  20. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 12. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  21. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  22. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  23. ^ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2025.