The whims of Playboi Carti are not meant to be understood by mere laypeople, who have attempted to make sense of his antics and indecipherable linguistics for years. And while such practices require an archeological degree of patience, the reward is in the journey itself. Unfortunately, Carti fans have yet to receive an endpoint, with Whole Lotta Red remaining shrouded in a veil of mystery.

Playboi Carti Whole Lotta Red

 Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Today, however, a new tidbit has arisen courtesy of XXL. Apparently, an Instagram live video from a page reported to be that of Carti’s hairstylist Rhonnie Lee revealed the album’s runtime to be eighteen songs, falling just short of its predecessor Die Lit’s nineteen.

Lee also claims that the “@ Meh” single cover was never meant to double as the album’s cover, explaining that “we didn’t shoot the album cover. I thought that the one cover that he just released the other day with him, the black background and him in all back and shit that’s just the single. We haven’t shot his official album cover with like, all 18 songs on it yet. That’s what he was calling me about the other day.”

Though the video has since been deleted, it certainly suggests that Whole Lotta Red is indeed in a completed state, though that is quite possibly subject to change. After all, the ongoing pandemic has already wreaked havoc on release schedules, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Carti hoard his next endeavor until a more profitable period — in any case, the quest for answers continues.

[via]