"Magnolia" is a song by the American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released by AWGE and Interscope Records on April 14, 2017 as the third single from his debut commercial mixtape, Playboi Carti (2017).[1] It was written, performed, and mixed by Carter alongside American record producer Pi'erre Bourne. It is characterized by a mixture of a New Orleans bounce beat and sounds, including booming grooves and rattling low-end bass. "Magnolia" was met with positive reviews from critics, and was considered one of the best songs of the year by Pitchfork, Billboard, and The Fader.
| "Magnolia" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Playboi Carti | ||||
| from the album Playboi Carti | ||||
| Released | April 14, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | March, 2017 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Pi'erre Bourne | |||
| Playboi Carti singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Magnolia" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editThe beginning of the song contains a sample from The Jamie Foxx Show (1996–2001), which is used as Pi'erre Bourne's producer tag.[2] The song's title refers to the Magnolia Projects in New Orleans.[3]
Composition
editPitchfork's Matthew Ramirez commented on Magnolia, saying that it "boasted" a "giddy New Orleans bounce beat", that was "filled with booming grooves and rattling low-end bass".[4]
Music video
editA music video was released for the song on July 8, 2017, of 106 & Park. It was directed by Hidji Films and features cameo appearances from song's producer Pi'erre Bourne, the ASAP Mob colletive, m14thew, harve, Slim Jxmmi, x.mofe, Southside, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Don Q, Nav, Casanova, Smooky Margielaa, Juelz Santana and Cash, one of the XO members.[‡ 1] The music video was filmed in New York City.[5] As of May 2025, the video had gained over 218 million views on the video-sharing platform YouTube.[‡ 1]
Remixes
editMultiple rappers released freestyles and remixes of Magnolia due to its popularity. In May 2017, Canadian rapper Tory Lanez remixed the song and was denied permission by American producer Pi'erre Bourne.[6] Later in July 2017, American rapper Lil Wayne had released a freestyle that was included in his second extended play (EP) In Tune We Trust (2017).[‡ 2][7]
Critical reception
editMatthew Ramirez of Pitchfork regarded it as one of the standout tracks of Playboi Carti's eponymous mixtape, and called it a "classically carefree rap anthem".[4]
"Magnolia" was placed in year-end lists from The Fader, Pitchfork and Billboard. Pitchfork considered it the 83rd best song of the year. Author Mehan Jayasuriya mentioned how Carti's "laconic" flow had "matched" American record producer Harry Fraud's "impressionistic beat".[8]
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)[9] | 51 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 29 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] | 11 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[12] | 7 |
| US Rhythmic Airplay (Billboard)[13] | 20 |
Year-end charts
editCertifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[16] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[18] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[19] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[20] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[21] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP)[22] | Gold | 5,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[24] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | June 13, 2017 | Rhythmic contemporary radio |
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References
edit- 1 2 "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Pi'erre Bourne Links up with Playboi Carti on "Yo Pi'erre"". Complex Networks.
- ↑ "This is Why You Should be Flipping Out over Lil Wayne's "Magnolia" Freestyle".
- 1 2 Ramirez, Matthew (April 19, 2017). "Playboi Carti: Magnolia Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
- ↑ Weinstein, Max (July 10, 2017). "Playboi Carti Has Some Crazy Cameos in His 'Magnolia' Video". XXL Magazine. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
- ↑ William Cowen, Trace (May 4, 2017). "Tory Lanez Slammed for "Magnolia" Freestyle After Playboi Carti Producer Denied His Request for Instrumental". Complex Networks. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
- ↑ Legaspi, Althea (July 6, 2017). "Lil Wayne Unveils Four New Surprise Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ Pitchfork (December 11, 2017). "The 100 Best Songs of 2017". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ↑ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Playboi Carti Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia". Music Canada. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ↑ "Danish single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "French single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia". Radioscope. Retrieved June 26, 2025. Type Magnolia in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 8, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Magnolia in the search box.
- ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 30, 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Magnolia Playboi Carti in the "Search:" field.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Playboi Carti – Magnolia". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
Primary sources
editIn the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):
- 1 2 Playboi Carti - Magnolia (Official Video). July 8, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Carter, Dwayne (July 5, 2017). Lil Wayne - Magnolia (Freestyle). Retrieved July 7, 2017 – via YouTube.