how i made a viral website about playboi carti that reached 73k visitors in a week.

it's not every day that you accidentally create a viral website, but that's exactly what happened with iammusic2024.com, a website i built to chronicle playboi carti's long and chaotic album rollout. this blog is a detailed breakdown of how the site went from an idea in my head to 73,930 unique visitors and 127,670 page views in just over a week. it's a story about being a fan, seizing a random idea, and watching it explode in ways i never expected.

the idea: chronicling carti's "lies"

i've been a playboi carti fan since 2023, and like many of his fans, i've spent the last four years waiting for a promised album that never seems to drop. every few months, carti would tease us with an "it's time" moment, and we'd all get hyped, only to end up disappointed again. by december 2024, he'd promised to release i am music by the end of the year, and as a fan (and someone slightly overdelusional), i thought: why not make a website documenting this chaotic rollout? a timeline of all his "lies," plus a fake tracklist—it felt perfect.

building the website: from idea to launch

december 23: the spark

the idea came to me late on december 23rd. i was so hyped about it that i immediately bought the domain iammusic2024.com. there's something about spending money on a domain that guarantees you'll actually finish the project. after securing the domain, i spent an hour or two coding, outlining the basic structure for a timeline page and a tracklist page. i wanted the site to feel minimalistic, just like carti's aesthetic: black text on a white background, inspired by i am music's rumored theme.

december 24: the grind begins

december 24th was both my birthday eve and christmas eve, but that night i locked in and spent about 3-4 hours finishing the bulk of the site. the timeline documented every "it's time" moment and promises carti had made since whole lotta red. the tracklist page added a layer of humor—a fake list of songs styled as though it were real. i planned to launch the site either on the night of december 25th or december 26th, perfectly timed before the anticipated album drop on december 27th.

december 25: deployment

by christmas, the site was ready. i deployed it on vercel, which seemed like a good idea at the time (spoiler: it wasn't). even before i started promoting the site, something magical happened: 200+ people found it through google searches. whether it was good seo from my past projects or pure luck, people were already discovering it before i even posted about it.

launch and going viral

december 26: social media push

on december 26th, i began promoting the site. i posted it on twitter/x and shared it in playboi carti fan communities. however, the real boost came when i convinced someone to post it on the r/playboicarti subreddit. i didn't have enough karma to post it myself, but once it went live there, things took off. by midnight, 7,325 unique visitors had already visited the site, blowing past my initial expectation of 5,000 lifetime visitors.

december 27: the explosion

december 27th was the biggest day. everyone was online, anticipating carti's album drop, and my site was everywhere: reddit, reels, tiktoks, blog articles, even xxl magazine. on that day alone, 29,585 unique visitors flooded the site. my vercel free tier cried for help.

breaking down the numbers

here's a breakdown of the site's traffic over the next few days:

• december 26: 7,325 unique visitors
• december 27: 29,585 unique visitors
• december 28: 9,053 unique visitors
• december 29: 12,830 unique visitors
• december 30: 8,802 unique visitors
• december 31: 4,671 unique visitors

by the time i'm writing this blog, 73,930 unique visitors have been recorded, with 127,670 page views.

where did they come from?

i was fascinated to see where the traffic was coming from:

• google searches: many people found the site just by searching for i am music or playboi carti.
• reddit: the post on r/playboicarti was the biggest driver of traffic.
• social media: reels, tiktoks, and twitter/x played a huge role in spreading the site.
• blogs and media: the site was covered by xxl magazine, msn, and other blogs, adding credibility and more traffic.

lessons learned (and the cost of virality)

1. side projects can surprise you. i expected 5,000 lifetime visitors and ended up with 73k in a week. you never know what might take off.
2. seo matters. the fact that 200+ people found the site organically before i started marketing it blew my mind.
3. vercel bills hurt. i thought the free hobby plan would be enough. by the end of this, my bill was over $200. that's a lot for an unemployed college student.
4. launch fast, iterate later. i built this in 5 hours across two nights. sometimes speed matters more than perfection.

final thoughts

iammusic2024.com started as a random idea and turned into the biggest website i've ever built. it's been incredible to see the reaction from carti fans, the memes, and the media coverage. this was a fun, chaotic experiment, and i'm so grateful for the support.

if you're a carti fan or just curious, check it out: iammusic2024.com

to everyone reading this: launch your side projects. you never know what's going to happen.