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Ken Carson

Not to be confused with Ken Carson (country singer).

Kenyatta Lee Frazier Jr. (born April 11, 2000), known professionally as Ken Carson, is an American rapper and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. Carson initially gained attention for his SoundCloud releases and collaborations with fellow Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti. In 2019, Carson signed with the latter's record label Opium, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Project X (2021).

Ken Carson
Birth nameKenyatta Lee Frazier Jr.
Also known as
  • Teen X
  • X Man
  • Ken Car$on
Born (2000-04-11) April 11, 2000 (age 24)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
DiscographyKen Carson discography
Years active2015–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitekencarson.xyz

His second album, X (2022), entered the Billboard 200 despite unfavorable critical reception.[2] His third studio album, A Great Chaos (2023), peaked number 11 on the chart and saw a critical incline; its deluxe release spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with the single "Overseas".[3]

Carson is associated with Opium label-mates Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang.[4]

Career

2015–2019: Beginnings

Carson initially joined 808 Mafia in 2015 as a rapper after meeting fellow record producer TM88,[5][6] and would begin releasing music on SoundCloud as early as 2017. After gaining popularity in the underground rap scene, he would be discovered by fellow Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti and signed to his label Opium in 2019. Carson was also the first to be signed to Opium out of Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang.[7][8]

2020–2022: Teen X, Project X and X

Main articles: Project X (album) and X (Ken Carson album)

After signing with Opium in 2019, Carson released two extended plays—Boy Barbie and Teen X—the following year.

At the start of 2021, he released his third EP, Teen X: Relapsed, before releasing his debut studio album Project X later that year.[9][10] In February 2022, he appeared as a guest on the track "Gëek high" off American rapper Yeat's album, 2 Alive.[11] He released his second studio album X on July 8, 2022.[12] It peaked at number 115 on the Billboard 200.[2]

In October 2022, he and fellow Atlanta rapper SoFaygo released a single titled "Hell Yeah" for SoFaygo's debut studio album Pink Heartz with an accompanying music video.[13][14] On October 31, 2022, Ken Carson released a deluxe version of his X album named Xtended, alongside a music video on YouTube for his song "MDMA" featuring Destroy Lonely.[15]

2023–present: A Great Chaos

Main article: A Great Chaos

Carson released the single "I Need U" on February 14, 2023.[16] On May 5, 2023, Carson featured on Destroy Lonely's debut studio album, If Looks Could Kill, on the song "Money & Sex".[17][15] In June 2023, Carson produced the song "x2" from Lil Uzi Vert's third studio album, Pink Tape.[18] On October 6, 2023, Carson tweeted a pre-save link for his third studio album A Great Chaos, indicating that the project would be released on October 13 with a tracklist of 18 songs;[19] three days later, nearly the entire album leaked online after several tracks were shared on a Discord server.[20] On October 12, an album launch party was held at the Silo dance club in Brooklyn to commemorate the project's release. Carson performed tracks "Fighting My Demons", "Lose It", "Hardcore", "Singapore", and "Paranoid" alongside his Opium labelmate, Destroy Lonely, before bringing out fellow rapper and the aforementioned label's founder, Playboi Carti, to perform songs from the rapper's latest album, "Stop Breathing" from Whole Lotta Red (2020), and "Fe!n" from Travis Scott's fourth studio album Utopia (2023).[21] On July 5, 2024, he released the deluxe edition of A Great Chaos, containing seven additional tracks, including the single "Overseas", which was released on April 12, 2024.[22][23]

Musical style

Carson's musical style has been described as "having electronic production that is energetic in nature" and having "focused flows."[24] He has been compared to his mentor Playboi Carti, especially his 2020 album Whole Lotta Red as well as to Lil Uzi Vert for his flow and mentality.[10]

Discography

Main article: Ken Carson discography

Studio albums

Tours

Headlining

  • The X Man Tour (2022)
  • Chaos Tour (2024)

References

  1. ^ Dominguez, Sebastian (September 7, 2022). "Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely Come to Fonda". Daily Trojan. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cabison, Rosalie. "Billboard 200 Week of July 23, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022.
  3. ^ @billboardcharts (October 23, 2023). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Gee, Maddie (October 18, 2024). "Is There an Opium Group Album in the Works?". RapTV. Archived from the original on November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "Ken Carson (Friday)". Creative Loafing. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Park, Stephanie; Pinsky, Hannah (April 20, 2024). "Ken Carson: A Rising Rapper". Parks Panther Press. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  7. ^ McKinney, Jessica (July 7, 2022). "Ken Carson is a Leader of the New School". Complex. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  8. ^ Satten, Vanessa (April 12, 2022). "Playboi Carti Interview – How One of Hip-Hop's Most Elusive Artists Stays Making Waves". XXL. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Barlas, Jon (July 23, 2021). "Ken Car$on Drops Long-Awaited Debut Album 'Project X'". Our Generation Music. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Sundaresan, Mano (August 12, 2021). "Ken Carson: Project X Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Caldwell, Brandon (July 31, 2022). "Yeat Teases Upcoming 'LYFE' EP With Two Lil Uzi Vert Features". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  12. ^ William Cowen, Trace (July 8, 2022). "Stream Ken Carson's New Album 'X' f/ Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang". Complex. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024.
  13. ^ Cole, Alexander (October 21, 2022). "SoFaygo & Ken Carson Bring Undeniable Energy On "Hell Yeah"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Dolan, Jon (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Swift, Lil Uzi Vert, Carly Rae Jepsen, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Barlas, Jon (May 15, 2023). "Destroy Lonely's 'If Looks Could Kill' is a Beacon of Triumphant Darkness". Our Generation Music. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Crack Staff (March 9, 2023). "Here's What Went Down at Ken Carson's Sold-Out London Show". Crack. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Pointer, Flisadam (May 2, 2023). "Destroy Lonely's New Album 'If Looks Could Kill': Here's Everything We Know So Far". Uproxx. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023.
  18. ^ Bras Nevares, Gabriel (July 3, 2023). "Lil Uzi Vert Thanks Ken Carson For Producing "x2" Off Of "Pink Tape"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  19. ^ Armstrong, Sam (October 8, 2023). "Ken Carson Announces New Album 'A Great Chaos'". uDiscoverMusic. Universal Music Group. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Zamora, José (October 9, 2023). "Opium's Ken Carson Has New Album Leaked Online". Raptology. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  21. ^ Kurzweil, Lucas (October 14, 2023). "Ken Carson Introduces 'A Great Chaos' With Action Packed Concert at Silo in Brooklyn". NYS Music. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  22. ^ Bernstein, Elaina (July 5, 2024). "Ken Carson Drops 'A Great Chaos' Deluxe Edition". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024.
  23. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (July 5, 2024). "Ken Carson Unleashes 'A Great Chaos' Deluxe Edition". Complex. Archived from the original on July 5, 2024.
  24. ^ Cole, Alexander (September 26, 2022). "Ken Carson Makes A Statement With New Album "X"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022.
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