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Ken Carson

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Ken Carson
Carson in 2023
Carson in 2023
Background information
Birth nameKenyatta Lee Frazier Jr.
Also known as
  • Teen X
  • X Man
Born (2000-04-11) April 11, 2000 (age 24)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2015–present
Labels
Formerly of
RelativesTM88 (uncle)

Kenyatta Lee Frazier Jr. (born April 11, 2000), known professionally as Ken Carson, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer. His second studio album X (2022) peaked at number 115 on the Billboard 200.[2] Carson is signed to Playboi Carti's record label Opium.

Carson rose to prominence in mid-2021 after the release of his extended play Teen X and debut studio album Project X, with tracks from the latter, including "Rock N Roll" and "Run + Ran", which gained considerable popularity on TikTok. In 2022, he released his second studio album X, which debuted at number 115 on the US Billboard 200. In October 2023, he released his third studio album, A Great Chaos.

Career

2015–2019: Beginnings

Carson initially joined 808 Mafia in 2015 as a rapper after meeting uncle and fellow record producer TM88,[3] 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.[4][5]

2020–2022: Teen X, Project X and X

After signing to Opium in 2019, Carson would release two extended plays in 2020, Boy Barbie and Teen X.

At the start of 2021, he would release a sequel EP called Teen X: Relapsed, before releasing his debut studio album Project X later that year.[6][7] In February 2022, he appeared as a guest on the track "Gëek high" off American rapper Yeat's album, 2 Alive.[8] He released his second studio album X on July 8, 2022.[9] 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.[10][11][12] 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.[13]

2023–present: A Great Chaos

Carson released the single "I Need U" on February 14, 2023.[14] On May 5, 2023, Carson featured on Destroy Lonely's debut studio album, If Looks Could Kill, on the song "Money & Sex".[15][16] 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;[17] three days later, nearly the entire album leaked online after several tracks were shared on a Discord server.[18] 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 "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 latter's latest album, Whole Lotta Red (2020), and "Fe!n" from Travis Scott's Utopia (2023).[19]

Musical style

Carson's musical style has been described as "[having] electronic production that is energetic in nature" and having "focused flows."[20] 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.[7]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[21]
Project X
X
  • Released: July 8, 2022[22]
  • Label: Opium, Interscope
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming
115
A Great Chaos
  • Released: October 13, 2023
  • Label: Opium, Interscope
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Mixtapes

Title Mixtape details
Lost Files 2
  • Released: July 10, 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Lost Files 3[23]
  • Released: January 29, 2022
  • Labels: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Lost Files 4
  • Released: January 3, 2023
  • Labels: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

Title Extended play details
Boy Barbie
  • Released: May 12, 2020
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Teen X
  • Released: August 14, 2020
  • Labels: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Lost Files
  • Released: January 20, 2021
  • Labels: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Teen X: Relapsed
  • Released: January 31, 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Fold" 2018 Non-album singles
"Teen Bean" 2022
"I Need U" 2023 A Great Chaos

Other charted and certified songs

List of other charted songs, with showing year released and album name
Title Year Certifications Album
"Yale" 2020 Teen X

Tours

Headlining

  • The X Man Tour (2022)

Co-headlining

References

  1. ^ "Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely come to Fonda". Daily Trojan. September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Billboard 200 Week of July 23, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "Ken Carson (Friday)". Creative Loafing. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Ken Carson Is a Leader of the New School". Complex. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "Playboi Carti Gives Rare Interview on New Music, Fatherhood, More". XXL. August 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Ken Car$on drops long-awaited debut album 'Project X'". Our Generation Music. July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Ken Car$on: Project X". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "Gëek high (feat. Ken Carson)". Spotify. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  9. ^ "Stream Ken Carson's New Album 'X' f/ Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang". Complex. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  10. ^ "SoFaygo and Ken Carson Drop Video for "Hell Yeah"". Complex. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "SoFaygo & Ken Carson Bring Undeniable Energy On "Hell Yeah"". HotNewHipHop. October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Taylor Swift, Lil Uzi Vert, Carly Rae Jepsen, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "XTENDED by Ken Carson". October 31, 2022 – via music.apple.com.
  14. ^ "Here's what went down at Ken Carson's sold-out London show". Crack Magazine. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  15. ^ "Destroy Lonely's 'If Looks Could Kill': Everything We Know So Far". UPROXX. May 2, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "Destroy Lonely's 'If Looks Could Kill' is a beacon of triumphant darkness". Our Generation Music. May 16, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Armstrong, Sam (October 8, 2023). "Ken Carson Announces New Album A Great Chaos". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Zamora, José (October 9, 2023). "Opium's Ken Carson Has New Album Leaked Online". Raptology. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  19. ^ Kurzweil, Lucas (October 14, 2023). "Ken Carson Introduces 'A Great Chaos' With Action Packed Concert at Silo in Brooklyn". NYS Music. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ken Carson Makes A Statement With New Album "X"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  21. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of July 23, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "Ken Carson Drops New Album 'X'". RapTV. July 8, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "Ken Car$on drops 'Lost Files 3' collection of songs ahead of upcoming album". Our Generation Music. February 7, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "American certifications – Ken Carson". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  25. ^ "Tour". Playboi Carti. Retrieved July 12, 2023.