Ken Carson

Ken Carson

Ken Carson is a recording artist and producer associated with Atlanta, Georgia, and he is signed to the Opium label. He works in rage, trap and cloud rap, and is also linked with the broader rap and Opium scenes.

Early career and name

He begins recording under the name Ken Car$on before shortening the stylisation to Ken Carson. He says the name change is inspired by Ken, the Barbie boyfriend, and by a desire to “live better than him”. He gains wider recognition after meeting producer TM88 in 2015 and signing to 808 Mafia as a rapper.

Releases

Carson releases his first two EPs in 2020: Boy Barbie and Teen X. Teen X includes “Yale”, which becomes his biggest song to date. In 2021 he releases the first Lost Files compilation on SoundCloud and follows it with Teen X : Relapsed, which includes “High as Sh!T”.

His debut album, Project X, follows in 2021. The album draws attention through songs such as “Rock N Roll” and “Change”. In 2022 he signs a deal with Interscope Records and releases the third Lost Files instalment on SoundCloud, with features from Lil Tecca and labelmate Destroy Lonely. That year he also releases his second studio album, X, which features Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang, peaks at number 115 on the Billboard 200, and later receives the deluxe version XTENDED.

Later albums

In 2023 he releases A Great Chaos, which brings stronger critical and commercial reception than his earlier work and debuts at number 11 on the Billboard 200, making it his first top-20 album. Its deluxe edition adds seven tracks and includes “Overseas”, his first Billboard Hot 100 entry. He later releases More Chaos, which becomes his first number-one album on the Billboard 200.

Collaborations and label context

Across his releases, Carson works with fellow Opium artists including Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang, and he is part of the same label environment as these artists. His SoundCloud compilations also include guest appearances from Lil Tecca.