A GREAT CHAOS is upon us.
Following Destroy Lonely’s director’s cut edition of his debut album, If Looks Could Kill, Ken Carson embodies 00*CTOBER with his latest album, AGC.
Its release on “Friday The 13th” was rather on theme for the 23-year-old trendsetter. Holding 18 tracks and features from 00 partner-in-crime Lone and Lil Uzi Vert — who’s referred to as their “uncle” online — Carson excites over whirly, sizzling beats fashioned by F1LTHY, 808 Mafia and more that send you to another world. Simply put, it’s Carson’s most polished and impressive effort yet, earning 47,000 first-week units and a No. 11 debut on the Billboard 200 — the highest of any Opium artist thus far.
Ken kept spooky season alive with the visual to “Fighting My Demons” directed by Cole Bennett. Arriving on Halloween night, the eerie horror-filled video depicts Carson through a series of staticky, control room monitors, surrounded by bloodied walls captured through night vision lenses — turning up fighting the demons that engulf him.
Ken’s cadences bring similar feelings of Whole Lotta Red to the forefront of his essence, bending and pitching his voice to where he almost sounds unrecognizable — outwardly pushing his sound forward. Tracks like “Vampire Hour,” “Jennifer’s Body,” “Singapore,” “Paranoid,” “Like This” and more have reasserted Ken’s calls for his top dog status within the Opium label — bringing out Playboi Carti, F1LTHY and Lone during his album launch event in New York City. It seemed to be a taste of what’s to come, as the Opium crew are set to head out on their “ANTAGONIST Tour” in 2024.
AGC was initially set to drop on July 17, and was teased by the X rapper through a slew of sporadic Instagram Live snippets this summer. He also teased “It’s Over” in a now-deleted tweet, however, it never came to light. Carson said the album’s release date was “out of his hands” in an interview with OnAmp in late August.
Additionally, AGC draws further anticipation for Ken and Lone’s forthcoming collab album — sure to set ablaze the dark side of underground listeners. Prior to its release, Ken previewed collabs with Uzi and Lone as well as 070 Shake, with the Shake record seemingly left for her upcoming album.
Opium’s prolific 2023 isn’t all thanks to Lone and Ken, but also Homixide Gang and the loosely-affiliated Sid Shyne — who joined the rage-inducing duo on their “SNOT OR NOT Tour” this past May. With more music in sight for the entire 00 roster, Ken is looking to double down on his star power, stemming from Project X and his debut album X in July 2022. Ken and Lone garnered more hype for their joint tape when they united on their fourth track together “money & sex,” offering their fifth, sixth, seventh efforts on “Paranoid,” “Singapore” and “Like This” on AGC.
Tailor-made for the mosh-pit, Carson’s lead single “i need u” was the only indication of a new project prior to his activity on social media. One thing’s for certain: Carson’s A GREAT CHAOS is as chaotic and ominous as advertised.
Listen to ‘A GREAT CHAOS’ below!
