Ken Carson – A Great Chaos (Album Review)

The emerging Opium signee evolves his punk-rap persona by adding a layer of angsty electronic grunge to his trademark moshpit sound.

Protégé to Playboi Carti, a huge influence on the rage/punk scene in rap music, and a talented producer who has crafted beats for Future and Lil Uzi Vert, Ken Carson plays many roles in his small yet impactful sphere in the underground section of rap music.

It’s undeniable that without Ken’s glitchy and shouty moshpit music, underground rap would sound very different from how it sounds now. Even though you could argue that his labelmates Homixide Gang and Destroy Lonely have had similar influences, Ken always manages to separate himself from his peers in terms of creativity and larger-than-life personality.

“A Great Chaos” has been a long-awaited project for both Opium fans and underground rap fans in general. Originally, it was supposed to come out in early July; however, its rollout became addled with various leaks, pushbacks, and clearance delays.

But three months later, in classic Ken Carson style, “AGC” dropped on Friday, the 13th, and it’s safe to say it was worth the wait.

The major problem with Ken’s last album, “X,” was its bloated track list and lack of sound variation. After you heard three tracks from that album, you’ve more or less heard them all; thankfully, “AGC” is the opposite.

The quality control is noticeably a lot tighter than all of Ken’s previous albums, and most of the songs feel like they offer a new sound or layer to the album. The first three tracks, “Green Room”, “Jennifer’s Body,” and “Fighting Demons,” together serve as some of the best three-track runs of the year.“Green Room” is a slowed-down synth ballad in a similar vein to Playboi Carti’s “Long Time”, starting the album on an introspective note as Ken reminisces on his journey from a no-name Atlanta producer to one of the underground’s brightest stars.

Fans will remember the snippet of “Jennifer’s Body” being highly anticipated throughout the album’s rollout, and Ken delivers above and beyond on the official release. Ken’s angsty, strained vocals and catchy chorus make this one the standout track of the album; it’s pure, unfiltered moshpit music with the structure of a chart hit.

The pounding drums enhance Ken’s punk performance and force the listener to latch onto his vocals to even navigate the song’s chaotic soundscape. The same can be said for “It’s Over,” which by the end of the song sounds like the whole soundscape is on the verge of collapse as Ken ends the song by cracking open a bottle of codeine and repeating “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over,” as if the drugs had already taken effect. However, even though there is a lot to love about “AGC’s” rampage of a tracklist, like any chaos, there are bound to be some downsides.

Once again, “AGC” does suffer from a slightly bloated tracklist, with a handful of songs just feeling like purely filler tracks. “Pots”, “Overtime”, “Singapore”, “Like This,” and “Singapore” all feel like they are there to simply fill out the tracklist. Also, the Lil Uzi Vert feature on “Like This” is easily the biggest missed opportunity on the album.

The mellowed-out instrumental didn’t suit Uzi’s style or voice, which is a shame, especially as he could’ve fitted into any other of the rage tracks on the album quite nicely. Ken’s twin labelmate, Destroy Lonely, also leaves a lot to be desired on this album, as he is unable to match Ken’s vocal range and energy. With a flat flow and monotone voice, Lone just felt uninspired and uninterested in providing any energy to the track.

SCORE/Excellent: Despite its few tracklist misses and underwhelming features, Ken proves that he can sustain a high-energy album all by himself. Once again, he has separated himself from his labelmates as being Carti’s most reasonable heir when it comes to dark, moshpit music. For trap fans, this chaos will certainly be great.

[We rank albums on a scale of: Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]