For as long as I can remember, Hip Hop has always been a genre that seems driven by a few innovators who are inspiring the music of everyone around them. From artists like Jay Z to Kanye West to Lil Wayne to Travis Scott, Hip Hop has always had a couple of artists at the top that are driving the sound and style of music that everyone around them is making. In recent years, two of the biggest artists who have had a major impact on the genre are Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti. When these two artists emerged, they got a lot of ridicule from more traditional Hip Hop fans. They were thought of as pushing the genre in weird directions that not everyone appreciated. But the younger fans of the genre gravitated towards Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, and they have heavily influenced a new wave of artists who are starting to make their way to the top of the genre right now. One of these Hip Hop stars on the rise who is inspired by those two is Ken Carson. After originally being discovered back in 2015 by the 808 Mafia, Playboi Carti signed Ken Carson to his Opium Record label in 2019 after listening to some of his music on Soundcloud. He put out his first two EPs, Boy Barbie and Teen X, to a very polarizing reception, with some rap fans hating them and some fans thinking he is the next big thing. He followed up these projects with another EP called Teen X: Relapsed which he released at the beginning of 2021, before releasing his debut album, Project X, in the summer of that year. In 2022, Ken Carson was already back with his second studio album, X. This record was praised for its creativity and risk-taking, but some people also criticized it for its lack of direction. Ken Carson has stayed prolific in his output in 2023, having put out a mixtape called Lost Files 4 at the beginning of this year, and having also dropped his third album, A Great Chaos, last month(in October). This album peaked at 11 on the Billboard 200 list, becoming Ken Carson’s first top 20 album and solidifying as a rising superstar in the Hip Hop world. A Great Chaos is Ken Carson’s best full-length project yet. It highlights the wild amount of creativity he has and pushes boundaries that most Hip Hop artists have not been willing to push, and it is by far his most cohesive and concise project. In my opinion, though, it does get dragged down by a few of the least thought-out tracks, and it does have a bit too much filler in my opinion. If this album was shortened by 5 or so songs, I honestly think it would be great. There is a lot to love about Ken Carson’s A Great Chaos, though, and it proves how massive his potential is. It also makes me very excited to see what he does next. With that being said, here is a list of my favorite songs from Ken Carson’s A Great Chaos. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record, and also comment on how you feel about the record as a whole.

JENNIFER’S BODY 

Out of all the songs on this list, ‘Jennifer’s Body’ has a sound that is closest to what people would know from Ken Carson and what most of his fans would expect to hear. If I had to pick a sound from this record that best encapsulates what I would associate with his overall sound and ambiance, I would pick ‘Jennifer’s Body.’ The best way I can describe the sound of this track is that it seems to directly fuse some of the biggest music from Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Uzi Vert. This song has a brash and harsh synth-driven melody with a bit of a video game quality to it. Even though the instrumental is pretty grating, it still has a bit of a charming and soft feeling that can draw in more casual Trap music fans. Ken Carson’s vocal performance on this track is dynamic and unconventional, matching the over-the-top feeling of the track. ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is a brazen melodic Trap track that is a great way to introduce new listeners to the world of Ken Carson. 

FIGHTING MY DEMONS

‘Fighting My Demons’ is a song that has quickly emerged as a major fan favorite from this record. If you have been a fan of Ken Carson for a while or at least as familiar with his music, it is easy to see why his fans gravitated towards this one so quickly. This is a song that feels directly inspired by the music from Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red album. This song has a foreboding and menacing heavily saturated Synth-driven beat that has an epic feeling to it. The melody for this track feels just as inspired by the epic and triumphant Trap music made popular by artists like Rick Ross in the early 2010s as it does by the theme music for movies like Dracula. Ken Carson’s vocal performance on this song is bold and in-your-face, going so well with the over-the-top feeling of the instrumental. ‘Fighting My Demons’ is a great example of what made Ken Carson so popular to begin with, and it shows that he is honing his craft and getting better at his signature sound every day. 

PARANOID (FEAT. DESTROY LONELY)

Like ‘Fighting My Demons,’ ‘Paranoid,’ which features fellow Opium Records rising star Destroy Lonely, is a song that has immediately popped off among Ken Carson’s fans. Sonically, this one feels pretty similar to ‘Jennifer’s Body.’ Similar to that track, ‘Paranoid’ has a highly extreme and vigorous instrumental with a gratifying yet highly saturated melody that is put on a hard-hitting and very distorted beat. To be honest, the instrumental is not the thing that draws me to this song. Instead, it is the great vocal performances from Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely. Both of these artists absolutely bring it on this track, showing off the intricacies of their vocal styles and exhibiting their singing range. I like how the more gruff tone of Ken Carson creates a juxtaposition with the softer tone that Destroy Lonely raps with. ‘Paranoid’ is a dope track that shows how off-talented Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely can be as vocalists. 

LIKE THIS (FEAT. LIL UZI VERT AND DESTROY LONELY)

Sometimes, the best songs from an abnormal artist like Ken Carson can be one of their most tame. Artists like this are so good at pushing the envelope and trying new things that are usually equally as good(if not better) at staying within the boundaries of what people expect from their genre. Even though ‘Like This,’ which features Lil Uzi Vert and Destroy Lonely, has one of the most cookie-cutter instrumentals from A Great Chaos, I still think it is easily one of the best songs from the record. This actually feels more like a Lil Uzi Vert instrumental than a Ken Carson one. The melody for this song is shimmery, clean, and spirited, and it is put on a tough but not overly distorted beat. As with the song ‘Paranoid,’ my favorite thing about this track is the vocals. I particularly love Lil Uzi Vert’s performance on this track. He totally shines on this instrumental, and the way he contrasts the vocals of Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely makes the song so fun to listen to. ‘Like This’ may not be the most exciting song on this record, but it is a good track that shows a mild side to Ken Carson’s artistry. 

VAMPIRE HOUR

One may think that a song titled ‘Vampire Hour’ would have a sound that is similar to ‘Fighting My Demons’ and that it would be inspired by Whole Lotta Red. Even though this is not the case, it is still easily one of the best songs on A Great Chaos. Instead of being inspired by Playboi Carti, this track sounds very inspired by Lil Uzi Vert. In particular, it makes me think of Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake album. This is an audacious and exciting track with a very epic feeling to it. The melody and beat for this song feel larger-than-life and otherworldly; there is a dystopian element to this song that is riveting yet somehow a bit uncomfortable. Ken Carson’s vocal performance on ‘Vampire Hour’ is just as prominent as the instrumental. His vocals enhance the frenzied nature of the instrumental and make this song so captivating. ‘Vamp Hour’ is an example of Ken Carson drawing inspiration from one of his favorite artists and amplifying this sound into something even more fresh and cool. 

NIGHTCORE

‘Nightcore’ is probably the song from this project with the most amount of Pop sensibility. This is a song that I could see popping off with mainstream music fans a lot more than some of his other music because of how light and fun it is. It does not follow the harsh and intense theme that most of this record has had. Instead, it has a bright and vibrant sound that almost has a joyous feeling to it. The melody for this song is very colorful and sweet; even though the synths that drive the melody and the beat for this song are just as distorted as everything else on the record, the tone that this one has makes it feel a lot more glowing. Ken Carson’s vocal performance on ‘Nightcore’ is great. It is zestful and energetic, fitting the eccentric feeling that the instrumental has. ‘Nightcore’ shows off a bit of a softer side to Ken Carson that makes his sound more palatable for the masses.

NIGHTCORE 2

‘Nightcore 2’ is not quite as light as the song that precedes it, but it is certainly still very glowing and vibrant. To be honest, this track feels like a slightly harsher and darker version of the song that precedes it. ‘Nightcore 2’ also has a melody that is way more pleasant and warm than most of the music on the rest of the record. The melody and beat of this ‘Nightcore 2’ are extra distorted and saturated, which is what makes me feel harsher than ‘Nightcore.’ The melody for this track has a bit of retro quality to it; it reminds me of some of the crazy Eurodance music made by popular artists like Basshunter in the mid-2000s. ‘Nightcore 2’ has an even better vocal performance than the one on ‘Nightcore.’ I really enjoy the range in which Ken Carson sings with this song, as it makes the song feel all-encompassing. ‘Nightcore 2’ is a second example of Ken Carson making his signature sound more easy to listen to for casual Hip Hop fans.