X (Ken Carson album)

In July 2021, Ken Carson released his debut studio album, Project X, through Playboi Carti's Opium record label. The album received mixed reviews from critics but was popular with rage music fans and helped solidify Carson's place in the rap music scene. On June 27, 2022, Carson posted the cover artwork of his second album, X, on his Instagram page. On July 5, he announced the album and released its lead single, "The End". X was released through Opium and Interscope Records on July 8, 2022; it is Carson's major-label debut album. Following its release, Carson embarked on the X-Man Tour, supported by Opium labelmate Destroy Lonely. On October 31, 2022, a deluxe version of X containing five additional tracks, titled Xtended, was released concurrently with a music video for "MDMA". A music video for "Freestyle 2" was released on January 16, 2023. X was executive produced by Carti and features production from F1lthy, Lil 88, and others. Lonely makes guest appearances on "MDMA" and "Murda Musik", whilst rap duo Homixide Gang, also signed to Opium, appear on "Delinquent". The majority of the album's songs were recorded at Blue Room Studio in Hollywood, though Carson usually worked on material in hotels or whilst travelling. He first selected a beat before going into the recording booth, where he would sometimes stay for three or four hours. Carson finished the album at The Cutting Room Studios in New York City, where he recorded "Freestyle 1". == Composition ==

X is a rage album with synthesizers, In a 2023 interview with Vibe, he stated of the album's title: "It's just like a fill-in-the-blank. Like, instead of putting the space bar, just put an X. That actually makes it mean something." The opening track of X, "Intro", sees Carson embrace a "harder" rapping style that Pierre likened to Yeat's 2022 album 2 Alive. "Go" features "exciting bleeps" Slant Magazine Paul Attard described Carson's verse on the "hyperactive" song "MDMA" as "a giant middle finger […] similar in tone" to X cover artwork. On "PDBMH", Carson lists off various drugs with a sped-up, Auto-Tuned flow that Pierre considered "slightly" reminiscent of Young Thug. "Money Hunt" was described as one of X "moments of fun" by Malone. "South Beach" combines Carson's laid-back delivery with "disorienting" synthesizers, as described by Pierre. "Going Schitz" is a vulgar track in which Carson begins by bragging about how he "fucked the fuck out that bitch". According to Attard, "Freestyle 2" sees Carson confidently "[stutter] out a slur of half-formed adlibs" over a massive beat. "Fuk 12" expresses an anti-police sentiment, whilst "Get Rich or Die" features "energetic flexing" and a pitch change at its end. Malone highlighted the final track on X, "The End", for Carson's Auto-Tune-less singing and the absence of his "Teen X gimmick", which he felt "[showed] a heart that beats through the lean and other substances." Carson called it "super mellow". == Critical reception ==

}} X received mixed reviews from critics. whilst HipHopDX listed it as one of the year's most disappointing albums; the latter claimed that the album led some fans of rage and plugg music to "question if the man instrumental in inspiring Playboi Carti's sound on Whole Lotta Red was a false prophet." According to Lavender Alexandria of HotNewHipHop, Carson was the subject of backlash following its release and led to him being dismissed as a "Playboi Carti rip-off". Carson said he was not influenced by the reception of X when making his third album A Great Chaos (2023), as he not] make [his] music for critics". In 2023, John Norris of VMan said that "Freestyle 2" is "considered by many to be [Carson's] finest track to date"; == Commercial performance ==

X was Carson's first album to chart on the US Billboard 200, debuting at number 115. It also reached number 50 on Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. "Freestyle 2" became a fan favorite and one of Carson's most popular songs. On June 13, 2024, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). == Track listing ==

Credits adapted from liner notes. Xtended credits adapted from Apple Music and Tidal. Notes • "PDBMH" is an initialism for "Please Don't Blow My High" Additional credits • Benjamin Lidsky - engineering • Roark Bailey - mixing • Colin Leonard - mastering == Charts ==