Interscope Records

Ken Carson’s latest single, ‘Delusional,’ is his first release in over a year. The album cover depicts Carson leaning on his green Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, the dark background and flashy style resembling his Opium style.

Kenyatta Lee Frazier Jr., famously known as Ken Carson, has delivered new music to the ears of fans worldwide for the first time in months. As a member of Opium, an American record label, Carson consistently drops genre-defining music that sets him on a path to grow larger than his labelmates, such as significantly larger artist Playboi Carti. 

The song starts with a pulsing 808 bass and distorted electronic instruments that instantly flood the soundscape, a hallmark of his music. As the song goes on, the same chaotic energy showcased in ‘A Great Chaos’ is ever-present. 

Repetitive lyrics and adlibs make up the majority of Carson’s lyrics, creating a trance-like pattern similar to his more recent songs. Lyrics like, “they think I’m tripping, I’m just plotting, keeping my focus,” state how he is grappling with finding his own place in the industry, and allude to recent events where fellow underground rappers discredited Carson’s work.

The repetitive melodic chorus remains catchy in the typical Opium fashion, amplified by vocal effects and autotune. Compared to other AGC era music, the song is an average length coming in at around two minutes, however, the substance of the song consists of a few repeated lyrics and patterns, making it seem shorter than it is. 

The production of the song is done by producer MISOGI, who has worked on AGC and has produced for artists such as Destroy Lonely and Yeat. High energy distorted synth and 808 bass sounds are used generously throughout the song, which is nothing out of the ordinary for AGC-era Ken Carson. 

Although this is a relatively decent song from Carson, his last time dropping any non-deluxe music was over a year ago. This is the same amount of time between the release of ‘X’ and the release of ‘A Great Chaos,’ where a significant difference in sound could be seen between the two albums. “Delusional” sounds like a song that could be on AGC. 

The combination of catchy hooks, lyrics about the same four to five surface-level subjects, and distorted electronic beats can only be used so many times before it starts to get worn out. While this would not be a bad song if it was released a year ago, over the course of a year fans have expected his musical style and ability to have evolved. 

If this is a preview of ‘More Chaos,’ his predicted upcoming album, there is little to be excited about. Fans have waited for over a year, and been fooled by many false release dates. If they are expected to wait until early 2025 for an album that sounds like a re-release of AGC, it would probably result in a decline of reviews and a generally negative opinion towards the album.