Key Takeaways
- These are the 20 best songs from Opium standout Ken Carson, who is the latest Complex cover star.
- Carson has released five albums in five years, including his latest, xperiment, which pushes his primal, distorted style into new directions.
- Ken Carson is also dropping Cartunez, a joint album with Destroy Lonely, while doing major collaborations with WWE. He's headlining ComplexCon 2026.
Hip-hop is a genre of micro-genres and scenes, and there is one rap collective, Opium, whose sound—loud, industrial, primal—has become so irresistible to certain artists and listeners that it threatens to swallow the genre itself.
Playboi Carti is the leader, with his sophomore album Whole Lotta Red being the album that coalesced the wide-ranging, insular sounds of internet music and rap and pressed them into something denser and more primal—pent-up tension, isolation, all of it compacted into one frequency. But right under him is Ken Carson: he is the most prolific, releasing five albums in the span of five years.
His latest is xperiment, which came out earlier this month and features the rapper trying out various different flourishes. He is Complex's latest cover star; not only is he planning on releasing two new albums—a mixtape Cartunez and an album with Destroy Lonely—but he's doing things like dropping collaborations with WWE and headlining ComplexCon 2026 (with his mentor Carti also performing and acting as creative director alongside Hiroshi Fujiwara).
Ken Carson has a lot of motion right now. So it's a perfect time to rank the lord of rage's discography. Here are the 20 best Ken Carson songs of all time.
Shop the Official Ken Carson Collection Here
Lil Tecca feat. Ken Carson, "Fell in Love" (2023)
Producers: Clif Shayne & AM
Album: TEC
Ken Carson doesn't do a bunch of features with artists outside of the Opium umbrella. One rapper he seems to share a kinship with is Lil Tecca, who has locked it in a couple of times. “Fell in Love” is the standout. Don't get fooled by the title; this isn't a romantic song—instead it's the opposite, with the two rappers admitting to ducking commitment for as long as possible. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Ken Carson and Playboi Carti, “Deaf Note" (2026)
Producers: skai
Album: xperiment
“Deaf Note” is one of the first proper collaborations between Ken Carson and Playboi Carti. The chemistry the two have is so clear. The duo picks a guttural beat that winds up like a fucked-up music box every few seconds, lunging into 2Slimey territory with its distortion and ceding all melody. Ken announces, “This is the xperiment,” as his calm vocals complement Carti's chaotic baritone growl. The king and prince of rage deliver a banger that lives up to the hype. —Antonio Johri
Ken Carson, "i need u" (2023)
Producers: MaxFlames & Lucian
Album: A Great Chaos
Leave it to Ken to make a rage rap love song. There is nothing else in Ken’s discography like “i need u.” It retains its edge, but is something altogether softer and slower. The buzzing synths hover and drift above the heavy 808s that are utilized just enough to anchor the song. Ken's autotuned runs bring even more melody over the expansive sound. —Mariah Rivera
Destroy Lonely feat. Ken Carson, "VETERAN" (2022)
Producers: KP Beatz, Lil 88 & Einthismf
Album: No Stylist,
The last song on No Stylist, “VETERAN” is the closest thing you get to a lyrical showcase from Ken and Lone. The two spit their asses off here, going back and forth. Lone really shines here, merging his shit talking with a sing-song flow. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Ken Carson, “Me N My Kup”
Producers: star boy, Outtatown, Lil 88, legion & Warren Hunter
Album: A Great Chaos
Ken is getting his shit off here, but "Me N My Kup" is insane largely because of the production, which updates classic early 2010s Atlanta with frantic, futuristic synths. Ken makes sure his regular collaborators—star boy, Outtatown, Lil 88—get their shine, letting the beat ride out for almost a minute at the end. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Ken Carson, “Teen Bean” (2021)
Producers: Jonah Abraham
Album: N/A
This might be one of the cleanest Ken songs since he's been under Opium. "Teen Bean" features the rapper doing away with the distortion and the 2.2 speed energy of his most raged out songs for something more direct and quaint, highlighted by a Castlevania-ass beat from Jonah Abraham. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Ken Carson, "Run + Ran" (2021)
Producers: star boy & Outtatown
Album: Project X
On Project X, Ken Carson proved why he was next up, delivering a melodic yet rage-leaning sound, and "Run + Ran" is a perfect example of the appeal that defined his early career.
The first half glides over lush R&B chords and soothing digital flutes as Ken floats across the beat with a spacey flow, at one point comparing himself to 2Pac. The second half shifts into a more aggressive beat, with Ken repeating "I just ran up them bands." It’s the mantra we all need. —Antonio Johri
"Lord of Chaos" (2025)
Producers: star boy & Outtatown
Album: More Chaos
Ken opened every night of the Antagonist Tour with "Lord of Chaos"; it's easy to hear why. The synths come in menacing, the bass hits disorienting and thick, and Ken proclaims, "I'm the lord of chaos, I'm the lord." The statement is loud and cinematic, setting the tone for the rest of the album. —Mariah Rivera
"mewtwo" (2023)
Producers: Clif Shayne
Album: A Great Chaos (Deluxe)
"mewtwo" is so crazy, Brent Faiyaz sampled it on "Full Moon," which was then flipped by A$AP Rocky on "STAY HERE 4 LIFE." It makes sense—the beat is that beautiful.
The strumming chords, quirky lead melody, and delicate bell chimes almost sound like they were lifted from the soundtrack of a Pokémon game. Ken sets aside the usual money talk and flexing for playful bars about the Cocoa Puffs mascot and comparing his girl to a Pokémon. It sticks out like a sore thumb in the tracklist, serving as one of his most lighthearted and whimsical songs on A Great Chaos. —Antonio Johri
Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Playboi Carti, "Off The Meter" (2025)
Producers: star boy, Outtatown, Gab3 & DJ Moon
Album: More Chaos
If you were ever looking for an example of Opium at full power, “Off The Meter” is Exhibit A.
Here, you can see a family tree that's reached peak maturity, which each of Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Playboi Carti serving up the narcotized tones and thematic spontaneity that made them famous in the first place.
Carson himself might have more anthemic tracks, but it's hard to find one as complete as this one—Pioum’s one true posse cut. —Peter A. Berry
Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson, "the acronym" (2025)
Producers: Akachi, DJ Moon & Sonickaboom
Album: N/A
Over the last few years, Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely have established themselves as one of rap’s most electrifying duos, channeling the same effortless chemistry that made the clout-era partnership of Carti and Uzi so magnetic. On “the acronym,” they deliver their greatest collaboration to date. If you still didn’t know what Opium stood for, let Ken and Lone spell it out over sinister horror keys, grinning from the shadows as they pull you deeper into their world. —Jon Barlas
Ken Carson, "Freestyle 2" (2022)
Producers: F1LTHY, Gab3 & AM
Album: X
With a barrage of implicit threats, blown-out bass and couplets catchy enough to become micro hooks, “Freestyle 2” sounds more like an apocalyptic riot than anything like its title. If you passed aliens the aux, this one would probably be one of the first tracks they played. —Peter A. Berry
Ken Carson, "Succubus" (2023)
Producers: F1LTHY & AM
Album: A Great Chaos
One of the most underrated beats on A Great Chaos, “Succubus” is the kind of song that creeps up on you like a nightmare. Maybe it’s F1LTHY’s hypnotic, dimension-warping 808s or Ken’s warbled, dream-state flows that embody the track’s title.
Either way, “Succubus” finds the Lord of Chaos embracing darkness over rage—and he’s completely in his bag. While it may have flown under the radar upon release, the song has quietly evolved into one of the defining cuts in Ken’s catalog. —Jon Barlas
Ken Carson, "Blakk Rokkstar" (2025)
Producers: Einthismf, young emphasis, F1LTHY & Warpstr
Album: More Chaos
It’s easy to get lost in the atmosphere of Carson’s songs, but sometimes, a sliver of sly menace peeks out from behind the foggy ambiance. On “Blakk Rokkstar,” he merges flexes and death threats with seamless ease: “I made them hoes flock before I copped the Lamborghini/You reach for this chain, now my gang screamin' free me.” Combined with one of the most infectious hooks of his career, it’s a slap fit for a … well, rockstar. —Peter A. Berry
Ken Carson, "Jennifer's Body" (2023)
Producers: KP Beatz & Lucian
Album: A Great Chaos
“Jennifer’s Body” is a simple track in structure, with just one verse and a chorus over an incredibly addictive beat. However, the appeal is all in the details, as Ken cheekily references every Gen Z boy’s childhood crush, Megan Fox, with the line, “Jennifer’s Body, my bitch is a hottie.” He even pays homage to a favorite band, Green Day, with the start-stop intro, letting out a quick “fuck” as if he's having technical difficulties—a nod to the opening of the band's 1997 track “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” —Antonio Johri
Ken Carson, "ss" (2024)
Producers: bart how, Lil 88, 1kyl & Mnclzy
Album: A Great Chaos (Deluxe)
Comparing your chopper to Sydney Sweeney and a purse is something beyond silly—and that’s part of why it’s easy to murmur under your breath for seconds at a time before you even realize it. As is the case with the best tracks on A Great Chaos, Carson’s nearly sedated delivery only makes it catchier. —Peter A. Berry
Ken Carson, "Rock N Roll" (2021)
Producers: star boy, Outtatown & Lil 88
Album: Project X
Here, Carson makes light of everything from gunplay to suicidal ideation, delivered with total nonchalance, letting loose casual bars that land like afterthoughts, considered moments after hitting the vape. It’s playful and deadpan enough to be funny, and his spaced-out, detached vocals make it all entrancing, as he swerves through a beat that sounds like Zelda mixed with “Codeine Crazy.” —Peter A. Berry
"Fighting My Demons" (2023)
Producers: star boy, Outtatown, bart how, Warren Hunter & Lvis
Album: A Great Chaos
Through 2021, you could more directly compare Ken Carson to Playboi Carti with a splash of Future Hendrix. With A Great Chaos, he took a turn for something a little more gothic—a touch more sinister. His vocals became delirious, the tracks he rapped on more dungeon-like. He swirls those added layers together pristinely on “Fighting My Demons.” The title hints at an existential battle, but what we get is autotune-soaked murmurs, free-associative flexes, and a beat that feels like dial-up internet mixed with “Trap or Die.” —Peter A. Berry
Ken Carson, "Yale" (2020)
Producers: star boy & Outtatown
Album: Teen X
"Yale" is Ken Carson's most-streamed song of all time. Part of it is that it's been around longer than his Great Chaos music. Part of it is that frankly it just bangs. The early Ken song features all the Opium trademarks—unfiltered lyrics paired with futuristic, heavy production—making it an essential rage rap track and one of his best. In 2025, Ken even took it full circle, performing "Yale"...at Yale. —Mariah Rivera
Ken Carson, "overseas" (2023)
Producers: Lukrative, Lucian, Esko & Nick Spiders
Album: A Great Chaos (Deluxe)
Yes, Ken Carson is set in his ways when it comes to his abrasive mixes and blown-out production. But he also knows how to make crossover anthems, none better than "overseas.” It's not hard to see why it went platinum and hit the Billboard Hot 100.
The hook here buries itself into your brain, while bright digital keys cycle throughout the track as Ken spits about his euro-stepping lifestyle. It's one of the softer anthems in Ken's catalog, tucked away as the final bonus track on the deluxe edition of A Great Chaos. —Antonio Johri
