Project X (album)
| Project X | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 23, 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 27:12 | |||
| Label | Opium | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Ken Carson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Project X is the debut studio album by the American rapper Ken Carson, released on July 23, 2021, by Opium. Primarily produced by Dutch producers, Star Boy and Outtatown, it is a rage and pop-trap album featuring harmonious synthesizers and melodic, fast-paced flows. Its title and cover artwork pay tribute to the Nima Nourizadeh film Project X (2012). Project X received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the production but criticized its songwriting as repetitive and derivative. It nevertheless proved popular amongst rage music fans and helped solidify Carson's place in the rap music scene.
Background and release
[edit]In 2019, Ken Carson signed to Playboi Carti's Opium record label. The following year, Carson released his first two extended plays, Boy Barbie and Teen X; the latter spawned his first major hit, "Yale".[1] He also garnered recognition for his work on "Beno!" from Carti's second album, Whole Lotta Red (2020).[2] In 2021, Carson released three further EPs—Lost Files, Teen X: Relapsed, and Lost Files 2—as well as a music video for "Butterfly" (from Teen X) and the single "Patrick Ewing" featuring Lil Tecca.[1][3] On July 11, 2021, Carson announced his debut album, Project X,[3] and released it on July 23.[2] Its title and cover artwork pay tribute to the Nima Nourizadeh film Project X (2012).[4][5][6] Music videos for "Change", "Rock n Roll", and "Run + Ran" were released thereafter.[7][8]
Composition
[edit]Project X is a rage[9][10] and pop-trap[2] album featuring harmonious synthesizers,[9] percussive Auto-Tuned vocals,[10] and energetic, vocoder-heavy melodies.[2] The album was primarily produced by Star Boy and Outtatown,[5] who both worked with Carson on Teen X.[10] Pitchfork's Mano Sundaresan called Carson's delivery "rapid-fire" yet "chill" when compared with Carti's performances on Whole Lotta Red.[10] Likewise, HipHopDX reviewer Vivian Medithi felt that Carson's distinguished himself with his "fast-paced, words-running-together flow".[5] Although Carson said he did not listen to rap or R&B music and listed the All-American Rejects and Blink-182 as inspirations in interviews, Sundaresan felt the album's songwriting and vocals leaned more towards "online rap scenes" such as plugg.[10] Yannik Gölz of laut.de felt that Carson was attempting to portray himself as a hedonistic, partygoing "heartless player", but more often than not came across as a "nerdy [...] kid who's spent far too much time in his life with fashion magazines and Pi'erre Bourne beats."[9][a]
The opening track "Who's Next" incorporates switched-up flows from Carson[9] and was compared to Carti's 2018 song "Long Time (Intro)" by Medithi.[5] "Rock n Roll" features groovy, psychedelic and percussive synths[9] and sees Carson rap apathetically about being under the influence of drugs.[10] Medithi compared "Party All Day" to "Beno!" and highlighted the lyric "Shawty suckin my dick up like a Juul" as an example of its "memorable lines".[5] "Change" is driven by arpeggiated, harmoinous synths[5][9] and "muttered" verses from Carson, whilst "Run + Ran" progresses from a piano intro into "gelatinous" 808 drums and sonic melodics reminiscient of Pi'erre Bourne, according to Medithi.[5] "Shake" and "Hella" both revolve around one-word choruses.[10] Medithi compared the former song to Rae Sremmurd and Juicy J's 2018 single "Powerglide".[5] He highlighted the latter and "Clutch" for their combination of heavy, knocking beats and Carson's staccato flows.[5] Gölz compared "Till I Die" to "Rock n Roll" with its "overstimulated and numb" nature and highlighted Carson's use of raspier flows on "Burnin Up".[9] The final track "So What" sees Carson detail the thrill of a one-night stand;[10] Gölz remarked that Carson appeared "more pleased about such an incident than a truly heartless player would be."[9][b]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| HipHopDX | 3.5/5[5] |
| laut.de |   [9] |
| Pitchfork | 6.0/10[10] |
Project X was released to mixed reviews from critics.[11] Pitchfork's Sundaresan said the "lazy" nature of the album's songwriting became more apparent as it went on and accused Carson of "trying to emulate Carti's chaos or Lil Uzi Vert's velocity" on songs like "Shake" and "Hella", which he found repetitive. Despite this, he felt the album partly succeeded in providing a "sweeter, less scorched and serrated" approach to the rage sound of Whole Lotta Red.[10] HipHopDX's Medithi highlighted Carson's sense of melody and the album's production and felt that "when Project X succeeds, Ken's music feels as kinetic and hedonistic as the movie the album is named after." However, he thought Carson appeared "boxed in by expectations" of being signed to Carti's record label and criticized his monotonous delivery.[5] Gölz of laut.de said its sound was "fairly monochromatic", but "honed to just the right level" to highlight Carson's strengths.[9][c]
Despite its mixed reception, Project X proved popular amongst rage music fans and helped solidify Carson's place in the rap music scene.[11] Anthony Malone of HipHopDX stated that the album "quickly [accumulated] a massive following" and made Carson "a marquee figure in rage culture".[12] David Crone of AllMusic said the album "pushed Carson's template into the rap zeitgeist almost overnight, with his bass-heavy and feverish style finding viral success on online platforms."[1] John Norris of VMan credited it with placing Carson "at the vanguard of new Atlanta rap".[6] "Rock n Roll" and "Run + Ran" have been described as highlights from the album by music critics,[1][6][11] with Norris calling both tracks Carson's signature songs.[6]
Track listing
[edit]Credits adapted from Apple Music.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Who's Next" |
|
| 1:45 |
| 2. | "Rock n Roll" |
|
| 2:31 |
| 3. | "Party All Day" |
|
| 2:16 |
| 4. | "Change" |
|
| 2:41 |
| 5. | "Run + Ran" |
|
| 4:04 |
| 6. | "Shake" |
|
| 2:06 |
| 7. | "Hella" |
|
| 2:41 |
| 8. | "Clutch" |
|
| 2:11 |
| 9. | "Till I Die" |
|
| 2:09 |
| 10. | "Burnin Up" | 2:35 | ||
| 11. | "So What" |
|
| 2:13 |
| Total length: | 27:12 | |||
Personnel
[edit]- Benjamin Lidsky - recording (3–11), mixing
- Colin Leonard - mastering
Notes
[edit]- ^ Quotes are translated from the original text: "Es ist der nerdige Highlife-Wunschtraum eines Jungen, der in seinem Leben viel zu viel Zeit mit Mode-Magazinen und Pi'erre Bourne-Beats verbracht hat."
- ^ Quotes are translated from the original text: "er sich über so einen Zwischenfall wohl ein bisschen mehr freut, als ein echter herzloser Player es tun würde."
- ^ Quotes are translated from the original text: "recht monochromatisches [...] perfekt auf den Punkt gestutzt wurde"
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Crone, David (n.d.). "Ken Carson Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More ..." AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ a b c d A., Aron (July 24, 2021). "Ken Car$on Delivers On New Album "Project X"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Barlas, Jon (July 11, 2021). "Ken Car$on drops long-awaited debut album 'Project X'". Our Generation Music. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ^ Walsh, Liam (June 25, 2021). "Get Ready for the Summer of Ken Car$on". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Medithi, Vivian (August 20, 2021). "Ken Car$on Shows Promise but Struggles to Outshine Boss Playboi Carti on 'Project X'". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Norris, John (October 18, 2023). "On His Second Album 'A Great Chaos', Ken Carson Is More Than "Just Ken"". V. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ Jefferson, Devon (March 23, 2022). "Ken Car$on Drops Psychedelic Video For 'Rock N Roll'". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ^ Kumar, Nimai (April 14, 2022). "Ken Car$on takes listeners on a trip in 'Run + Ran' visuals". Our Generation Music. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gölz, Yannik (n.d.). "Mit nerdigem Rage-Sound bei Carti gesignt" [Signed by Carti with a nerdy rage sound.]. laut.de (in German). Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sundaresan, Mano (August 12, 2021). "Ken Carson: Project X Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c "11 facts you need to know about Ken Carson, Atlanta's rising rap star". Revolt. January 25, 2025. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ^ Malone, Anthony (July 20, 2022). "Ken Carson 'X' Lacks Identity While Being Lapped By His More Talented Peers". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Project X by Ken Carson on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2025. To view individual song credits, click on the three dots and select "View Credits".