Ken Carson - X ALBUM REVIEW
Summary
TLDRMusic critic Anthony Fantano reviews Ken Carson's new album 'X', offering a critical perspective on its lack of originality and energy. He compares Carson to other artists influenced by Playboi Carti, noting that Carson's performance is underwhelming and his vocal style lacks distinctiveness. Fantano finds the production repetitive and the lyrics unremarkable, ultimately rating the album poorly and suggesting that Carson's contemporaries outperform him in every aspect.
Takeaways
- 🎤 The review is about Ken Carson's new album 'X', a follow-up to his 'Project X' from last year.
- 🔥 Ken Carson is riding a wave of high-energy trap music, influenced by artists like Playboi Carti.
- 🔄 The genre has seen many successful imitators, such as Casey and Yeet, who have put their own spin on the sound.
- 🏷 Ken Carson's album is released under the Opium label, run by Playboi Carti, which has given him the green light to emulate the sound.
- 🤔 The reviewer questions the sustainability of imitating a sound, noting that originators are usually better remembered than imitators.
- 📉 Ken Carson's performance on the album is described as underwhelming, with messy flows and a lack of energy compared to his contemporaries.
- 🎛 The use of auto-tune is criticized for being overdone, possibly to mask a lack of rhythm and melody in Carson's vocals.
- 🔊 The album's production is called out as repetitive and lacking range, with a sense of déjà vu due to the similarity of tracks.
- 🚫 Ken Carson is not seen as contributing anything new or refreshing to the trap genre; his work is described as generic and derivative.
- 📝 The reviewer finds no standout refrains, hooks, or choruses, and criticizes the lack of songwriting skill displayed on the album.
- 💔 The overall rating given to the album by the reviewer is very low, suggesting a lack of appeal, memorability, or interest in the project.
Q & A
Who is the main subject of the video review?
-The main subject of the video review is Ken Carson and his new album 'X'.
What type of music does Ken Carson produce?
-Ken Carson produces music in the genre of trap, similar to the high-energy style popularized by artists like Playboi Carti.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the uniqueness of Ken Carson's music?
-The reviewer believes that Ken Carson's music lacks originality and does not bring anything new or refreshing to the trap sound.
How does the reviewer describe Ken Carson's vocal performance on the album?
-The reviewer describes Ken Carson's vocal performance as underwhelming, rough, loose, and subpar, lacking the raw energy of other artists in the genre.
What is the reviewer's stance on the use of auto-tune in Ken Carson's album?
-The reviewer criticizes the overuse of auto-tune, suggesting it is used to mask the lack of rhythm and melody in Carson's vocals.
What comparison does the reviewer make between Ken Carson and other artists in the script?
-The reviewer compares Ken Carson to Playboi Carti and Yeet, stating that Carson's music is generic and lacks the appeal of his contemporaries.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the production quality of the album?
-The reviewer finds the production to be samey, low-fi, and lacking range, with beats that sound alike and create a sense of déjà vu.
What does the reviewer suggest about Ken Carson's potential for future improvement?
-The reviewer is open to the possibility of Ken Carson improving and adding something to his sound in the future that makes him stand out.
What rating does the reviewer give to Ken Carson's album 'X'?
-The reviewer gives a rating between a strong zero to a light one, indicating a very negative review.
What does the reviewer suggest as an alternative to Ken Carson's music?
-The reviewer suggests listening to Yeet or Playboi Carti as they believe these artists perform the same style better than Ken Carson.
What is the significance of the Opium label in relation to Ken Carson's album?
-The Opium label, run by Playboi Carti, is significant as it gave Ken Carson the go-ahead to emulate Carti's sound, contributing to the trend he is riding.
Outlines
🎤 Review of Ken Carson's New Album X
This paragraph introduces a music review by Tano, focusing on Ken Carson's new album 'X'. It discusses the current state of the trap music scene, influenced by artists like Playboi Carti and others who have capitalized on the style. The paragraph notes that while some artists have successfully adapted the sound, Ken Carson's album, released under Playboi Carti's Opium label, seems to be a part of a trend rather than an innovative contribution. The critique points out that Carson's performance is underwhelming, with messy flows and overuse of auto-tune, failing to bring a unique vocal style or energy to the tracks. The review suggests that Carson's work is derivative and lacks the depth and quality seen in other artists' music within the genre.
🔄 Lack of Originality and Distinctiveness in Ken Carson's Music
The second paragraph continues the critique of Ken Carson's album, emphasizing the lack of originality and the repetitive nature of both the production and Carson's vocal performance. It likens Carson to a generic version of Playboi Carti, suggesting that his music is trend-following rather than trend-setting. The paragraph criticizes the album for its lack of memorable hooks or standout tracks, and for Carson's inability to deliver a compelling performance that could set him apart from his contemporaries. The review concludes with a low rating for the album, expressing disappointment and a lack of interest in the project, while also inviting viewers to share their opinions and suggesting potential future reviews.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ken Carson
💡Trap
💡Playboi Carti
💡Die Lit
💡Whole Lotta Red
💡Copycats
💡Cochise
💡Yeet
💡Rage Music
💡Auto-Tune
💡Vocal Range
Highlights
Introduction of Ken Carson's new album 'X' as a follow-up to his 'Project X' from last year.
Comparison of Ken Carson's music to the trap sound popularized by Playboi Carti and others.
Discussion of successful copycats in the music industry who have put their spin on the trap sound.
Mention of artists like Casey and Cochise who are also exploring the trap sound.
Analysis of Ken Carson's versatility and the difficulty in predicting his future musical direction.
Release of Ken Carson's album on the Opium label, run by Playboi Carti.
Critique of Ken Carson's album for not bringing anything new to the trap sound.
Criticism of the album's lack of high standards in vocals, lyrics, and instrumentals.
Comment on Ken Carson's underwhelming performance and lack of energy in his tracks.
Observation that Ken Carson's vocal style does not stand out and lacks range.
Critique of the messy flows and Carson's off-beat rapping on the album.
Analysis of the overuse of auto-tune to mask the lack of rhythm and melody in Carson's music.
Comparison of Ken Carson to other artists in the 'rage' lane and his failure to match their energy.
Criticism of the album's lack of standout refrains, choruses, or hooks.
Observation that Ken Carson's freestyle tracks do not differ significantly from the rest of the album.
Comment on the production being samey and low-fi, lacking range and originality.
Final critique of Ken Carson's album as being unoriginal, unexciting, and lacking substance.
Rating of the album with a strong zero to a light one, indicating extreme dissatisfaction.
Encouragement for Ken Carson to improve and bring something memorable to his music in the future.
Invitation for viewers to share their thoughts on the album and suggestions for future reviews.
Transcripts
hi everyone knows any way Tano here the
internet's busiest music nerd and it's
time for a review of this new Ken Carson
album X this is a brand new LP from
rapper and vocalist Ken Carson the
follow-up to his Project X Project last
year he's currently riding a wave built
off of the buzzing and high energy brand
of trap forged by playboy cardi through
releases like die lit and whole lot of
red in the wake of those records there
have been plenty of very successful
copycats who have put their own spin on
this sound be it Casey whose style right
now is proving to be so versatile it's
hard to tell what direction he may kind
of take things in in the future there's
also Cochise who has a brand new record
out Yeet who is arguably the most
successful of all of the cardi disciples
operating today he's really done his own
thing with it and has an instantaneously
recognizable vocal that really makes the
guy stand out there are more that I
could name but this review is about Ken
Carson here who is so deeply ingrained
into this new found this project of his
has actually been released on the Opium
label which is a run by playboi carti
with that Carson is essentially being
given the go-ahead to rip off this sound
to his delight and benefit off of it as
much as he can which honestly is kind of
a genius move on Cardi's part to
essentially create this hype create this
wave for his sound and then kind of
benefit off of it on the back end
through artists who are willing to copy
it whether they are working for him or
not we've seen this play out before
through uh instances like young thug
taking some of the artists who are
indebted to his sound getting them on
the YSL label Travis Scott same thing
with his own label too this is not a new
occurrence but a few points to make here
imitators are rarely remembered as well
as Originators additionally Ken Carson
is not only failing on this record to
bring anything truly new or refreshing
to this sound but he's barely even
reaching the standards for what we are
calling Rage music at this point not
that the standards for vocals lyrics and
instrumentals have proven to be super
high to begin with but for the most part
on X he's just kind of coming through
checking the basic boxes and not really
adding anything else here not spicing it
up not going super hard not bringing a
lot of energy a lot of excitement like
does he even offer a vocal or a vocal
style that makes him stand out not
really the performance is generally
across this project are very
underwhelming they are rough they are
loose they are subpar nowhere near the
raw energy that a guy like cardi brings
to a track or even Yeet for that matter
the flows are pretty messy a lot of the
time too Carson doesn't even feel like
he is on beat with a lot of these tracks
he's almost rapping faster than some of
these songs are moving going skits is
one of many songs on this project where
he kind of sounds like he's trying to
erase the beat to the finish line and
the use of auto-tune on this thing is so
gross and over the top not that there's
anything wrong with auto-tune generally
but in this case it's obviously being
applied so hard to mask not only the
lack of Rhythm to Carson's flows but
also like the lack of any kind of Melody
or tune or anything vocally but despite
all that extra effort being made here
it's it's still kind of clear that
Carson doesn't have a whole lot of range
vocally a whole lot of Personality
vocally like I said earlier he doesn't
even bring a high level of energy to
these tracks like many of his
contemporaries in this rage Lane do and
even when a track here does kind of go a
little hard at first it gets really old
really quick because like are there any
standout refrains on this thing choruses
hooks not really Ken Carson is is truly
not a songwriter in any sense of the
word which you can kind of tell when you
listen to the two tracks on this record
that are noted as freestyles and compare
those with all the other songs on the
record and um I don't know vocally lyric
wise there's really no difference going
on here like I don't get a sense that
Carson has freestyled these two tracks
and meanwhile every other song here is
just oh yeah you spent a lot of time
writing all of this out and planning
this track because every goddamn thing
on this album just sounds so uh badly
performed and off the cuff and Half
Baked and unplanned and not that that's
necessarily a bad way to go about music
improvisation kind of flying by the seat
of your pants uh getting on the mic and
just kind of throwing whatever out there
see what works it's a valid approach if
you actually have the chops to pull it
off I would say Ken Carson very much
doesn't and not that I'm looking for Ken
on this record to do or say anything
super deep or profound I truly am not
but like if you are going to be spitting
on the mic like I say something kind of
clever or funny or something something
that stands out and isn't gross you know
like uh making your girl take a plan B
because her plan a was to keep it yeah
that's a little awkward the production
also on this record is really samey
run-of-the-mill sometimes just so low-fi
and Rough Around the Edges it's ass
there are Beats on this thing where the
perks and the subs the 808s and the key
that are all used sounds so damn alike I
feel like I'm hearing the same couple of
songs like over and over or I swear I
heard this song earlier on the record so
yeah there is kind of a sense of deja vu
on this project because there isn't much
range to the production there isn't much
range to Ken Carson vocally and
artistically yeah he is really truly
just a dollar store Playboy cardi he is
just the generic store brand of Playboy
cardi he is watered down Diet Pepsi
Playboy cardi there is no appeal to him
or his music other than that it is on
Trend and it is fitting for the time
that it is existing in that is literally
it he is contributing nothing to this
sound nothing to this style he's not
even doing it particularly well there is
nothing exciting refreshing fun or
interesting about this project it is
just drivel it is a void it is emptiness
it is a lack of something and um yeah I
didn't really find find anything on this
project to be good or entertaining or
interesting or special in any way [ __ ]
12 I mean that's kind of a cool
sentiment that's fine outside of that I
wouldn't really say there's too much of
an appeal to this project I mean I'm
open to Ken Carson down the road
improving adding something to his sound
doing something that makes him stand out
doing something that is even a smidge
memorable I would rather just listen to
Yeet or cardi there's there's really
nothing that Ken Carson brings to the
table that his contemporaries don't do
five six seven times better I'm feeling
a strong zero to a light one on this one
transition have you given this project a
listen did you love it did you hate it
what would you rate it you're the best
you're the best what should what should
I review next hit the like if you like
Please Subscribe and please don't cry
hit the Bell as well over here next to
my head it's another video you can check
out hit that up or the link to subscribe
to the channel Anthony fantano Ken
Carson forever
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)