Ken Carson - X ALBUM REVIEW

Summary

Music 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

00:00

🎤 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.

05:03

🔄 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.

Keywords

💡Ken Carson

Ken Carson is a rapper and vocalist who is the central subject of the video's critique. He is known for his work in the 'trap' genre, which is characterized by high energy and aggressive beats. The video discusses his latest album 'X', which is a follow-up to his previous project 'Project X'. The critique focuses on his ability to bring something new to the genre and his performance on this album.

💡Trap

Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the early 1990s. It is typified by its aggressive lyrical content, 808 kick drums, and hi-hats. In the context of the video, trap is the genre that Ken Carson is associated with, and the script discusses how his music fits within this style and the expectations set by other artists in the genre.

💡Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti is a rapper and a significant influence in the trap genre. He is mentioned in the script as the founder of the Opium label, which released Ken Carson's album. The video discusses how other artists, including Ken Carson, have been influenced by Playboi Carti's style and how this has led to a wave of similar-sounding music.

💡Die Lit

Die Lit is an album by Playboi Carti, which is referenced in the script as one of the releases that has helped to shape the current sound of trap music. The album's influence is discussed in relation to how it has inspired other artists, including Ken Carson, to create music in a similar style.

💡Whole Lotta Red

Whole Lotta Red is another album by Playboi Carti, which is mentioned alongside Die Lit as contributing to the current wave of trap music. The script uses this album as an example of the high-energy sound that has been emulated by other artists, including Ken Carson.

💡Copycats

In the context of the video, 'copycats' refers to artists who imitate the style of successful musicians, in this case, Playboi Carti. The script discusses how many artists have tried to replicate the sound of trap music made popular by Playboi Carti, with varying degrees of success.

💡Cochise

Cochise is another artist mentioned in the script who has released a new record. While not the main focus of the video, Cochise is brought up as an example of an artist who has put their own spin on the trap sound, contrasting with Ken Carson's perceived lack of originality.

💡Yeet

Yeet is an artist who is described in the script as one of the most successful 'cardi disciples,' meaning artists who have been influenced by Playboi Carti. Yeet is highlighted for having a unique vocal style that sets him apart from other artists in the genre.

💡Rage Music

Rage music is a term used in the script to describe the high-energy, aggressive style of trap music that Ken Carson is associated with. The video critiques Ken Carson's album for not meeting the standards of this genre, suggesting that his work is underwhelming in comparison to other artists.

💡Auto-Tune

Auto-Tune is a pitch correction software used in music production to correct vocal or instrumental pitch. In the script, the use of Auto-Tune in Ken Carson's album is criticized for being overused and for attempting to mask the lack of rhythm and melody in his vocals.

💡Vocal Range

Vocal range refers to the span of musical notes that a singer can perform in their voice. The script comments on Ken Carson's limited vocal range, suggesting that it lacks the depth and variety needed to stand out in the genre of trap music.

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