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A Great Chaos

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A Great Chaos
A low quality close-up shot of Ken Carson smiling as he stands in front of a gray backdrop; Carson is wearing a black t-shirt, diamond chains, and an earring.
Studio album by
Ken Carson
ReleasedOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Recorded2022–2023
Length46:56
Label
Producer
  • AM
  • Bart How
  • Bhristo
  • Clif Shayne
  • EPREME
  • F1lthy
  • Gab3
  • KP Beatz
  • Lbw
  • Legion
  • Lil 88
  • Lucian
  • Lukrative
  • Lvis
  • MaxFlames
  • Misogi
  • Nick Spiders
  • Outtatown
  • Semsi
  • Skai
  • Ssor.t
  • Star Boy
  • TM88
  • Warpstr
  • Warren Hunter
Ken Carson chronology
X
(2022) 		A Great Chaos
(2023) 		More Chaos
(2025)
Singles from A Great Chaos
  1. "I Need U"
    Released: February 14, 2023
Singles from A Great Chaos (Deluxe)
  1. "Overseas"
    Released: April 12, 2024

A Great Chaos is the third studio album by American rapper Ken Carson. It was released through Opium and Interscope Records on October 13, 2023.[1] The album is a follow-up to Carson's second studio album, X (2022); it consists of 18 tracks and features guest appearances from Destroy Lonely and Lil Uzi Vert.[2] The album's production was handled by various producers, including Carson himself, F1lthy, Lil 88, Star Boy, Outtatown and TM88, among others.

A Great Chaos received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its appeal and production. The album was supported by the release of the single: "I Need U", which was released on Valentine's Day.[3] The album debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200,[4] earning 48,507 album-equivalent units in its first week,[5] and becoming Carson's first US top 20 album. 8 months later, on July 5, 2024, the deluxe version of the album was released, containing seven additional tracks; one of the being the single "Overseas", which released 2 months prior.[6][7]

Background and release

[edit]

The album's lead single, "I Need U", was first previewed in December 2022[8] and released on February 14, 2023, coinciding with Valentine's Day.[3] On June 2, Carson officially announced the project's title and an initial release date of July 17.[9] The album's tracklist was shared on June 25, revealing that it would consist of 14 tracks and feature multiple guest artists.[9] A second single, "It's Over", was teased but never released, and the album ultimately missed its original release date for reasons outside of Carson's control.[9]

Carson tweeted a pre-save link for the album on October 6, indicating that the project would now be released on the 13th of that same month, the day of which was a Friday the 13th. The post included a finalized track listing of 18 songs;[10] three days later, nearly the entire album leaked online after several tracks were shared on a Discord server.[11] On October 12, an album launch party was held at the Silo dance club in Brooklyn. Carson performed tracks "Singapore" and "Paranoid" alongside his Opium labelmate, Destroy Lonely. The show ended with a headlined performance by Playboi Carti.[12]

Artwork

[edit]

The album's cover art, which was designed by Nick Spiders and revealed on October 6, 2023,[10] depicts a low-quality close-up shot of Carson wearing a black t-shirt, diamond chains, and an earring as he stands smiling in front of a gray backdrop with a grill visible in his teeth.[13]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork7.8/10[14]
HipHopDX3.9/5[15]

A Great Chaos received generally positive reviews from critics. Mano Sundaresan of Pitchfork described A Great Chaos as "a creative breakthrough, flipping the script on Atlanta rap production" as "within the churn of these outrageous beats, Ken sounds alive, funneling his hedonistic tendencies into joyously unholy music".[14] Vibe's Preezy Brown called the album "some of [Carson's] best work yet", highlighting solo tracks "Fighting My Demons", "Hardcore", "Overtime", "Vampire Hour", and "Nightcore" as standouts that showcased the rapper "hitting on all cylinders".[16]

Will Gedron of HipHopDX stated: "If listened to over extended stretches, the album can become a war of attrition. This is not music to be still to. The production, while expertly constructed, is more rigid than flexible, making it difficult to recognize the humanity behind what Carson is saying. After going through the project multiple times consecutively, and finally removing headphones, there is a sense that one has emerged from an industrial warehouse, watching a conveyor belt loop over and over, at varying speeds."[15] Eric Young of Creative Culture wrote that, while the album boasted "better production, and a more convincing performance" than that of Carson's previous full-length outing, X, he found certain songs "monotonous" to listen to and knocked the rapper's vocal delivery as being largely "uninteresting". Still, he labeled "Jennifer's Body" "a raging masterpiece of a song" and felt that the project offered "a thrilling musical experience" despite its flaws.[17]

Rankings

[edit]
Select rankings of A Great Chaos
Publication List Rank Ref.
The Washington Post The Washington Post's Best Albums of 2023
3
[18]
Slant The 50 Best Albums of 2023
15
[19]
Pitchfork The 100 Best Albums of the 2020s So Far
86
[20]

Commercial performance

[edit]

A Great Chaos debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, earning 49,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Carson's first US top 20 album. The album also accumulated a total of 60.359 million global streams on Spotify for its tracks, in the week ending October 20, 2023.[citation needed]

Track listing

[edit]
Core edition track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Green Room"
3:08
2."Jennifer's Body"
  • Kenneth Pannu
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Cișmigiu
  • KP Beatz
  • Lucian
2:38
3."Fighting My Demons"
  • Anton Martin Mendo
  • Bart van Hoewijk
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Olle Elvis Zijstra
  • Tobias Dekker
  • Warren Hunter
  • Bart How
  • Lvis
  • Outtatown
  • Star Boy
  • Warren Hunter
2:30
4."Singapore" (featuring Destroy Lonely)
2:31
5."Lose It"
  • Gabriel Rousseau
  • Keifa Carter
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Gab3
  • Legion
2:20
6."Hardcore"
  • Mendo
  • Arman Andican
  • Christopher Quillin
  • Ethan Andrade
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Dekker
  • AM
  • Bhristo
  • Outtatown
  • Star Boy
  • Warpstr
2:04
7."Me N My Kup"
  • Mendo
  • Lowe
  • Carter
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Dekker
  • Hunter
  • Legion
  • Lil 88
  • Outtatown
  • Star Boy
  • Warren Hunter
3:54
8."It's Over"
  • Mendo
  • Andican
  • Lowe
  • Johnny Peng
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Dekker
  • Zain Siddiqui
  • Star Boy
  • Lil 88
  • AM
  • Misogi
  • Skai
  • Outtatown
1:35
9."Succubus"
  • Andican
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Ortiz
  • AM
  • F1lthy
2:29
10."Paranoid" (featuring Destroy Lonely)
  • Sandimanie III
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Thevenot
  • Ortiz
  • Cișmigiu
  • F1lthy
  • Lucian
  • Lukrative
2:07
11."Pots"
  • Clifton Shayne
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Thevenot
  • Clif Shayne
  • Lucian
2:09
12."Like This" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Destroy Lonely)
  • Semsi
3:12
13."Overtime"
  • Erik Cordova
  • Lowe
  • Frazier Jr.
  • EPREME
  • Lil 88
1:46
14."Vampire Hour"
  • Mendo
  • Wang
  • Quillin
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Dekker
  • Bhristo
  • Outtatown
  • Star Boy
2:34
15."Nightcore"
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Thevenot
  • Cișmigiu
  • Lucian
  • Lukrative
3:07
16."Nightcore 2"
  • Andican
  • Shayne
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Cișmigiu
  • AM
  • Clif Shayne
  • Lucian
3:02
17."Rockstar Lifestyle"
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Salvino
  • Thomas Ross
  • Semsi
  • Ssor.t
3:12
18."I Need U"
  • Frazier Jr.
  • Max Rafael
  • Cișmigiu
  • Lucian
  • MaxFlames
2:28
Total length:46:56
A Great Chaos (Deluxe) bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."Loading"Kenyatta Frazier Jr. • Clifton ShayneClif Shayne3:06
20."More Chaos"Frazier Jr. • Shayne • Nick SpidersClif Shayne • Nick Spiders2:21
21."Toxic"Frazier Jr. • Keifa Carter • Johnny PengLegion • Skai2:45
22."Leather Jacket"Frazier Jr. • Rupert HowarthPerto2:37
23."Mewtwo"Frazier Jr. • ShayneClif Shayne2:08
24."SS"Frazier Jr. • Bart Van Hoewjik • Danny O'Brien • Jaylan Lowe • Kylian KanteBart How • Lil 88 • Mnclzy • Kyl • Star Boy 
25."Overseas"Frazier Jr. • Spiders • Pierre Thevenot • Stacey Walroud • Stefan CismigiuLucian • Lukrative • Nick Spiders • Esko2:21
Total length:14:12

Notes

  • "It's Over" samples an earlier Ken Carson song, "Freestyle 3".
  • "Pots" is an acronym for "Pouring Out the Syrup".
  • "I Need U" and all the songs included in the deluxe edition are stylized in lowercase. For example "Mewtwo" is stylized as "mewtwo".
  • "SS" stands for "Sydney Sweeney", an American actress.

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for A Great Chaos
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[21] 34
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[22] 4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 56
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 120
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 51
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 35
French Albums (SNEP)[29] 155
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 45
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[31] 24
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[32] 14
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[33] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34] 21
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[35] 15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 13
UK Albums (OCC)[37] 43
US Billboard 200[38] 11
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39] 4

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for A Great Chaos
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Gold 40,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[41] Gold 10,000‡
United States (RIAA)[42] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Cole, Alexander (October 13, 2023). "Ken Carson Drops Off Highly-Anticipated Album "A Great Chaos"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Cowen, Trace (October 13, 2023). "Lil Uzi Vert Joins Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely on "Like This"". Complex. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Here's what went down at Ken Carson's sold-out London show". Crack. September 3, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "Billboard 200™". Billboard. October 28, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "HITS Top 50 Chart". October 20, 2023. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Horvath, Zachary (July 5, 2024). "Ken Carson Lets "A Great Chaos" Rage On With Seven New Deluxe Cuts". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Ken Carson Unleashes 'A Great Chaos' Deluxe Edition". www.complex.com. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Degrazia, Leah (February 15, 2023). "Ken Carson Declares His Love For His Girl On New Song "i need u"". Genius. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Barlas, Jon (October 4, 2023). "Ken Carson's 'A Great Chaos' slated to drop on Oct. 13". Our Generation Music. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Armstrong, Sam (October 8, 2023). "Ken Carson Announces New Album 'A Great Chaos'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Zamora, José (October 9, 2023). "Opium's Ken Carson Has New Album Leaked Online". Raptology. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Kurzweil, Lucas (October 14, 2023). "Ken Carson Introduces 'A Great Chaos' With Action Packed Concert at Silo in Brooklyn". NYS Music. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  13. ^ "Ken Carson - A Great Chaos Lyrics and Tracklist". Genius. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Sundaresan, Mano (October 18, 2023). "Ken Carson: A Great Chaos Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Gedron, Will (November 8, 2023). "KEN CARSON FINDS HIS VOICE ON 'A GREAT CHAOS'". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Brown, Preezy; Sadler, Armon (October 13, 2023). "Offset, Ice Spice, Westside Gunn, Ken Carson And More New Music Friday Releases You Need In Rotation". Vibe. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Young, Eric (October 15, 2023). "Ken Carson – A Great Chaos (Album Review)". Creative Culture. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ Richards, Chris (December 6, 2023). "The Washington Post's Best Albums of 2023". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  19. ^ Slant Staff (December 7, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Slant. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Pitchfork (October 1, 2024). "The 100 Best Albums of the 2020s So Far". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 23 October 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1755. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 23, 2023. p. 25.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  26. ^ "Canadian Albums: Week of October 28, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  27. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  28. ^ "Ken Carson: A Great Chaos" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  29. ^ "Top Albums (Week 42, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  30. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  31. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 42. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  32. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 42 – 2023" [The Music – Albums – Week 42 – 2023] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  33. ^ "2023 42-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  34. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  35. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 13.10.2023–19.10.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  37. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  38. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of October 28, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  39. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of October 28, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  40. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos". Music Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  41. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 31, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter A Great Chaos in the search box.
  42. ^ "American album certifications – Ken Carson – A Great Chaos". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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