“Dismantled” is one other standout, for the appropriate and flawed causes. Sonically, it’s a quintessential Ken Carson track: Its uneven blips of equipment are continually in movement, grounded by a thick bassline that hums like a generator. He raps with the identical conviction that dominated A Nice Chaos, a presence that feels inconsistent on this album—prolonged verses on “Ok Gap” and “Evolution” present flashes however are too long-winded. (Not each track is “Me N My Kup.”) However “Dismantled” begins to get startling if you understand he’s placing a girl via brutal intercourse: “Rip this bitch aside/Once I get to the resort, she gettin’ dismantled,” he raps on the hook. It’s straightforward to shrug off Ken’s jarring one-liners when you possibly can’t assist however snort at them, however this isn’t that. On “Root of All Evil,” he brags, “I’m going Chris Brown, wall to wall/She know the way it get,” like that doesn’t learn as a grim double entendre in 2025. Add in the truth that Ken and Opium’s personal allegations of home abuse are public data and these lyrics grow to be nauseating. Even would-be romantic songs like “Kryptonite” speak about ladies like they’re concubines.
One of many strangest songs of the bunch, last monitor “Off the Meter,” options Destroy Lonely and Playboi Carti—after half a decade, Carti has lastly consummated his position as label boss by acknowledging his signees on wax. What’s humorous is how a lot it appears like Carti discovered a random .wav file from 2022 and simply threw a verse and a few Swamp Izzo tags on it. It’s a enjoyable monitor, however Ken and Lone sound rattling close to pre-pubescent in comparison with the muddier cadences they’ve honed since, whereas Carti faucets right into a stage of dynamism that Ken barely touches throughout Extra Chaos. Take heed to Ken nodding off on the finish of his “Confetti” verse, or flatlining via most of “2000,” after which take heed to Carti stretching his vocal cords like putty, inflecting with reckless abandon. Even in spite of everything this time, it’s nonetheless the instructor and the scholar.
All issues thought-about, it’s consolation on the prime that holds Ken Carson again. It’s why the again half of Extra Chaos drags; he’s going via acquainted motions in hopes of constructing lightning strike twice. Similar to A Nice Chaos, Extra Chaos offsets its aggressive first half with bubblier textures and candied Auto-Tune on aspect two, however generally Ken sounds so bored when he’s not making an attempt to leap out his physique. “200 Kash” is delightfully sludgy, however the hole, lust-driven relationships he croons about on “Down2Earth” and “Kryptonite” are tedious reminders of X, even when the beats are half-decent. By the point he claims that “Pat Bateman ain’t received nothing on me” on “Psycho,” I begin to marvel if that is simply the equal of clocking in for him.
If lyrical density is a priority, you’re lacking the purpose of Extra Chaos, however Ken Carson’s emphasis on vibes and pointed aggression can solely take him up to now. A Nice Chaos separated him from his friends, demonstrating how a lot floor he might take up outdoors of Playboi Carti’s shadow. An identical formulation suffices right here, due to a masterful crop of producers: Opium’s common suspects (F1lthy, star boy, Outtatown), DRACO.FM standouts (skai, legion), and SoundCloud veterans like 16yrold. However as an entire, Extra Chaos is a lateral transfer, not a step up. It doesn’t assist when you think about the chameleonic depth and firepower of final month’s MUSIC, a fair longer saga of postmodern entice. Carti’s album left no room for his stream or cadence to get stale, shapeshifting in tight areas like Orochimaru. Is it flawed? Undoubtedly. Nevertheless it thrives on the scathing unpredictability that Extra Chaos can’t fairly pull off.
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