''Project X'' is the debut studio album by American rapper
Ken Carson
Kenyatta Lee Frazier Jr. (born April 11, 2000), known professionally as Ken Carson, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence following the release of his second studio album '' X'' (2022), which be ...
, released through
Opium and Foundation Media on July 23, 2021. The album serves as a sequel to Carson's ''Teen X'' EP and its ''Relapsed'' deluxe edition. In addition, the album and its artwork are named after and pay tribute to the 2012 film ''
Project X.''
The album was executively produced by producers Star Boy and Outtatown, who produced a majority of the album. Upon release, the album received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the production but found fault with the songwriting and negatively compared Ken to other rappers.
Critical reception
''Project X'' was released to mixed reviews from critics, who praised the production but criticized Ken's songwriting and felt his sound was derivative. ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' reviewer Mano Sundaresan compared the album to label boss
Playboi Carti
Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Carter was initially signed to local underground label Awful Records prior to signing with ASAP Mob's AWGE Label under Interscope ...
's album ''
Whole Lotta Red
''Whole Lotta Red'' is the second studio album by American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released on December 25, 2020, by Interscope Records as well as ASAP Rocky's AWGE label. Work on the album commenced in late 2018 and concluded in November 202 ...
'', noting that while Carti "
elpedand
creamedall over ''WLR'',
enis comparatively chill," and ultimately concluded that "''Project X'' aims for an entirely different tone than ''Whole Lotta Red'';
enand his producers are going for something sweeter, less scorched and serrated, and they achieve it in fits and starts." However, he criticized Ken's writing, saying that "as the album progresses, it becomes obvious when
en€™s cartoonish cool shrouds lazy songwriting," and accused him of "trying to emulate Carti's chaos or
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous fashion, ima ...
’s velocity," specifically noting the songs "Shake" and "Hella" for being repetitive.
''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
'' reviewer Vivian Medithi began his review by admitting that he thought Ken was "a good rapper with an ear for melody and access to some of the genre's most exciting new beatmakers" and that "when ''Project X'' succeeds, Ken's music feels as kinetic and hedonistic as the movie the album is named after." Medithi, like Sundaresan, also distinguished Ken's rapping style from Playboi Carti's, noting that Ken used a "fast-paced, words-running-together flow", but felt like his favorite beats from the album ripped off those from Carti songs. Specifically, he compared the beats for "Party All Day" and "Who's Next" to "
Beno Beno is a name of various origins. In the Bible it appears in 1 Chronicles 24:26–27 where the Hebrew word is rendered as "Beno" in some English translations and as "his son" in others. Beno is also a short form of Benedict in various languages. ...
" and "
Long Time
Long Time or Longtime may refer to:
* " Foreplay/Long Time", a 1976 song by Boston
* "Long Time" (Cake song), 2011
* "Longtime" (Ash Grunwald song), 2012
* "Long Time" (Blondie song), 2017
* "Long Time", a 2018 song by Playboi Carti from the alb ...
". He criticized Ken's delivery, claiming that "Ken's biggest weakness as a vocalist is sticking to one tone and register for the entirety of a song," and that on songs that he felt were "designed for the
mosh pit
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
," his vocals "leave a lot to be desired; there's no palpable passion behind a quip like, 'I keep me a stick/I keep me a Groot,'" in reference to the song "Clutch". Medithi praised "Change", "Run + Ran", "Shake", and "So What" as standouts, writing that "the album is solid when Ken's raps are fully dialed in."
Track listing
References
{{Authority control
2021 debut albums
Mumble rap albums