KEN CARSON RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW EP CARTUNEZ
After weeks of teasing, multi-platinum recording artist Ken Carson has officially released his highly anticipated new EP, cartunez. The 13-track project arrives on the heels of his fifth studio album, xperiment, which debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200, marking his second consecutive Top 10 album following More Chaos, which debuted at No. 1. cartunez features collaborations with Destroy Lonely, ApolloRed and OsamaSon.
Last night, Ken kicked off his U.S. headline “xperimenting Tour” at Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago. The 17-date nationwide run, with support from xaviersobased, prettifun, and DJ Moon, will take him to cities across the country before wrapping up in his hometown of Atlanta. Continuing a landmark year, Ken is set to headline ComplexCon in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 3, joining the festival’s 10-year anniversary celebration. Tickets are available for purchase.
Released in July, xperiment debuted with nearly 16 million global streams in its first day and has continued to build momentum, earning praise from Complex, XXL, Rolling Stone, Hypebeast, and more. Billboard further recognized the project’s impact, noting that xperiment “solidifies the 26-year-old as a true niche superstar.”
Built around Ken’s signature sound, xperiment represents a creative evolution, pairing explosive production with more melodic, emotionally driven moments while continuing to push the boundaries of his artistry. The album features production from longtime collaborators AM, F1LTHY, Lucian, Clif Shayne, and more, alongside 2hollis, who produced “shadeson,” the track Ken performed as the closing song during his explosive headline set at Rolling Loud California 2026.
The album also brings together a stacked lineup of collaborators, including Destroy Lonely on “shopping,” Lil Uzi Vert on “ghost,” Young Thug on “drug kit,” and Playboi Carti on “deaf note.” Ken and Carti also joined forces on “wedidit,” which they performed together during Carti’s closing set at Summer Smash. The track’s official music video, filmed in their hometown of Atlanta and directed by Frankie Watts, has nearly 4 million views.
In addition to the album, Ken further expanded the ever-evolving world of xperiment. The album artwork, featuring a USB drive inserted into his neck, serves as the central visual motif for the era. Extending the concept beyond the music, xperiment unfolds through a series of cinematic short films that deepen its eerie universe, leaning into sci-fi, suspense, and surreal storytelling. Directed by Joy Divizn, the visual series brings the album’s immersive world to life. Watch now: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6.
This chapter builds on an unprecedented run for the Atlanta native. His 2025 album, More Chaos, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earning him his first chart-topping album, while 2023’s critically acclaimed A Great Chaos propelled his career to new heights, landing on year-end Best Albums lists from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Complex. This year alone, Ken has continued to raise the bar. In June, he delivered a career-defining performance at Rolling Loud California 2026, closing the Under Armour Stage with his first-ever Sunday night headlining festival set. As Billboard wrote, “Carson delivered the kind of set that felt bigger than just another festival performance.”
Ken recently kicked off his international festival run with appearances at Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Splash! Festival in Germany, delivering live debuts of new tracks from xperiment and bringing out Destroy Lonely for “shopping,” Openair Frauenfeld in Switzerland, Clout Festival in Poland, and closed out his international run over the weekend at Frequency Festival in Austria.
Beyond the stage, Ken has continued to expand his cultural footprint through sold-out touring and collaborations, including his sold-out “WTF” headline tour across Europe and the UK, Playboi Carti’s “Antagonist 2.0 Tour,” and collaborations with Affliction, SKIMS x Cactus Plant Flea Market, and Jesse Jo Stark’s Deadly Doll line, and most recently a WWE collaborative merch collection.
CARTUNEZ TRACKLIST:
1. scrape
2. swag jack
3. off a bean
4. rare creature
5. 50K
6. roxy reynolds with Destroy Lonely
7. 005
8. eaters
9. 9 bitches with ApolloRed
10. vamp city with OsamaSon
11. fake news
12. disturbing the peace
13. yvngvmp
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