THIS IS THE XPERIMENT

Oct. 14, 2026


Photo by Dominic Plata

After months of teasers — ranging from hiding unreleased hard drives across major cities to dropping conceptual content and ticketing links on an obscure alternate Instagram — Ken Carson’s latest album, "xperiment," at last released at the height of summer.

Carson unleashed Pandora’s Box, with 22 songs, featuring the council of pioneers and biggest names in the rage genre: Playboi Carti, 2hollis, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, and Destroy Lonely. Anyone rocking with the electro-rap wave was kicking their feet and cranking up their bass to experience the xperiment on drop. What they’d find is a synthesis of sounds that ventures beyond the expectations of a single genre, with recalls to 2016 hip hop using the flute in the track "knocking," quarantine bedroom rap with ambient lo-fi hums in "gynecologist," a bass-heavy trap tempo in "fw00," and even pixelated arcade EDM in "truth," to name a few. Carson declares in "shadeson," “No matter what I make, they gon’ call it rage," and thus made it his mission to complicate and subvert the “rage rap” label.

The project is playful and defiant, psychedelic and commanding, and evoked an energetic, trance-like state for an audience of thousands at the Moody Center on the 2026 Xperimenting Tour.


Photo by Dominic Plata

DJ Moon opened with prime classics like “Look at me!” by XXXTENTACION and “Location” by Playboi Carti to perfect the atmosphere, winning over the crowd from the start. Prettifun elated the setlist with his colorful hyperpop and scene anthems, followed by xaviersobased, who brought especially danceable rave hits and occasional screamo to EDM trap.

Fans showed out in a sea of dark outfits with silver accents, face piercings, and fresh tattoos. The floor and stands were packed, fog hazed the air, and headbangs synchronized across the stadium to the beat and strobe lights: a landscape of counterculture.


Photo by Dominic Plata


Carson's set was drenched with attitude and intensity. Sirens rang out amidst the electronic frequencies between tracks, and the crowd recognized every song the moment they began to play. Screams, chants, and blasting synth built up before each trembling drop, as projectile flames shot dozens of feet and the multiple moshpits imploded. Carson was light on his feet just like the crowd, moving and jumping and battling it out. Even high up in the stands, fans were leaning and feeling the music. The x-drive had been plugged into our skin, the music pulsed through our veins like wires, and the xperiment took control.
 
Photo by Dominic Plata


Staying true to the experimental theme, Carson improvised with his vocals throughout by sneering and adding raspy agitation to his inflections, creating a unique listening experience for the live show. You had to be there to hear the album enhanced with the rebelliousness and spontaneity that Carson invoked this September.

“Xperiment” is the lab rat crazy to pull itself from the straitjacket, and Carson’s performance was its escape from the facility. The show was a place to forget about restrictions and surrender to the music as a collective: a shameless release of amassed energy and tension. The project insists that subversion of the status quo and nonconformity are the only ways to scratch our itch for chaos, our hunger for something new. Xperimenting is the only way forward. ■


Photo by Dominic Plata


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