After reclaiming it for a third total week, Playboi Carti’s Music vacates the top spot of the Billboard 200 albums chart this week. But Carti likely won’t be too mad about the album replacing his at No. 1: More Chaos, the latest LP from his Opium imprint signee Ken Carson.
The rising rapper’s 21-track new set becomes his first album to top the Billboard 200, following predecessor A Great Chaos peaking at No. 11 in 2023. The album takes advantage of a relatively slow week for new albums, as its 59,500 first-week units (according to Luminate) marks the lowest total for a No. 1 album since Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry bested the chart with just under 55,000 units in May 2022.
How meaningful is the bow for Ken Carson? And which rapper could be next to score their first No. 1 album? Billboard staffers answer those questions and more below.
1. Ken Carson’s More Chaos debuts at No. 1 this week with 59,000 equivalent album units moved. On a scale from 1-10, how big a deal do you think this is for the young rapper’s career?
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady: Definitely a 9 or 10. A No. 1 album is a massive accomplishment in its own right, but Ken’s debut I think surprised a good amount of people. His supporters have been devout for years, but I don’t think the uninitiated expected those supporters to come through in such high numbers like they did. For someone who at the beginning of his career was written off as a Carti clone, moving 59,000 units I think officially puts that criticism to rest. To see a fanbase grow this big in just two years is a serious accomplishment. We know a lot of that was the music, but a lot of it was because of his last tour. Ken developed a similar reputation to Carti for putting on explosive live performances, and I think the atmosphere he cultivated at his shows last year really shifted his supporters to a more cult-like level.
Kyle Denis: Absolutely a 10. You can be a fan (or not), you can say that this was a weak chart week, whatever. The fact of the matter is that Ken Carson has the No. 1 album in America with a style of rap that’s far more niche than other hip-hop chart-toppers. And he’s only 25. This is a massive deal for him.
Angel Diaz: I think I’ll go with a 6? Having an album go No. 1 is always an achievement to be proud of, but those numbers are a bit disappointing, especially when you consider the hype around Ken and his Opium labelmates Destroy Lonely and Playboi Carti. I was expecting a bigger debut.
Jason Lipshutz: A 7. While the equivalent album units total isn’t high enough to suggest a huge swell of popularity compared to Carson’s previous projects, a No. 1 album is a No. 1 album, and may be the type of headline-grabbing achievement that will turn more casual rap fans toward the Atlanta native. For most music fans, a chart-topping project does not come with an asterisk that denotes a quiet release week and relatively low units total; More Chaos was the biggest album of the past week, and for a rising artists like Carson, that statement is all that matters.
Andrew Unterberger: Maybe a 9? Obviously the number is low by No. 1 standards, but scoring a No. 1 album (or even a top five album really) as a young rapper without much crossover success is not something easily done in 2025. Lots of folks are talking about Ken Carson this week whose radar he might not have otherwise been on, and that’s always a big W.
2. Ken Carson has basically seen exponential growth with his album-to-album performance on the Billboard 200 – from a No. 115 peak on 2022’s X to No. 11 with A Great Chaos in 2023 now to No. 1. What do you think the biggest reason for that rapid growth is?
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady: The most important reason is the music has objectively gotten a lot better. Like, we can all admit X wasn’t a good introduction to who Ken was as a rapper or how he’d stand out amongst the other Carti clones popping up online. A Great Chaos was that introduction: The beats were interesting, and Ken’s voice and flow sounded unique. I think A Great Chaos satiated rage rap fans really well just on its face, but also had a lot of moments where you could tell this was a different kind of record compared to everything else coming out of Opium. Another equally-as-important reason I think is the live shows: We’re seeing that if you can bring the energy in interesting ways to your performances, it can draw in a ton of new, young fans. It’s been an instrumental factor in Carti’s and Travis Scott’s staying power, and I think Ken knows that and is tapping into that.
Kyle Denis: I think the dedication of the Opium fanbase and the continued glow of being one of Carti’s protégés have helped with his rapid growth. In addition to his own headlining tours, Carson has also been a regular on the festival circuit, playing lively sets at Coachella (2024), Rolling Loud (several times over) and Lollapalooza (2023) that frequently spin viral moments out of raucous mosh pits.
Angel Diaz: We have to thank Carti’s influential 2020 album Whole Lotta Red for laying down the foundation for Carson’s rage rap sound. Many young fans from diverse backgrounds listen to his music and have been at shows moshing to their music. Some feel like Opium’s sound is the next big thing in rap, so it’s no surprise that his stock is rising. His next album will be the one that could define his career.
Jason Lipshutz: Carson is the right artist at the right moment in hip-hop — a compelling, mainstream-friendly MC who trades in the blown-out rage rap that continues to dominate commercially. More Chaos takes over at the top of the Billboard 200 from Music, Playboi Carti’s long-awaited opus which spent three of the past four weeks at No. 1 (and is featured on Carson’s track “Off the Meter”); Carti is Carson’s label leader, and Music shares its sonic DNA with More Chaos, with both artists whipping through grinding production and shifting their flows across their respective sprawling projects. Hip-hop fans are unquestionably hungry for artists and projects like this, and Carson is the latest beneficiary of the trend.
Andrew Unterberger: Stronger craft and good timing.
3. While Carson is becoming a formidable force on the Billboard 200, his presence on the Billboard Hot 100 has been fairly muted – and none of the 21 songs on this album make the chart this week. Do you see hit songs in Carson’s future, or do you think it makes sense that his success be mostly album-focused?
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady: I think what we’re seeing with a lot of these rage rap guys, with the exception of Carti, is that album really is God. Yeat is a good example of this. His biggest Hot 100 hit was Drake’s “IDGAF,” but outside of that his single’s have never done insanely well compared to his albums. I think with Ken, we’re likely gonna see the same sort of trajectory. Fans of this kind of music also tend to enjoy full length albums more because they appreciate the enveloping sound of these kinds of rappers. It’s become a vital part of the experience, which is kinda cool because it goes against the algorithmic focus on quick, catchy singles that major labels have pushed for in recent years via TikTok and other apps.
Kyle Denis: I can see Carson getting a hit with a song that explicitly caters to a wider audience – kind of like how “Rather Lie” was the clear radio-ready cut from Carti’s sprawling Music album. I definitely wouldn’t put money on a solo rage rap Carson song making a splash on the Hot 100. I’m almost certain his success will continue to be focused on albums/full-length projects and live shows.
Angel Diaz: That was surprising, but there also isn’t a song that sticks out for me on More Chaos. The album kinda moves like a side-scrolling video game soundtrack and each track represents a different level in the game. The production is moving faster than his raps, which sounds a bit jarring at first. I think he’s going to need a hit record eventually if he wants to be considered a major player in mainstream rap moving forward.
Jason Lipshutz: “Blakk Rokkstar” is a standout from More Chaos, as the type of operatic trap headbanger that Travis Scott has ridden to multiple hits over the years. But considering how scorching-hot Playboi Carti is at the moment, their album-closing collaboration “Off the Meter” (also featuring Destroy Lonely) is probably the safest bet for the song that uses this No. 1 album debut as a springboard for Carson to receive more streams and radio play. With its loping synth melody and a particularly feisty Carti feature, “Off the Meter” definitely has crossover potential.
Andrew Unterberger: You can never rule out the possibility of anyone catching a hit these days off some unexpected viral heat, but in terms of whether he’s ever going to be a reliable hitmaker from a singles perspective… it seems unlikely. The songs aren’t written with pop structure or pop goals in mind, and his fans don’t seem to want that from him anyway.
4. The album Chaos replaces at No. 1, Music, comes from his label boss and partner-in-rage Playboi Carti. Do you think it says something about hip-hop in 2025 that the albums should top the chart in back-to-back weeks, or is it mostly just a timing fluke?
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady: I think it’s too early to say for certain whether this is a definitive moment or not for hip-hop in 2025. Truthfully, it could be just great timing for Opium. I could be wrong, but I think Chaos going number one came as a pleasant surprise for a lot of people, including maybe Ken himself? I certainly didn’t expect it to move 59,000 units.
Kyle Denis: I think it’s mostly a timing fluke, but I also think it further cements that Playboi Carti is one of the biggest pop stars of 2025. Not only is Carti enjoying multiple visits to the top of the Billboard 200 and scoring radio hits (thanks to The Weeknd’s “Timeless”) and concurrent Hot 100 top 10 debuts, but he’s also minting tomorrow’s biggest rap stars through Opium. Now, both Carson’s and Destroy Lonely’s most recent LPs have reached the Billboard 200’s top 10 in back-to-back years. As things currently stand, Carti and Kendrick are two indisputable pillars of 2025 hip-hop’s Big Three.
Angel Diaz: Hip-hop is the most important pop culture phenomenon to come along in the last 50 years and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Even the pop girlies like Billie Eilish and Camila Cabello either dress like rappers or try to incorporate their sound in some way or another. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that other rap albums will top the album charts in 2025. Now, if you ask me if that’s a good thing is another conversation. Whenever something that was once counterculture becomes a mainstream staple, it gets watered down. However, Ken did benefit from a quiet week, and he probably wouldn’t have gone No. 1 if he went up against a heavyweight rapper, pop star, or country singer.
Jason Lipshutz: Partially a timing fluke, but while Kendrick Lamar and Drake duke it out in the headlines and at the top of the Hot 100, rage has not-so-quietly swerved to the front of popular rap, the sound du jour of young listeners searching for sound to match their teenage intensity. We’re going to see more months like this in the future, where both A-list rappers and rising genre stars share space at the top of the Billboard 200 to reflect bigger-than-expected fan bases. Playboi Carti’s appeal and influence are undeniable at this point, but more Ken Carsons are coming soon, too.
Andrew Unterberger: The timing is definitely more coincidental than anything, but you’d be pretty silly not to at least take note that this strain of rap is connecting with audiences in a way many other styles — some of which would be thought to be much more conventionally commercial — really aren’t right now.
5. Which other rising rapper who’s yet to score a Billboard 200 No. 1 album do you think is likely to top the chart sooner than later?
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady: I think things are looking promising for BigXThaPlug. His pivot into country is being super well received so far, which historically has been a hard pivot to make. His debut in the top five last week I think is a promising sign for him if he keeps up this momentum. Lil Tecca could also pull it off if he rolls out his album the right way. He’s got a serious record on his hand with “Dark Thoughts,” and I think he has the potential to chart very high if he keeps dropping heat.
Kyle Denis: I’ll keep an eye on Lil Tecca and BigXthaPlug. Neither Megan Thee Stallion nor Doja Cat are rising stars, but I’d be surprised if they both didn’t eventually snag a Billboard 200 No. 1 album.
Angel Diaz: Megan and GloRilla haven’t had a No. 1 album yet. I can see either of them reaching the top of the album charts in the future. As far as rising, though? Cash Cobain is the first name that comes to mind based on the type of music he makes. I know he can be a little too horny at times, but his production is so good the vulgarity can be tolerated.
Jason Lipshutz: BigXThaPlug. After scoring his first top 10 album in October with Take Care, the Dallas rapper cruised into the top 5 of the Hot 100 earlier this month with the Bailey Zimmerman team-up “All the Way.” If that smash leads a new project in the near future, get ready for that project to top the Billboard 200.
Andrew Unterberger: Almost too obvious, but Doechii for sure.
