Live Report: Ken Carson lights up Longitude with a dynamic set

Atlanta born rapper Ken Carson shot the lights out on the Heineken Stage on day 2 of Longitude. The 23-year-old artist performed a ferocious short set that had an exhilarated crowd gasping for breath.

As Carson started his set, festival goers packed out the Heineken tent, and what followed was what could only be described as a “You just had to be there” sort of performance.

One might describe Carson’s music as rap music with bass-heavy electronic production, and it was exactly what the Longitude audience came for. Coming on stage, Carson whipped off a black beanie to reveal his staple blonde tipped dreads.

Ken Carson has gained many admirers in his short career, earning comparisons to the likes of Playboi Carti, as well as fellow Longitude performer Lil Uzi Vert.

The rapper is one of the brightest on the scene. Having released studio albums Project X and X in the last two years. With his third album A Great Chaos set for release in two weeks, he is making serious waves in the music industry.

Carson opened his Longitude set with the heavy hitting ‘money & sex’, and immediately had his audience encapsulated. They fed off his energetic performance, and burst into rampaging mosh pits almost on command from the rapper.

On ‘Go’, Carson told his audience to “Open that shit up”, before sending them into near delirium with some of the most frenzied crowd mosh pits that an Irish show has ever seen. The crowd themselves displayed incredible levels of attrition, bouncing to Carson’s every word.

Smash hit ‘Yale’ almost took the hinges off of Marlay Park, with the electrified Heineken Stage crowd hitting boiling point. Fans were also treated to a selection of his unreleased tunes.

Carson closed the show with ‘Freestyle 2’ and ‘Rock N Roll’. Though his set was short, it stood up to the hype, proving to fans and doubters alike that he is one of the best in the business, and has a bright future ahead of him.

Ken Carson’s Longitude performance was one some will regret missing, but a performance that those who witnessed it won’t soon forget.