Jon Barlas

Key Takeaways These are the 20 best songs from Opium standout Ken Carson, who is the latest Complex cover star. Carson has released five albums in five years, including his latest, xperiment, which pushes his primal, distorted style into new directions. Ken Carson is also dropping Cartunez, a joint album with Destroy Lonely, while doing major collaborations with WWE. He's headlining ComplexCon 2026.

Key Takeaways These are the best rap albums of 2026 so far. These are the albums that will help fans cut through the flood of new releases across mainstream, underground, and experimental scenes. The list includes Drake’s icy comeback on Iceman, J. Cole’s reflective The Fall-Off, Ye’s sample-heavy Bully, and T.I.’s legacy-minded Kill The King.

Key Takeaways In 2026, the music charts are dominated by catalog songs and genres like country, with most rappers struggling to break through unless they’re already huge names. The first half of the year saw lots of ambitious releases that didn’t necessarily stick commercially, underscoring how crowded and volatile the streaming era remains.