Hot 100 First-Timers: Ken Carson scores first with 'Overseas'

Ken Carson is officially a Billboard Hot 100 charting rapper.

The Atlanta native marks his first career entry on the chart dated April 27 as “Overseas” opens at No. 79. Released April 12 on Opium/Interscope Records/ICLG, the track debuts exclusively thanks to its stream total: 6.9 million official US streams in its opening week (April 12-18), according to Luminate. It also debuts at No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, marking its third appearance on the chart, following two hits that peaked last October: “Fighting My Demons” (No. 40) and “Jennifer's Body” (No. 43).

Carson first appeared in Advertising signThe charts date back to August 7, 2021, when he debuted his full-length Plan X debuted and peaked at No. 18 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.

His next album and first Interscope release, Xit topped the July 2023 Heatseekers Albums chart and peaked at No. 115 on the Billboard 200.

Carson's third and most recent studio project, A big mess, marked his biggest commercial release to date. The set reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 in October and peaked at No. 4 on the Top Rap Albums chart. Includes collaborations with Destroy Lonely and Lil Uzi Vert.

While “Overseas” earns Carson his first top 100 hit, he's come close in the past. She has charted nine songs on the Hot 100's Bubbling Under chart (which ranks the top 25 songs each week that have not yet reached the Hot 100), including three top 10s: “Jennifer's Body”, “Fighting My Demons” and “Singapore” , featuring Destroy Lonely.

Carson and Destroy Lonely are both signed to Opium, the imprint Playboi Carti founded in 2019. It's a subsidiary of Interscope and mainly showcases rap music, influenced by the punk-rock of the 1970s and 80s .