“I Need U” by Ken Carson
At the time of writing, Ken Carson is an up-and-coming rapper from Atlanta who has been musically active, in a notable sort of way, since 2015. That was the year that he was put on to the game by a more-established hip-hop artist, TM88, who also happens to be his uncle. Ken currently has a couple of studio albums under his belt, 2021’s “Project X” and 2022’s “X”, the latter of which, backed by Interscope Records, appeared on the Billboard 200.
The producers of “I Need U”, Lucian (of Romania) and MaxFlames, are credited with writing the song alongside Ken Carson. It was released through Interscope and a label called Opium (which was founded by another ATL-based rapper, Playboi Carti) on 14 February 2023. Carson began teasing the track a couple of months prior, in early December, 2022 and officially announced it in mid-January.
The Lyrics of “I Need U”
This track starts with its chorus, which initially gives the impression that what we’re dealing with may be a standard love song. That is to say that Ken kicks things off, despite noting that he and his significant other “be off them drugs”, by observing that the two of them do “match everything”, which is a further indication of the love they share.
In other words, what’s being implied by that statement is that they are so smitten with each other that they dress alike or what have you.
But then immediately thereafter, the listener is put under the impression that the vocalist may not necessarily be the monogamous type. Or in the very least, Ken’s lack of respect for ‘scrubs’ has him inclined to ‘f–k their b–ches’ accordingly. And later down the line, it can also be gleaned that he’s not what we would generally define as the faithfully-committed type, as he will excommunicate a romantic interest if it is discovered that she “follow(s) these sucker n*-gas”, which we will takes as meaning striking up an association with one of his rivals or some other chap that he doesn’t have respect for.
However, he does close out the chorus by referring to the title, i.e. flipping the lyricism back to standard romantic fare. And what Carson is expressing in that regard, to his sweetheart, is that he does in fact need her, even at times when their relationship may be going through a tumultuous period.
All expressions considered, the chorus, in its entirety, may feel a bit contradictory, as if the vocalist is in love but concurrently presenting himself as a shameless playa. And so it is, more or less, with the song’s sole verse also. For instance, it too starts off with the vocalist implying that he is thoroughly smitten with his honeybun. But as with the chorus, it only manages to stick to that sentiment briefly, with Ken then proceeding to use the rest of the passage primarily to engage in romance-based braggadocio.
For example, he utilizes the, shall we say unconventional metaphor of comparing his male rivals to “a baddie with a fatty”, i.e. a female with a sexy body, to ultimately illustrate that even if they were so, still they could not “f*-k with” him, as in remaining unworthy of his attention nonetheless.
He also states that if you no longer see him with a particular romantic interest, that would entail that he has already cut her off. Then, he addresses the type of guys who ‘flex on Instagram’, illustrating that they have ample funds to spend “on hoes, money, drugs and clothes”.
But the vocalist points out that he’s also making paper, to the tune of $300,000 this coming week. And he ultimately concludes the verse by noting that a certain “bad”, i.e. attractive, “b*tch” is making an attempt to have sex with him, as a further illustration, all lyrics considered, that Carson is indeed the man.
So don’t be fooled by the title of this song. Perhaps as originally conceptualized, the intent was for it to be romantic in nature. But by the looks of things, Ken Carson isn’t particularly the lovey-dovey type to begin with.
So by the time all is said and done, he does a sound job of operating primarily within the confines of a romance-related motif. But more to the sentimental point is the rapper touting his superiority over those who can be considered his rivals as far as getting b*-ches is concerned.
