9 Bitches

"9 Bitches"
Song by Ken Carson and ApolloRed1
from the album Xperiment - Cartunez
ReleasedAugust 26, 2026
Recorded2026
Length2:58
Label
Songwriters
Producer
Music video
"9 Bitches" on YouTube

"9 Bitches" (stylized in lowercase) is a song by American rappers Ken Carson and ApolloRed1, released on August 26, 2026, as the ninth track to Carson's album reissue Xperiment - Cartunez, the track serves as a diss towards Athens rapper Nine Vicious.

Background

Before the song's release, Athens rapper Nine Vicious (born Trevon Deronta O'Ryan Echols) was involved in feuds with close affiliates of Carson and others from late 2025 to early 2026. Artists that got involved were Tezzus and Opiumbaby, where the latter is a close affiliate of Carson. These events would eventually get Carson involved, which, as a result, spurred the track.

Before the release, the track was announced to be on Carson's Cartunez. Following the track list reveal, the name of the title generated responses online, leading fans to believe that the track is a diss towards the rapper.

Composition and lyricism

Composition

"9 Bitches" comes in at a runtime of two minutes and 58 seconds. Carson co-wrote the song with ApolloRed1 and Lil 88, who handled the music production for the track. Additionally, Corey Moon and Chris Clay handled the mastering and mixing for the track. According to Quincy Dominic of Rating Games Music, he stated that the music production has a great tempo, "a demonic atmosphere, and a melody that gives the chaos some structure." According to Olivier Lafontant of Pitchfork, he wrote how Lil 88's drum work on the track "could make a set of subwoofers twerk is damn near enough for me (Lafontant) to tune out Ken’s dry Nine Vicious disses altogether."

Lyricism

Lyricall, the track sees the duo of Carson and ApolloRed1 trade verse on dissing Nine Vicious, on the track, Carson sends "bloodthirsty" verses while Apollo - like Ken, mentions Vicious' ex-girlfriend, and OsamaSon, a close friend of the rapper, who was allegedly ready to "push up" at Vicious' house. According to Lafontant, he said how some of the insults sound very "middle school"-like “Boy, you sugar sweet/Honey tea,” and “That white bitch you got got a Megamind” which make Lafontant cringe and shake his head. The track sees Carson and Apollo repeatedly taunt the rapper.

Reception

Upon release, the track generated mixed to positive reviews from music journalists. Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop called the track "brutal" and "fiery", while Vivian Medithi of The Fader called Apollo's "downright distasteful" due to some extreme violence and homophobic remarks. Despite the gripe, Medithi praised Apollo's vocal cadence. Quincy Dominic of Rating Games Music rated the song a four out of five, writing that the track's production was great, and that the chemistry between the two was just as good. Will Schube of Complex called the track the highlight of Cartunez. Lafontant called the beat "pressure". As of September 2026, the song has over 1.5 million streams just a few weeks after the project's release. Dimas Sanfiorenzo of Complex called the track the highlight of the Cartunez tape in his "best albums of 2026 so far" ranking.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Apple Music.

References

  1. ↑ "Ken Carson Drops 13-Track 'cartunez' EP Ahead Of U.S. Tour And ComplexCon Headline Set". That Eric Alper. August 28, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  2. ↑ Johri, Antonio (September 23, 2026). "A Guide to the Music We're Most Excited to See at ComplexCon 2026". Complex. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  3. ↑ Johri, Antonio (September 23, 2026). "A Guide to the Music We're Most Excited to See at ComplexCon 2026". Complex. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Cole, Alexander (August 27, 2026). "Ken Carson Disses Nine Vicious On The Fiery New Song "9 bitches"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Medithi, Vivian (August 28, 2026). "Ken Carson and ApolloRed1 diss Nine Vicious on "9 bitches"". The FADER. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "9 bitches - song by Ken Carson and ApolloRed1". Apple Music. August 27, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Quincy (August 27, 2026). "Ken Carson – cartunez (Album Review)". Ratings Game Music. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Lafontant, Olivier (September 8, 2026). "Ken Carson: xperiment - cartunez review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Cole, Alexander (August 27, 2026). "9 bitches (Nine Vicious Diss) - song by Ken Carson". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Sanfiorenzo, Dimas; Rose, Jordan; Barlas, Jon; Johri, Antonio; DeStefano, Mike; Schube, Will; Inman, DeMicia; Fitzgerald, Kiana (September 7, 2026). "100 Hottest Rappers Right Now [September 2026]". Complex. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  11. ↑ Sanfiorenzo, Dimas; Rose, Jordan; Barlas, Jon; Johri, Antonio; Nagaiah, Aani (October 8, 2026). "The Best Rap Albums of 2026 So Far". Complex. Retrieved October 12, 2026.