What does Opium stand for? Ken Carson breaks down meaning behind name amid ‘The Acronym’ drop

ComplexCon 2024 - Source: Getty
Ken Carson attends ComplexCon 2024 on November 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Complex)

Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely have collaborated on a new track called The Acronym, and it was released on December 12, 2025. The track was released via the Opium label, founded by Playboi Carti. In the track, the rapper broke down the meaning behind the name, singing:

"The O stand for ostrich, the Hermès bag came pink/The P stand for Percocet, I just threw back like three/And the I stand for international, got Europe freaks/She ask me what U and M stand for, that's you and me/She asked me what YVL stand for, that Young Vamp Life."

The letters of the word, as seen by Carson’s breakdown, stand for a particular product or feeling. The ostrich bag here refers to Hermès’ use of ostrich leather, a practice the brand first started back in 1920. An ostrich leather bag can fetch a price from $23,000 for a Birkin bag to $40,000 for a Kelly bag, depending upon size and make, as per the Sotheby’s website.

Percocet is a pain medication. As per QuickMD, it is a combination of acetaminophen, a pain reliever that increases the effect of the second ingredient of Percocet, oxycodone. Oxycodone is an opioid pain medication. Percocet can lead to dependence and addiction due to its usage of opioid medication and is used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Young Vampire Life is a reference to the Opium label artists’ fans and is also the name of the hand sign of the same name done by Playboi Carti, his fellow Opium label mate. Some online users have drawn comparisons between the sign and other hand symbols, though no official meaning has been confirmed.


Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely are collaborating on a project

Both Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely are fellow Opium labelmates. Ken Carson was signed to the label back in 2019, with Destroy Lonely joining in 2021. The two are collaborating on a project, which is expected to release in 2026. Destroy Lonely elaborated on the collaborative project in an exclusive interview with Complex, stating:

"We working on that right now though, and I know people feel like, people say that. But we’re genuinely working on that right now. … Right now, I am focused on making the project with Ken. For this whole week while we’ve been in New York, we’ve probably done made like 10, 20 songs. Me and Ken be cooking up all the time."

The rapper continued, talking about how his and Ken Carson’s prolific collaboration history has led to a long ideation process for the project:

"That’s the hardest part about why it hasn’t come out yet, because me and Ken got as many songs together as we probably got by ourselves over so many years. We’re trying to figure out how we want to present that."

Destroy Lonely ruled out a 2025 release for the project with Ken Carson, stating it would be in 2026, as mentioned above. It is unclear at present if the new single The Acronym, by the duo, is going to be part of their upcoming collaborative project release in 2026.

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Edited by Ritika Pal