About

Houston-born rapper and producer Travis Scott's psychedelic trap style makes him one of the more distinctive talents to have risen to the height of mainstream commercial popularity. His heavily processed, half-sung/half-rapped style set him apart early on, and he grew from affiliations with Kanye West's GOOD Music and T.l's Grand Hustle in the early 2010s to chart-dominating popularity before the close of the decade. After his first studio album, 2015's Rodeo, debuted in the number three position, Scott followed with a pair of number one full-lengths, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016) and Astroworld (2018), all the while assisting in platinum singles headlined by the likes of Rihanna ("Bitch Better Have My Money"), SZA ("Love Galore"), and Drake ("Portland"), and working extensively with Quavo as Huncho Jack.

Whether leading or supporting, Scott's presence was unmistakable, and he quickly accumulated Grammys, endorsement deals, and appearances in more than 80 charting songs. By the 2020s, Scott was one of the most successful living artists on the planet. This level of fame played into both extreme success and profound tragedy, with Scott being at the center of controversy surrounding the deaths and injuries of hundreds of fans at his 2021 Astroworld festival before debuting his genre-crossing, Grammy-nominated fourth album, 2023's UTOPIA.

In an attempt to give the world a true blockbuster rap album, the Houston rapper delivers a shiny, empty spectacle loaded with pop superstars who rarely make an impact. For all its blinding star power, every moment on UTOPIA should feel seismic, or at the very least impactful. Think of Quavo’s melodic fantasia on “Oh My Dis Side,” or Nav’s ice-cold breeziness on “Beibs in the Trap,” or even Drake’s “Sicko Mode” verses which were basically implanted into your brain permanently after one listen. Now, without those, all he has to back himself up is the production. Yet even that is so safe. He waters down the cutting-edge sounds of the past and, in the process, flattens his Southerness to the point that he feels like he’s from nowhere. - Pitchfork

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Label: Epic (1 96588 46031), Cactus Jack (1 96588 46031)
Format: 2x Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 31 Jul 2023
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: Trap, Cloud Rap, Pop Rap, Experimental
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