On August 3, 2018, rapper and singer Travis Scott released his third studio album titled “ASTROWORLD,” an idea that he had been developing since he was a kid. The album’s immediate explosion in popularity came with 19 charting songs, a BET Album Of The Year Award, a Grammy nomination and a whole new level of fame for Scott.
This popularity, however, would come back to haunt the Houston rapper. On November 5th, 2021, during his Astroworld Festival performance, a crowd rush resulted in 10 deaths and over 300 injuries. Scott seemed to take a personal break after this incident, leading up to an eventual apology and announcement of further plans regarding the situation.
Recently, in July 2023, Scott returned to the public eye with the release of his most recent studio album, “UTOPIA.” Impressively, the album charted at #1 on the Billboard 200, sold 496,000 copies in its first week, and became the highest streamed hip-hop album of the year so far.
Spanning 19 tracks, Scott gave his fans everything, including high energy tracks like “FE!N” and slow, introspective songs such as “TELEKINESIS.” Psychedelic production, energetic ad-libs, and manipulated vocals are expected from a Travis Scott album. However, the hip-hop artist brings something new to the experience this time around, and it’s clear that musically, this is a new era for Travis Scott.
Leading up to the album’s release, Scott described the sound of “UTOPIA” as that of “psychedelic rock.” He takes some serious risks outside of his usual sound while simultaneously citing his old roots. Although I wouldn’t describe it as “psychedelic rock,” “UTOPIA” does a great job at implementing darker, more grandiose production and themes.
Taking a more abstract approach, Scott immerses the listener in a world of his own vision. The true vision of “UTOPIA” as a concept is unclear, and could be interpreted in many different ways. Personally, I picked up on a heaven and hell theme, with Travis following a journey towards God throughout the album.
Lyrically, “UTOPIA” leaves much to be desired. Scott has never been known for his songwriting, but I believe this new sound opened up lyrical opportunities that he didn’t take advantage of. He does, however, address issues through his own perspective on songs such as “MY EYES.”
Regarding his tragic festival incident, Scott had this to say: “I replay them nights, and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride wit’ me / If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child,”
Despite its widespread popularity, “UTOPIA” remains a polarizing album for many, which is expected when exploring something new. However, this album has solidified Travis’ legacy as one of the biggest artists of our generation and people will look back on it as a classic.
