Travis Scott, the global superstar, has finally released his highly anticipated fourth studio album, ‘Utopia’. The album, which has been years in the making, is a rejuvenation of Scott’s discography, expanding his sound without drastically changing it. The stakes are exponentially higher for Scott, who has faced a tarnished image due to the Astroworld disaster last year.
A Musical Advancement
‘Utopia’ is a major musical advancement for Scott. The album, which spans 19 full songs over almost 75 minutes, features a dream Grammy-albums-of-the-year nominees list: Beyoncé, Drake, the Weeknd, Bad Bunny, SZA, Kanye West, Future, Pharrell, 21 Savage, Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Young Thug, Dave Chappelle, Playboi Carti, Bon Iver, Swae Lee, Kid Cudi, Mike Dean, Metro Boomin, James Blake, Noah Goldstein and a couple of dozen more. Scott’s artistry is the real advancement here, showing a musical versatility and adventurousness that’s rare for an artist on his level.
Echoes of Ye
The influence of Scott’s musical mentor, Ye, is evident in ‘Utopia’. Scott, along with a number of the above artists, are members of the “808s & Heartbreak” generation, fusing electronic music with hip-hop. Fifteen years after that album and ten years after Ye’s equally culture-shaking “Yeezus”, West’s greatest pupil touches on key moments from his mentor’s discography while updating and advancing his own.
A Refreshing Change
‘Utopia’ is more vague compared to ‘Astroworld’, which plays like different rides and thrills at an amusement park. This vagueness works to its advantage. Scott successfully challenges himself as he joins the frontlines of East Side Buffalo, indulging his love for boom-bap by trying his hand at coke rap, alongside Westside Gunn and the Alchemist on “Lost Forever.”
The Collaborations
‘Utopia’ is at its best when Travis fosters the collaborations that he’s cultivated over the course of his career. Whether it’s Playboi Carti unveiling a new, Atlanta trap-inspired flow on “Fe!n,” or the Weeknd’s velvety croons on “Circus Maximus,” replacing the thick basslines of “Rodeo’s” “Pray 4 Love” with prismatic synthesizers, ‘Utopia’ updates and reimagines his past.
‘Utopia’ is a testament to Scott’s musical adventurousness and diversity. It brings subtlety and innovation where ‘Astroworld’ brought spectacle. It’s a refreshing change that fans of Scott and music lovers, in general, will appreciate.
