Travis Scott — ASTROWORLD

Travis Scott adds to his accomplished discography with his most recent rager anthem, ASTROWORLD, which dropped August 2018. Three Grammy nominations and chart-topping songs such as BUTTERFLY EFFECT and STARGAZING confirmed the Houston native as one of the most successful artists of the year.

The 17-track album is an emblematic work for Scott. He evokes his familiar rage and energy through superb production. ASTROWORLD has all the iconic tropes of Scott’s trap beats: heavy bass, dark synths and emphasis on the 808’s and snares. This aggressive intensity is further evoked through Scott’s passionate delivery of his lyrics. Renowned producers such as Tay-Keith, Mike Dean and Travis himself deliver some of the most thorough and precisely-crafted beats of the year.

Still, the Grammy nominee displays his ability to part from his fast paced songs with more melodic tracks such as COFFEE BEAN and R.I.P SCREW. These diversify the album’s overall sound and showcase Scott’s creativity.

However, what makes La Flame’s fourth album stand out from others is his use of features. Scott uses other artists as instruments; he plays on their unique sounds and puts them on the most complementary beats which bring out their individual strengths and sounds. Frank Ocean’s harmonic and rugged vocals are interspersed throughout CAROUSEL as a reprieve from Travis’ aggressive verses. Kid Cudi’s famous humming is a primary component of the beat for STOP TRYING TO BE GOD; the track’s melodic sound is further enhanced by Stevie Wonder’s tranquil harmonica. SKELTONS features the crooning of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker along with choruses marked by The Weeknd’s high tenor.

ASTROWORLD marks the progression of Travis Scott as an artist, and while it may not live up to the iconic Rodeo or Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, it deserves praise as Travis Scott further proves his skill for acute production, lyricism and energetic tracks.

“ASTROWORLD is overall very solid with some weak tracks in the middle. As with all of Travis’ albums, the production is stellar,” said senior Carter Washburn.