Thoughts On: Rodeo

Recommended listening: Oh my Dis side, Piss on your grave, Maria I’m drunk

Welcome back to Thoughts On, where I always happen to time my breaks with thousands of albums set to drop in the coming weeks. In the past 3 weeks we have had 3 major releases, all of which I plan on covering…eventually. But this week we are talking about the dark lucid album Rodeo by Houston rapper Travis Scott (stylized $cott). In his highly anticipated debut album Travis manages to do what almost seems impossible to me. He fuses traditional production elements of Hip-Hop such as sampling soul or adding in jazz with the electronic and trap heavy sounds that have been dominating commercial Hip-Hop for the last year or so. A lot of people will generalize and talk about modern rap music as though all Hip-Hop is the same thing, but in reality there are sub-genres, different production styles, and different rap flows that mix and match to make up the diverse sound of modern Hip-Hop. So with this album coming out mixing two different worlds to make one coherent album (which is out of place for a trap project), we now get a chance for those familiar with the mainstream sound to see how commercial music can still be twisted to reflect artistic integrity.

So who is Travis Scott? Well Travis is a Houston producer/rapper that started out as a teenager making beats and collaborating with his friends to form rap groups in his high school. After putting music up on Myspace for a bit Travis had a falling out with one of his cohorts and left to move to L.A. In L.A one of his songs was heard by none other than T.I and he was brought into the studio to work. Eventually some numbers got dialed and cards got exchanged and Travis was able to meet the infamous Kanye West, getting signed to G.O.O.D music and appearing on the Cruel Summer album before putting out his first project Owl Pharaoh in 2013. With his mixtape getting quite a bit of recognition more people began to wonder just who this man was. In 2014 he released his second project Days Before Rodeo, which also received a fair bit of acclaim and served as the precursor to his debut album. In terms of style Travis mixes elements of heavy production (utilizing everything he has at his fingertips) with often auto-tuned vocals and lucid lyrics to create a dark sound not dissimilar to the likes of A$AP Rocky. However Travis is usually more aggressive both lyrically and in terms of his personality that Rocky.

So what does the album sound like? Well taking lessons from both Kanye and Kid Cudi (also on the G.O.O.D label) Travis is a storyteller, and attempts to do this not just lyrically but sonically as well. The album starts off with ‘Pornography’ with T.I narrating, telling a story about a young rebel who decides he is against the world. He speaks of the rebel leading an army away from the norm in search of something, what that something is not known but it has to be better than nothing. Then the beat kicks in with heavy bass and chords so distorted they sound like guitars wailing in the background, reminiscent of Kanye’s vocals on the beginning of ‘Monster’ and ‘All Day’. Travis comes saying that he is surrounded by pornography so get high with him, which may just be a metaphor for how messed up both he and the world are. T.I comes back in continuing the story of how Travis is a flame (one of his nicknames is La Flame) and is going against everyone who told him that he would never amount to anything. Now trap snares kick in and Travis becomes more lyrically aggressive just as the beat swells. Overall it is great way to start an album, establishing a motive and setting the tone that this project with beat switches and a rapper determined to get his point across.

This transitions well into the song ‘Oh My Dis Side’ in which we heard a simple progression of five notes going up and down supported by heavy bass and the sharpest snare possible. In this song Travis speaks on his parting habits and how the affects the rest of his life. Getting kicked out of the house, drinking lean, and eventually sleeping on couches in LA (presumably after he moves). After every line he says “Oh My” and it becomes the theme of all of his lyrics. Interestingly enough he moves from his failures to his successes (such as being able to buy his mom a house) and still retains the same two word phrase after his lines, showing that it can be used as a form of negative shock and positive reflection. The song then changes musically to include in jazzy keyboards and smooth chords in, eliminating the intense bass and snares, and changes to the “Dis Side” part of the song. Here we get reflections on everything Travis used to do on one side of the track so to speak, as he reflections on the harsh realities of hoods. He mentions making money on the same side that he got his first kiss and it is just an interesting duality that he is showing. Then Quavo of the group Migos comes in to do a verse about the same subject and seems sentimental in his looking back. Like he is fully aware of how dangers his life was and knows he still has friends back in it. It is a beautiful chunk of song that blends same of the most aggressive artists out there with a smooth track to make something new musically diverse.

Skipping ahead to 'Wasted' We get to hear Travis really coming into the auto-tuned sound, so much so that it no longer sounds like an effect to me but just a natural part of his persona. The beat of his song consists of what sounds like flutes (at least that pitch) ascending in pitch upward as heavy bass and snare pattern support it. It is important to point out that while this is not the most interesting beat, the pressure of the bass is still felt and adds weight to the lyrical content. The song is about how hard he works and how that translates to how wild he can get. In the middle of the son is a narrative about how many people can't handle their liquor and drugs, and only real ones can handle it. All this of course is said in a somber tone as the beat changes and chords are added and taken about before the second verse. It is an interesting take on the wild party culture of Hip-Hop that transitions well into the next song. '90210' starts with bouncy chords and tells the story of a girl from the valley, and the groupie culture that is commonly associated with that area (Beverly Hills). He then makes the story more personal and speaks on how these same girls are drawn to him. Halfway through we get a beat switch to a boom-bap style beat with soulful piano thrown in to sound like something that early Kanye might have done (again showing his influence). He raps about how his grandma calls to remind him not to work hard, a break from the heavy party lifestyle we have been exposed to so far, showing the more human side of this rapper that so far has just been hard. Again one of the production is just a beautiful mix of such heaviness with a light touch that makes it more musical.

Skipping ahead to 'Piss On Your Grave' we get a song that starts with a straight hard rock guitar with drums to match before menacing low chords and steady beat come int to replace them. Kanye comes in with a short verse about taking back what is his and shoving his success in the faces of haters. Pretty standard material, but the vulgarity and aggression with which he says what he means just makes the song hit that much harder. Likewise when Travis comes and talks about popping pills and going ape just because he made it big you can really vibe with the artists are going for. Kanye comes back in and is basically shouting obscenities and while it is kind of funny to here him do this style it really just makes the song distinct. Even though the song is short it is so direct that it remains memorable. The album then slows down into 'Antidote', going back to the partying themes but the tone and language sounds more personal then the previously mentioned songs. With bass and trap snares coming in and it it makes for a mix between a somber song and a lucid theme to get lost in on the dance floor. Travis proclaims that “anything can happen at the night show”, referring to the party he is currently reflecting on. Travis' party antics seem to play more into his lyrics and lifestyle more so than other rappers. Like his life revolves around the night show and rebelling (much like T.I's narration stated earlier). In 'Maria I'm Drunk' we get a more pop sensible ballad with Justin Bieber and Young Thug. Here Travis is crooning to an unknown asking them to call their friends to come get drunk. While haunting chords that sound like they belong in a horror song play Travis sounds literally drunk and lost in his own thoughts. Justin comes in with a verse appealing to girl to come and just get lost with him. His voice actually blends in very well with this pop-trap style and it adds to sad feeling this song puts forward. Young Thug's verse starts and he seems to confuse the feeling being drunk and being in love. Referring to a friend who he fools around with but wont get too intimate with him for whatever reason. The song also just fades out with the instrumental playing for another 30 seconds or so, letting the listener just soak in what they just heard. This is the saddest song on the album to be just because it highlights a lifestyle I could never personally imagine, but that's what makes it so good.

In the Penultimate song 'I Can Tell', we get Travis singing the song title in a manner that reminds me of 808's and Heartbreak. With a lavish beat the keeps evolving through the song that mixes a variety of snares with his signature bass that swells over time. Here he essentially talks about his own ability to foresee his own future, from his humble beginnings producing in a basement to his party culture, lifestyle, and come up. It is 3 minutes of straight bragging that feels good in the context of getting to the end of an exhausting list of well produced and introspective songs. Like of course he is proud of himself and boasts, look at his skill and repertoire. This of course leads into the final song, 'Apple Pie'. This song starts with a 3 note piano progression as Travis tuned vocals cut threw the chords. You can hear faint vocal chords filling in space in the background ad Travis states that he cannot feed of his moms applie pie anymore. He needs to break away from depending on her anymore and desires to make his own legacy. Recounting his feats as a steady snare hits this is the Travis that followers of his music since 2013 have been waiting for. A confident rapper and producer confident in his style and paving his own way. T.I concludes the album posing the question will Travis make it on his path of being a rebel. A question we all can relate to, can we make it doing our own thing?

If you have been looking forward to Travis Scott's major debut then this album will not disappoint. Getting lost in a world full of drugs, aggression, and passion it is easy to just conclude that Travis is insane. Which he might be. However in the madness lies sparks of genius that find ways to make trap not only suitable to an album format, but telling a story without sacrificing major elements of trap music. By taking parts of some you can make something whole that is unlike either parts but still carries the importance of both. Travis his aiming to bridge the gap between say conscious Hip-Hop fans and trap or more aggressive Hip-Hop fans and just make music that appeals to his life, a reflection of a man who sees himself as a rebel and cherish that. This is great album to vibe to and let yourself just feel. It hits hard but carries enough music to keep you interested past bass and snares. If you have the chance I recommend you: Listen Soon. Thank you readers for bearing with my long hiatus and I promise I will be back with more consistent posts and reflective thoughts. Long live good music.