Few rappers in the game in history, even have been able to generate hype quite like Houstons own Travis Scott. Whether its sold-out live experiences, mobs of fans lining up for his McDonalds meal, or ridiculous resale prices for his sneaker collabs, Traviss sound and aesthetic have amassed a legion of listenerswho, in turn, transformedhim a gargantuan pop cultural figure.
Its no surprise, then, that fans have been foaming at the mouth for any and every bit of information about La Flames next move. Were currently in the longest waiting period between albums in his entire career, as the highly anticipated and critically acclaimed ASTROWORLD dropped four years ago (twice as long as the gap between2016s Birds In The Trap Sing McKnightand his 2018 magnum opus). There have been plenty of teasers and interesting revelations about Traviss next album UTOPIA, and weve compiled some of the most important pieces of the puzzle.
Before getting into what the 31-year-old rager has said about the project, its important to note that the album rollout took a tragic turn in November 2021 when 10 attendees died and over 300 were injured at his Astroworld Festival in Houston. As such, Travis has been quite silent as far as media and music, and many fans have stopped listening to him as a result.
Whether or not you think Travis is responsible for the tragic event, his Instagram video apology disappointed many whofelt it was phoned-in and ingenuine. UTOPIA is now Traviss chance to address the incident on a larger scale. It will be most interesting to see to what lengths the Goosebumps star will go to talk about his thought process following the incident. Will he honor the memory of those lost? Will he avoid the topic entirely? Or will he move his music into a new, less rage-heavy direction?
Only time will tell, but for now, heres what we know.
Talking about UTOPIA is interesting, because while no tracklist has been officially confirmed, a few leaked tracks like LOST FOREVER with Westside Gunn and James Blake, NIAGARA FALLS with 21 Savage, as well as BLUNT TALK with Bryson Tiller, have given fans an idea of what UTOPIA may hold. However, we do have at least one official single that will likely make it on the new album: FRANCHISE, Scotts glitchy banger with Young Thug and M.I.A. Wed also be remiss not to mention HIGHEST IN THE ROOM, a hit single he dropped in 2019 that, despite being three years old at this point, mightve been a part of his plan to promote UTOPIA.
With these newly teased tracks, it seems Travis is pulling apart his psychedelic approach to hyper-energetic trap in two directions: FRANCHISE has punchier drums and less use of reverb than most songs in his catalog, whereas LOST FOREVER is one of Traviss most ethereal beats and one of the rare occasions where he uses traditional flows and percussion patterns. Both sound incredibly futuristic which is appropriate for the albums title, yet not far off from what Travis is known for.
La Flame himself made a few comments on the albums new sound and what he aims to create.In a June 2021 interview withWWD, he told fans: Im in this new album mode where its like psychedelic rock. So even just like the field of cactuses and mushrooms, you might get tripped out."
He previously spoke to i-D Magazine about his excitement over crafting a new sound. "I never tell people this, and Im probably going to keep it a secret still, but Im working with some new people and Im just trying to expand the sound. Ive been making beats again, rapping on my own beats, just putting everything together and trying to grow it really. Thats been one of the most fun things about working on this album. Im evolving, collaborating with new people, delivering a whole new sound, a whole new range. I want to make a f**king new sound. I might spend days banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out, but once I do it, its like ultimate ecstasy.
He also provided some insight into the UTOPIA album title inan interview with CR Men.
Medicine, nursing, being a better person, talking, language, communicationyou know, a utopian state. Thats what my album is about. You think utopia is a society where everything is good: health, buildings, architecturenah. Its just about proper lines of communication. Because thats the dystopian sh*t were in right now. Its all hate, hate, hate, and all of that is drawn from what? Miscommunication, non-communication, non-understandable communication, ignorance to communication. I dont like this person. Why? Because somebody told me something to not like this person? Because in history I read to not like this person? Why?
With all the Houston native has said about UTOPIA, fans might notice theres one part of the equation missing. Travis announced a prelude mixtape titled DYSTOPIA as a companion piece, akin to how 2014s Days Before Rodeo gave fans a taste of what was to come on his studio breakout, 2015s Rodeo. La Flame dropped two singles off of the mixtape: the woozy yet energetic ESCAPE PLAN and the elegantly nocturnal MAFIA with a surprise feature from J. Cole.
It seems DYSTOPIA may be no more, as the Astroworld Festival in 2021 was meant to promote the project. While these tracks were more standard La Flame fare compared to some more experimental leaks, they were still well received by fans. Audiences are curious tohear what form DYSTOPIA will take: a scrapped project with a few singles, or perhaps, it integrates itself into Traviss larger vision for his upcoming studio album.
Maybe UTOPIA will be the psych-rock epic that fans have always seen in Travis Scotts career trajectory, or maybe its a continuation of the sounds he crafted on ASTROWORLD. No matter the case, leaks and singles indicate that whatever direction he chooses, were sure to find innovative songwriting and production from the SICKO MODE hit-maker.
As far as release dates go, Travis confirmed in a recent interview with i-D Magazine that the album will definitely drop in 2022 and spoke on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted his creative process. He said its made him way more productive, despite the drawbacks of free time that the pandemic brought us all.
You in the crib, and I got the studio at home and I have the peace to record all day, you know? Obviously like, you lose a little bit by not being able to travel and, you know, just see the earth.
Travis began teasingUTOPIAas early as July 2020. On July 8th, 2020, he posted a picture of himself with a simple caption: Utopia.
Then in August of that year, on the two-year anniversary of ASTROWORLDs release, Scott released a letter thanking his fans and ending with the note, See you in Utopia. He also wrote a letter in October to his DJs and staff thanking them for their hard work and support,promising to see them in Utopia, as well.
When the Astroworld crowd tragedy occurred, Travis became silent on social media out of respect for those affected. It wasnt until December that he once again added Utopia to his Instagram bio, a small step to regear the albums rollout.
In April 2022, fans spotted billboards around Los Angeles suggesting the album was near completion. While its taken longer for UTOPIA to drop than expected, the billboardshelped divert theconversation from the Astroworld tragedy to Travis Scott's next artistic moves.
Its also worth noting that La Flamebegan performing again recently.He performed LOST FOREVER and MAFIAand the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. Travis also made his first festival appearancesince the Astroworld tragedy as a guest at Futures Rolling Loud Miami 2022 set in July. Most recently, it was announced that he would have a Road To Utopia nightclub residency at Las Vegass Zouk Nightclub.
This residencyseven-night residencybegins on September 17th, with an additional date on October 15th. He alsohinted at debuting newmusic at his shows at The O2 Arena in London. With a string ofconcert dates announced for the coming weeks, it seems like Travis will be releasing Utopiavery soon. We predict itll drop sometime in late October, which would coincide with the final dates of his Road to Utopia shows, buthopefully, it drops even sooner.
All thats left now, unfortunately, is to wait. Stay tuned to HotNewHipHop for more news on UTOPIA, Travis Scott, and the next steps in his rollercoaster of a career.
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Here Is Everything You Need To Know About Travis Scott's "UTOPIA" - HotNewHipHop
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