Review: UTOPIA by Travis Scott
In 2018, Travis Scott released his most popular album “Astroworld,” which amassed 537,000 sales in its first week. Three years after the release, Scott hosted the “Astroworld” festival in celebration of his album, where 10 lives were lost due to an overcrowded venue.
Scott remained silent following the incident, only contributing features to other artists’ songs. After a five year hiatus, Scott released his fourth studio album, “Utopia.” on July 28, 2023.
With the opening track “HYAENA,” it’s hard not to immediately become immersed in the sound Scott has crafted, ranging from the bouncy ‘90s beat to sampling Funkadelic’s R&B ‘70s track “Maggot Brain.”
“Utopia” continues to deliver a unique sound with tracks such as “MY EYES,” featuring a slow, melodic build in the beginning and a flow switch near the end. Scott’s choice to increase the tempo displays his aptitude for rap with lyrics that scratch beyond surface level topics. On this track he raps, “Look іn my eyes, tеll me a tale. Do yоu see thе road that’ѕ mаtching my soul? Look, tell me the stats whenеver the smоke clear out my facе.” Scott uses his lyricism to communicate how he feels instead of using fallback rap topics such as money and fame. His ambiguous style leaves the listener thinking deeper.
Throughout the album, fans will be surprised by artist features not included in the song titles. Drake’s appearance in the intro of “MELTDOWN” before his verse gives the song, and therefore the album, a satisfying chronological order. Other artists such as Playboi Carti, Sheck Wes, Beyoncé and the Weeknd are also highlighted.
Beyoncé’s iconic input on the song “DELESTRO (ECHOES)” is contrasting yet compatible with Scott. His deeper voice and faster pace matched with Beyoncé’s slower opera-esque approach creates an exciting track. Playboi Carti’s verse on “FE!N” shocked yearning Carti fans all over the world due to his silence within the industry over the last 3 years, sparking viral reactions of the song.
While there may be a variety of powerful voices, Scott remains a prominent figure in the album, not letting the other artists impact his performance or overshadow him.
“Utopia” proves itself as a high quality and thoughtful production with a purposeful place for each lyric. “FE!N” exemplifies this expertise with lyrics such as “Been focused on the future, never on right now. But I’m sippin’ that kombucha, either pink or brown. I’m the one that introduced you to the you right now.”
The unique beat selection helps preserve the infinite fresh sound of the album, with producers such as Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Boi-1da and 30 Roc.
While “Utopia” features some similarities to its predecessor, “Astroworld,” Scott decided to pave a new path for himself as an artist using “Utopia” as a stepping stone. While “Astroworld” mainly consisted of modern hip-hop influence, “Utopia” is significantly more diverse in its delivery, beat selection and features. This goes to show that Travis Scott has succeeded in his mission of creating a perfect “Utopia.”
4/5
