BY: LILLY GOODMAN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Album Cover from albumoftheyear.com
Stars from Wikimedia Commons
The soundscape of the hip-hop genre is constantly evolving, and few artists command attention like Travis Scott. His fourth studio album, “UTOPIA,” follows his 2018 album, which cemented his place in atmospheric music production. In the grand scope of Scott’s career, “UTOPIA” marks a diverse chapter. While it exceeds hardcore rap expectations with bold collaborations and aggressive lyrics, it is pleasantly disjointed with deep introspection. Despite being released over a year ago, “UTOPIA” lives up to the rapidly changing rap horizons.
At first glance, “UTOPIA” is a remarkably ambitious project, with 19 tracks and just over an hour of runtime. It’s a mosaic of genres within hip-hop; Scott masterfully blends trap, auditory psychedelia and even hints of rock. Lyrically, he continues to lean heavily into a common theme in his music: nightlife. Scott’s ability to create a multi-dimensional atmosphere is showcased throughout the album. From pulsing basslines to eerie soundscapes, this album is designed to be felt as much as it is meant to be heard.
“FE!N”
Scott’s most successful track, “FE!N” is a staple in youthful culture with roughly 900 million streams on Spotify. The track’s fame can be attributed to the background of Gatorade promotion advertisements. Its infusion in professional athletic sponsor advertisements built a bridge over the song’s usage on social media platforms. When “FE!N” comes to mind, most of America’s youth will think of a trend started on social media where one is unhopeful of the song playing in an uncharacteristic setting, later to be proved wrong. This trend is perhaps what gets many teenagers excited to hear the track being played. To die-hard Travis Scott fans, the track is more than just a social media trend. Scott stays true to his auto-tuned branding while creating an atmosphere around the luxury prolonged success buys. Featuring Playboy Carti, the song forces any hardcore hip-hop fan eager to hear the product of the collaboration. “FE!N” is the track that will energize athletes before a game, pep the audience in a stadium and get the crowd singing along.
“MELTDOWN”
Featuring Drake, “MELTDOWN” is a well-composed track. An uncommon theme of rebellion and apathy in Scott’s music is characterized through the song. While staying true to Scott’s spacey tones and otherworldly soundscape, Drake’s presence provides balance with a grounded aspect to the track. A high-energy transition mid-song pleasantly shocks listeners. Aggressive lyrical deliveries from both artists are exciting for hardcore rap fans. An eerie, underwater conclusion is enough to send shivers down the spine.
“I KNOW?”
This track is among the few on the LP featuring Travis Scott alone. The track starts with the tones of a music box. The beat quickly drops after the first few runs of the music box line. Uncharacteristically, the general sound lacks the depth Scott is notorious for, but the lyrics and backing vocals add a haunting sense to the lullaby-like backing track. The nightlife theme is extremely heavy throughout this track, with Scott specifically highlighting the early a.m. hours in a dreary fashion. Fans will find that the chorus can be simply learned and sung in falsetto or bass-like approaches. The song’s repetitiveness makes the track seem too short, but that’s more of a reason it uniquely rolls onward when put on a loop.
“TELEKINESIS”
This track stands out as a symphonic soundscape that is completely polar to Scott’s typical sound. Breaking away from nightlife narratives, the song builds an otherworldly atmosphere. Rap icon Future sets the song’s tone by painting a scene of serenity. However, Scott interrupts Future’s flow, creating an ever-so-subtle sense of tension. The beat takes an exciting roll in the middle of the song, highlighting the adventurous atmosphere. A listener familiar with SZA will notice how the lyrics are similar to her songwriting. SZA’s angelic presence elevates the song with soft and ethereal vocals in the last minute of the song. Her voice compliments the tone set by Scott and Future in the beginning of the song, adding the ideal cap listeners anticipated. Yet, there’s a sharp contrast between her sound and the lyrics. SZA’s place in the song is laced with hints of feminine rage and spite, offering an alternative perspective to the lyrics. “TELEKINESIS” shines with a slow-burn energy and emotional complexity, making it one of the album’s more thoughtful tracks.
Conclusion
Scott’s approach towards songwriting in a narrative style remains consistent throughout the album, offering different meaning to different listeners. Most tracks offer both the craft of spacey branding and his struggle to find balance between vision and moral. Notably, the album is an ambitious statement in the world of hip-hop and rap, with its bold collaborations adding a new dimension to the genre. Stemming from the modern world of hip-hop and rap, the album is five out of five stars. Through releasing “UTOPIA” in 2023, Scott seems determined to redefine the landscape of modern music, whether the game is ready for him to do that or not.
goodmaln24@bonaventure.edu
