If you only see him as a towering figure in the Wild West of autotune rap, then youâve kind of been living under a rock. On the heels of giving birth to a daughter with Kylie Jenner and releasing his star-studded third record âAstroworld,â heâs now nothing less than a full-blown artist and celeb.
Let’s look at three of his best tracks.
âPick Up the Phoneâ (2016); Travis Scott feat. Young Thug & Quavo
Thereâs no question that Scottâs 5th collab with Young Thug and 4th with Quavo was a team made in heaven. âPick Up the Phoneâ was a major success and went Platinum, even though its meaning is actually rooted in failure. In their respective verses, each rapper bemoans their state of unrequited love due to unanswered calls and texts from their object of desire who they know is really only pretending to be unavailable. Itâs built on themes of fidelity and commitment, but between Travis yelling âitâs lit!â and Thuggerâs flex of a verse, it has all the trappings of a nightclub anthem.
âAntidoteâ (2015); Travis Scott
The second single from âRodeoâ wasnât even supposed to be on Travisâs album⦠but after an unofficial SoundCloud drop and swiftly becoming a fan favourite, âAntidoteâ evolved into one of Travisâs hugest songs. And for good reason: itâs irresistibly catchy, exhibiting Travisâs aptitude for producing a radio-friendly hook. Its lyrics also spotlight his frequent subject matter of popping pills and partying, while casting the drug-fueled lifestyle in the most sombre of tints. âAntidoteâ may be about living freely, but Travis is clearly weighted by a lot of personal demons, which is why he resorts to weed as his antidote, as he describes hotboxing a car in the trackâs chorus.
â90210â (2015); Travis Scott feat. Kacy Hill
This ZIP code is best known for being re-appropriated as the title for teen TV series â90210,â which Travis pays homage to while exposing the darker underworld of Beverly Hills. The song paints a picture of a valley girl on a quest to find the right alley, which may insinuate drug dealing, sexual exploits, or any sort of other illicit activity. Yet somewhere beyond that alley, melodic sax and keyboards segue into the songâs part 2, widening its scope from the shady search for pleasure into a divulgence about Travisâs family life. Donât let its Barbie-inspired video fool you: â90210â is flowing with emotional depth.
What’s your favorite Travis Scott jam?
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