ASTROWORLD takes listeners on a ride
- blessing aghimien
- Aug 19, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 11, 2019
ASTROWORLD — 58 minutes and 33 seconds of proof that Houston rapper Travis Scott has yet to fall victim to the ‘Kardashian Curse’.
After an almost two-year hiatus from his solo music career, the success of ASTROWORLD was a long time coming, as Scott maintained the momentum of his album release by dropping various singles and even a chart-topping collaborative album with Quavo. Sure enough, the 17-track junior album of Scott’s had both fans and critics alike raving at his return to the rap scene.
With each artists’ new album release, everyone is subject to comparison and critique, and Scott is no exception to such standard. However, when it comes to casting doubt on ASTROWORLD in the ranks of selling power, the facts and numbers tell no lies.
ASTROWORLD debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with more than 537,000 album-equivalent units sold. The album scored the second-largest first week of the year, behind "Scorpion" by Drake. Following its release, all 17 tracks on the album entered the US Billboard Hot 100, which made Scott the fourth act in Billboard history to have debuted multiple songs in the chart's top 10 simultaneously.
With hidden features from hip-hop and R&B big shots such as Frank Ocean, 21 Savage and The Weekend, Scott proves himself as no stranger when it comes to finding success working alongside an array of star power. Since all the guest artists on the album go uncredited, ASTROWORLD almost serves as a musical scavenger hunt, leaving listeners to decode the voice of a collaborator on their own.
ASTROWORLD is named after a demolished park at Six Flags of the same name. Demolished in 2005, the park was located in Houston, Texas and Scott strongly identifies with the memories he made there as a child. After its closing, Scott said he started to make music for fun instead.
“They tore down ‘AstroWorld’ to build more apartment space. That’s what it’s going to sound like, like taking an amusement park away from kids. We want it back. We want the building back. That’s why I’m doing it. It took the fun out of the city,” Scott said in an interview to GQ Magazine about the release of ASTROWORLD.
The remisicient energy of the demolished park lives on in Scott’s discography and beyond the namesake and carnival-themed album cover, ASTROWORLD almost commemorates the fallen amusement park. The songs “Carousel” and “Astrothunder” are direct references to AstroWorld roller coasters such as the Dentzel Carousel and the Astrowheel.
ASTROWORLD’s promotional single, “Watch” featuring Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert, also features a sample from a 2005 KHOU 11 news broadcast where a young park visitor talks about her “last ride in AstroWorld” before riding the Texas Cyclone for the final time.
Sicko Mode, arguably the album’s de facto stand out track, is quickly emerging as a fan favorite amongst listeners of ASTROWORLD. Instrumentally, “Sicko Mode” is a three-in-one song combo, with the beat shifting as each rapper delivers their verse — from Drake to Scott (with ad-libs from Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee) to Drake once more.
On “Coffee Bean,” one of the most introspective songs on the album, Scott shares his worries on whether or not the Kardashian-Jenner family is accepting of him. With lyrics such as, “Your family told you I’m a bad move, plus I’m already a black dude,” Scott subliminally addresses his concerns of being a danger to Kylie Jenner’s reputation.
Jenner and Scott started dating last year and Jenner gave birth to their daughter, Stormi Webster, on Feb. 1. ASTROWORLD is chock full of references of their relationship, ranging from their first meeting at Coachella on “Wake Up” to acknowledging Jenner as his ‘trophy’ on “Stargazing.”
With the album’s fifth track, “Stop Trying To Be God,” Scott recruits Kid Cudi, Stevie Wonder, English singer-songwriter James Blake and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey to help him tell a narrative about staying true to one’s roots. Described through the title and song’s chorus, Scott tells listeners to avoid the toxicity of developing a “god complex,” which also serves as a reference to rap culture’s embrace of the phenomenon — from Kanye West and Jay-Z to Tupac and Nas.
For a long awaited release, Scott wasn’t one to disappoint, as the production value of the album arguably outweighs Scott’s past discography. Working with producers such as Murda Beatz and Sonny Digital to even enlisting unlikely production credits such as Tame Impala to John Mayer himself, Scott outdoes himself by indulging in the value of his sound — from each sample on a song to his trademarked ad-libs.
ASTROWORLD takes the listener for a psychedelic ride, complete with trap beats and a thrilling tracklist fit for a theme park. However, for a production time of more than three years, one would expect more solo tracks from the artist. The overwhelming amount of featured artists almost casts a shadow of doubt on Scott’s rapping ability, which in turn, can shut a listener off — especially when one compares ASTROWORLD to its more independently-sounding predecessor, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.
Scott has showcased his ability to give a demolished park life through sound with ASTROWORLD. In the tracks where Scott falls short, he makes up for it on other tracks with his high production value and energy-inducing sound. There doesn’t have to be such a thing as the last ride in ASTROWORLD. All one has to do is press “shuffle” or “replay” to visit Scott’s futuristic trap theme park, without worrying about a ticket price or even a closing time in sight.
RATING -- 4.5 out of 5 stars
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