Travis Scott - Rodeo ALBUM REVIEW

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It may seem strange now, but there was a time where Travis Scott wasn’t the biggest star on the planet. His mix of hip-hop and some aspects of lo-fi music and psychedelic rock is one of the foundations of the new wave of rap that’s taking the music scene by storm. While refining his craft with Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight and making a true event album with ASTROWORLD, what really made Travis Scott amazing was his debut album, Rodeo. What makes it so special, you may ask? Let me tell you.

While Rodeo isn’t the first trap album, it helped usher in this new era of Soundcloud rap that’s all the rage. Its distinct, psyched-out sound (at the time) is one of a kind, even now. Rodeo is banger after banger after banger, and it never lets up. Standout cut “90210” with dream-pop singer Kacy Hill is a contender for Scott’s best track, while the forever-rager “Antidote” never gets old. My personal favorite track is “Piss On Your Grave,” a vulgar and rock-leaning track with Kanye West. It’s one of the shortest on the record at a little over 2 and a half minutes, while the longest track “3500” with 2 Chainz and Future is nearly 8 minutes.

When it comes to a cohesive project, though, it really doesn’t have much other than the instrumentation. There are a couple of tracks that feature narration from T.I. about Scott’s then-future success, but it just falls flat with me. Rodeo isn’t exactly a concept album, but since it’s trying to be more than a collection of tracks, it just felt off to me.

Rodeo is an influential album in this new era of rap. It helped usher in a new sound of rap, which happens to be one of my personal favorites at the moment. Rodeo is essential listening to anyone who wants to be into that LSD-esque sounds of rap.


9/10


Stream Rodeo here

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