Over a stark and beautiful beat, Travis revels in his fame while also contemplating his family relationships.Īll over the project, Travis and his team of producers and features experiment. “90210” would be one of Rodeo’s best tracks if only for the spacey first half, but the second half might be Travis’s best performances ever. It’s too robotic to be an R&B track, with its heavy distorted guitars, but too melodic to be ‘hip hop’ in any sense. ballad? It’s hard to even characterize it. “90210” begins as a futuristic, 808s & Heartbreak influenced.
However, the track that follows “Wasted” might be Rodeo’s definitive track. It probably features one of his hardest verses ever. Travis talks about drowning in drugs with his signature slurred delivery. “Wasted” is an awesome track, featuring a sample of Houston legend Pimp C and a great verse from Juicy J. My personal favorite line is “I was born with some nappy hair, drinking breast milk outta lean cup.” Future offers one of his smoothest verses ever, while 2Chainz delivers the funniest verse on the album. Metro Boomin’s heavy 808s are perfectly complemented by Zaytoven’s sparkling organs and bells. Yet despite its simple premise and nearly 8 minute runtime (!) 3500 never gets old. “3500” is simple on paper - a grimy, minor key trap banger with an explosive chorus. Travis croons about his memories from living back in Houston over an almost gospel inspired instrumental (complete with ghostly vocoder voices). Like I stated before, it segues into a surprisingly poignant R&B jam. The guitar line that carries the first half is the perfect backdrop for Travis and Quavo’s heavily effected voices. “Oh My Dis Side” is probably my favorite Travis Scott song period. There are so many features, producers, and subtle beat switches on this album that I could write a book going into depth about each part). (I was going to make some grandiose statement about how Rodeo serves as a metaphor for the materialism of my generation or some bull***, but instead I’m just going to talk about how good these songs are.
Each track gives the listener a glimpse into the outlandish and psychedelic trip that Travis’s life is. Rodeo functions more like a dream sequence. Instead of following some kind of chronological order, this narrative is only loosely woven into the album. Throughout Rodeo, we learn about Travis’s hometown of Houston (Dis Side), how his fame is straining his relationship with his family (second half of 90210), and how he put his Mama’s wishes behind him to “create his own legacy” (the closer Apple Pie). narrates how “the one known as Jacques turned to Scott,” setting the stage for Travis’s journey. almost as if he is passing the torch of hip hop royalty to Travis. “Pornography” opens with a monologue from Southern rap legend T.I. While I did say that Rodeo’s lyrics are mostly hedonistic and typical to the trap genre, there is some semblance of a storyline to hold everything together. Many songs cycle through multiple beat switches: “Oh My Dis Side” segues from a nocturnal, slithering trap beat to a gorgeous R&B closer “Maria I’m Drunk” is almost ambient near the beginning, but soon descends into a disgustingly funky groove. The production on Rodeo’s 14 tracks is intricate and nuanced. Yet Travis takes all the elements of modern Southern hip hop - the booming 808s, the opioid references, the autotuned singing, the ridiculous ad libs - and elevates them. Travis wears his influences (Kanye, Three 6 Mafia, Kid Cudi, Young Thug) on his sleeve. I’m also not insinuating that Rodeo isn’t derivative. From a lyrical standpoint, Rodeo is largely about doing hard drugs, having sex, and hiding from the Feds. Now, I’m not asserting that Travis is in anyway a ‘concious’ rapper.
I can’t blame these critics most of the time - most modern trap is derivative, vapid, and ignorant. Trap music has long been maligned by music critics and ‘oldheads’ for its repetitive nature and lack of depth. In doing so, he creates one of the 2010s best albums. Review Summary: On Rodeo, Travis Scott transcends trap.
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