ASTROWORLD - Travis Scott - Album Review

With the hype surrounding ASTROWORLD, including an all-star cast of featured artists and producers, it truly never lives up to its expectations and sounds like an average trap album.

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Travis Scott has garnered attention from the mainstream since he released his magnum trap opus, Rodeo. Travis Scott built a reputation around using stellar production and nocturnal beats, and of course because of his auto-tune. What made Rodeo special came to its' menacing production, and to the energy provided by an eclectic array of artists such as Toro y Moi, 2 Chainz, Chief Keef, and more. Rodeo felt like the perfect debut however, Travis attempted to make the same album again with Birds In The Trap Sing Mcknight. Travis Scott undertakes new elements on ASTROWORLD, but flops to execute his concepts properly.

ASTROWORLD boasts a excellent cast of artists such as Frank Ocean, Drake, James Blake and more. However, some of the features provide some of the most cringe-worthy moments on the album, such as Don Toliver's annoying chorus about weed and alcohol on "CAN'T SAY. If ASTROWORLD did not boast such excellent features, the album would seriously lack spice and creative input. Younger artists like Nav provide subtle, but appreciated vocals throughout "YOSEMITE", and 21 Savage provides some funny bars on "NC-17", "He used to be on, that nigga off now / I done got so rich, I Saint Laurent my dogs now". Drake absolutely kills his verse on "SICKO MODE" and makes Travis' verse look weak in comparison, thus leaving him in second place. The artists on ASTROWORLD serve as a double-edged sword, a fair amount of the time the features outshine Travis, much to the point where he does not feel like the main artist behind the album.

The whole "Circus theme park" aesthetic does not always meet the intended mark of transporting the listener to a unique trap fest. ASTROWORLD has outstanding producers such as Mike Dean, Murda Beatz, and Boi-1da, but even with more than 10 producers in the track-listing the album manages to sound like much of the contemporary trap-rap out now. At times the album gives glimpse of melancholic vibes on tracks such as "SKELETONS" and "ASTROTHUNDER", these moments provide the "circus" aesthetic that Travis aims for. At the end of the day however, the album only provides great "moments" instead of consistent quality.

ASTROWORLD might not be the magnificent sequel fans hoped for, but there's a lot fun to be had with the record. While ASTROWORLD fails to live up as a cohesive record, it still makes up with decent bangers and gloomy introspective tracks...just make sure that you're up for the rodeo.

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6/10

Released: 2018

Label: Grand Hustle, Epic, Cactus Jack

Favorite Tracks: STARGAZING, CAROUSEL, SICKO MODE, SKELETONS, 5% TINT, NC-17, YOSEMITE, ASTROTHUNDER, COFFEE BEAN

Worst Tracks: R.I.P SCREW, NO BYSTANDERS, CAN'T SAY