Album Review: Travis Scott’s “Astroworld”

Kolby Spomer
Staff Writer

Yes, it’s true. After two years of waiting, in which a child was born, a mediocre mixtape was dropped, and a relationship blossomed, Travis Scott finally opened the gates to Astroworld. And it was well worth the wait.

Travis has managed to nearly perfect his trap heavy, atmospheric sound, while also adding lyrics and themes that make you think a little more than the subjects explored on his last record, Birds in the Trap Sing Mcknight. 

Travis Scott has been making trap music since 2013, when he dropped his initial tape, “Owl Pharaoh”. Since then, he has been cultivating his own area in the music sphere, with his dark and heavy sounds, reminiscent of a fever dream.

While there may have been missteps here and there, (See Huncho Jack) he has clearly always possessed a ton of musical talent. So when “Astroworld” dropped, I wasn’t as blown away as many others were, seeing it as more of an artist living up to his potential.

The opening tracks, “Stargazing”, “Carousel”, and “Sicko Mode”, are some of Scott’s best work. They also show his growth as a rapper, and as a man who makes some of the most hype music in the business.

 The next group of songs, including “Stop Trying to be God” and “Skeletons”. These songs help cultivate the vibe of the record, giving the listener an out of this world feeling, while also telling you his opinions on things like god complexes and drug abuse.

This section also, however, includes my least favorite track, being “NC-17”. This song felt uber lazy, and 21 Savage sounds like absolute   garbage here.

Luckily, the album ends strong, with songs like “Can’t Say” and “Coffee Bean” providing an even more in depth look at Travis’ life at the moment. 

All said, I liked this record alot. The lyrics are good (for the most part), the production is amazing per the usual, and the themes are better than they’ve ever been.

I’m not sure if Travis will ever make something as good as this ever again, but I certainly hope he does, because I know he can and now so does everyone else.

Feature Photo: Travis Scott performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)