Artist: Travi$ Scott

Album: Rodeo

Jacques Webster, better known by his stage name Travi$ Scott, or La Flame, has been on the cusp of hip-hop stardom for a lot longer than most people realize. A producer first and foremost, he has never really been given the immense amount of credit he deserves, even when working with the likes of Kanye West, Pusha T, Big Sean, Young Thug, and Drake. In 2013, he released his debut tape Owl Pharaoh, made XXL’s Freshman Class of 2013, and had a huge part in helping create Kanye West’s album Yeezus. Yet after such a successful debut year, Travi$ Scott never really received the proper level of hype or recognition he should have; a common underestimation that many “producer first, rap second” artists typically see early on in their careers (Yeezy, is that you?)

However, the young Houston native stepped into the limelight with his second mixtape Days Before Rodeo, a project that not only showed off Jacques’ immense talent as a producer, but also had fans pleasantly surprised at his expanding lyricism. Hit singles like “Mamacita” and “Don’t Play” left the hip-hop world desperate for that unique, dark, aggressive style that Travi$ Scott brought to the table. Now, in 2015, a year where there has been no shortage of quality hip-hop from start to finish, Travi$ is back with his debut album Rodeo.

Review: Like I’ve said, Travi$ Scott is a producer first and foremost. As much as he has evolved as a lyricist since his Owl Pharaoh days, there is no disputing that this dude can make a better beat than he can a verse. As a fan since those early days, I was worried La Flame’s good-not-great lyricism would inevitably be this album’s downfall. Luckily, that isn’t the case. Instead of spending the majority of Rodeo trying to prove he’s a better rapper than we think, Travi$ sticks to his strengths. For that reason, this album is as feature heavy as it gets. There are three different songs that have multiple features, and only a handful of songs on the entire album don’t have at least one feature. The number of features this thing has is rare for any album, let alone a debut album. In this case, that’s not a bad thing.

To Scott’s credit, his ability to create the perfect sound and bring the absolute best out of his features is something that sets him apart from the rest of the pack. The song “3500” is a hard hitting banger that fits perfectly with 2 Chainz braggadocio bars and Future’s grimy Atlanta style (his part on this song is probably the best Future verse I’ve ever heard). “Wasted,” which is produced by red hot Atlanta producer Metro Boomin, is one of the better beats you’ll hear all year, with a flute looped in that sounds like it was meant for charming snakes, some hard hitting bass, and even a Pimp C sample thrown in at the bridge. Travi$ brings some of the best bars on the album out for this one and Juicy J comes in with a quality, slightly misogynistic verse to cap it off. “Maria I’m Drunk” provides a melodic and atmospheric sound that blends together perfectly with Young Thug’s crooning voice and, even more impressively, this song makes Justin Bieber actually sound good.

Although it may seem like Travi$ is using a heavy amount of features as a crutch for his weaker lyricism, he comes through when it counts. In fact, many of the songs that don’t have any features are the high points on this album. “Antidote” is the immensely popular party track that helped Travi$ gain notoriety since the song’s release prior to Rodeo’s debut. Additionally, “Impossible” is the slowest and most ominous sounding song on the album, accompanied by some great bars from La Flame and a hook that will be stuck in your head for weeks after.

This album is not without some weak moments, though. “Piss On Your Grave” sounds like a hurried together Kanye collaboration and “Pray 4 Love” fails to hold my attention for very long, even with The Weeknd doing the hook justice. Additionally, a big knock I have on this album is the real lack of character that Travi$ Scott provides therein. While, at times, he does become more interpersonal than he had been on his mixtape’s, most of the lyrics come off incredibly vague, or the moment of reflection is so brief that you don’t have time to realize he’s being introspective before it’s back to rapping about drugs, money, and women.

Conclusion: What Travi$ Scott lacks in lyricism, he more than makes up for in his production and overall ability to make a song just sound good. Seriously, it’s tough to find a single feature on this album that isn’t worthwhile (yes, even Bieber). It is arguably the best-produced album this year, which is really saying something. The only real gripe you can have with this album, like any Travi$ Scott project to date, are the a-typical rap lyrics (i.e. drugs, money, and women) and the occasional dragging hook. With that said, there are very few artists I can think of off-hand that are able to create a song in its entirety as well as La Flame can. Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and especially Kanye West come to mind. That puts Travi$ Scott in good company, and he’s only twenty-three.

Score: 8.5/10

Favorite Tracks: Impossible, 3500, Wasted, Maria I’m Drunk, Apple Pie