Long before the McDonald’s ads and Christopher Nolan cameos, Travis Scott was one of the hottest, hungriest rappers in the business. His greatest skill was world-building; he’d craft dark, blockbuster-sized records and drench them in auto-tuned vocals. Then, he’d pad out his grandiose vision with colorful verses from rap greats of the present and future. Whether it all worked seamlessly is one thing. But you could never say it was forgettable.
No other album depicted this truth quite like his album Rodeo, which released on this day 11 years ago. The record featured an all-star cast that went from Future and Young Thug to Toro y Moi and Justin Bieber. Yet, none of it sounded too jarring. Travis Scott challenged less imaginative listeners with splashes of color on darker production.
Take “Nightcrawler”, a fiery, industrial rap record that tested even some of Chief Keef’s wild experimentation. But the result led to a verse that saw him bend syllables to rhyme “Korean spicy garlic” with “I’m from the projects”. Or take Young Thug’s wily contortionist flows on “Maria, I’m Drunk” paired with a rare Justin Bieber rap verse.
Travis Scott was essentially the conductor for all these records. Where he lacked as a rapper compared to his contemporaries like Quavo and Future, he made up for it as a tastemaker. He wasn’t quite DJ Khaled, where all he provided was ad-libs. Instead, he was closer to Kanye West, laying the groundwork for incredibly creative ideas.
Travis Scott Drops His Opus ‘Rodeo’ 11 Years Ago Today
Travis Scott’s big debut album was adored by fans but led to some pretty mild reviews from critics. Pitchfork gave it a mild 6.0 out of 10, with Sheldon Pearce marveling more at his sense of networking than his presence on songs.
“He is most effective when he harshly distorts his vocals to create texture, and in the company of others he can serve as a welcome change of pace. He has an ear for programming,” Pearce said of Travis Scott. “But Rodeo’s best songs… mostly succeed because they overcome his contributions. He’s still a middling talent, and comes across as rebellious youngster that’s been given the keys to dad’s Porsche and simply asked not to wreck it.”
Years later, fans still adore Rodeo. Even Travis Scott detractors can’t help but marvel at his effort. “A 5 mic classic ya heard one of the greatest trap albums ever,” one person said online.
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