Following the release of the star-studded Astroworld album, Travis has solidified himself as one of the most prolific and unique artists in rap, creating his own lane and style that has hypnotically attracted millions of fans. Amidst all the acclaim, he is one of the most polarizing characters in the scene. Accused of biting too hard off his influences, Travis receives a lot of criticism for not having his own identity. On his rise, Travis was one of the most hyped artists in recent years. Many people were convinced he was a failed Kanye protégé. But there is no doubt anymore that Travis Scott is one of the iconic faces in hip-hop. With hit after hit, banger after banger, and three platinum records under his belt, La Flame is a true superstar.

How Jacques Turned Scott

In 2012, a 20-year-old Jacques Webster hit the scene as Travis Scott following a few major signings. He penned his first major label deal with Epic Records. Later that year, he signed with Kanye West’s GOOD Music as a producer after playing a role in the label's album Cruel Summer. Just next year, young Travis was also taken under T.I.’s wing after he signed with Hustle Gang.

With backing from such prominent figures, Travis Scott was predicted to be the next up-and-coming star. He officially introduced himself in 2013 with the release of his debut mixtape Owl Pharaoh. With help from the likes of Kanye and producer Mike Dean, Owl Pharaoh put the early stages of Travis’ sound on display. Admittedly, the album was very hit or miss. Travis wore his influences on his sleeve, with traces of Kanye and Kid Cudi all over the track list. Songs like “Hell of a Night” are just plain carbon copies of Kanye music. Drowned in the layers of distortion, Travis woozily croons and maneuvers his way through a disjointed mixtape.

The Rodeo

Travis announced his second mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, in early 2014, which would be the precursor to his first real album Rodeo. Proclaimed a “free album,” DBR was a huge step up from his previous mixtape. This is when Travis began turning heads. The production is much more concise, with a clearer direction of sound overall. Although he took a step back from much of the production, he worked with hot Atlanta producers like Metro Boomin, Lex Luger and Southside of 808 mafia. DBR possessed a clear aesthetic. It put an eerie, drugged out twist on the new Atlanta trap sound pioneered by Young Thug and Migos. And it worked. “Skyfall” and “Drugs You Should Try It” are trap ballads that entrance the listener, emanating this mysterious and dark, yet addicting style. But don’t let this reserved Travis fool you; he can spit too. “Backyard” is one his best lyrical performances to date.

A clear sound established, Travis began to back up the hype. Following his lead singles “3500” and “Antidote,” Travis was poised to blow up in 2015. On his next album Rodeo, he delivered, and created arguably the greatest trap album of the decade. There are many comparisons to be made between Travis Scott and Kanye West. The influence of West is strong—the deep, layered production, and the flow and cadence on many songs. But what both artists undeniably have is an ear for good music, and the ability to curate a consistent sound. On My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye acts as the orchestrator of the album, utilizing dozens of features, plenty of production assistance, and even some help writing. But none of these overpower Kanye’s presence. He is still the star, and he knows how to highlight other artist’s input without letting it take over a song.

On Rodeo, everything comes together to make a trap masterpiece. The production on album is unmatched, with lavish, fleshed out sounds that never stale. There is a blend of classic trap elements like the 808s, snares and high-hats, mixed with heavenly synths and melodies that create this sort of high-brow, avant-garde spin on Atlanta trap.

Much like Kanye's MBDTF, Travis enlists a variety of contributors like familiar faces Metro Boomin, Young Thug, WondaGurl, and Mike Dean. The red carpet features too—Quavo, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Swae Lee, The Weeknd, and even Justin Bieber all make great contributions to the album.

So many elements come together to make Rodeo what it is. Travis’ orchestrates one of my favorite albums of all time. The quality dips slightly in “Pray 4 Love,” but everything is almost perfect. “Nightcrawler” is an amazing party song, with crazy production and particularly beautiful synths courtesy of Zaytoven. “90210” is perhaps Travis’ best song and one of the best transitions in a rap song in recent years. “Apple Pie” provides a somber close to the album as Travis recounts leaving his mom and setting out on his journey to stardom.

Days After Rodeo

Just a year after Rodeo, Travis released his follow-up project, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. After a successful debut, Birds was set to project Travis to the top. “Pick Up the Phone” and “Goosebumps” are two of Travis’ biggest hits, and the two singles built incredible hype for the album. Again, the feature list was impressive, including Andre 3000, Kid Cudi, Kendrick Lamar, and Quavo and Young Thug once more.

Birds displayed more of a mainstream sound and seemed more akin to a playlist, lacking the true cohesiveness of an album. Although it charted well, the record certainly didn’t compare to Rodeo. It seemed to be Travis’ attempt to breakthrough to the mainstream and find commercial success. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it creates room for disappointment, especially after releasing a classic record the year before. Rodeo was inarguably more polished and carried more allure and grandeur. It was luxurious. Birds is more or less a standard trap album.

After his second album, Travis enjoyed the rise to bona fide celebrity status. He became a fashion icon, working alongside Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang, and signing to become Nike’s poster-boy. He featured on a number of songs, including work with Trippie Redd and Drake. He released a few loosies that could’ve been either singles or leftovers from past projects, nothing too exciting other than veritable radio song ‘Butterfly Effect.” There was fear that Travis’ was shaping up to lose his unique identity and aura that initially drew so many people in.

That fear was reinforced with the release Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, his collaborative project with Quavo. A few decent songs here and there, but ultimately it flopped, with an obvious lack of quality control. At this point, I accepted that Travis had peaked at Rodeo and wouldn’t make anything close to it again. Even after a year of promoting Astroworld to be the true successor to Rodeo, fans were hesitant to buy into the hype.

Superstar Status

All the past projects, influences and inspirations, collaborative efforts, and the essence of Travis Scott come together on Astroworld. The grandiose and luxurious elements heard in Rodeo and the haunting style of numerous past projects fuse together with contemporary trap, providing a heavyweight record-breaking album. Once again, Travis enlisted a slew of big names. Travis is the conductor of the rollercoaster ride, highlighting his best features. He curates his sound extremely well with an unmatched awareness of the exact sound he wants.

And the numbers don’t lie. Astroworld debuted at No. 1 on Billboard, selling 537,000 album-equivalent units, with 270,000 in pure sales. The entire album was on the Billboard 200, and almost hit 350 million streams in the first week. It is now certified platinum.

Plagued by legal and social controversy and, Scott's rocky ride to the top has been nothing short of entertaining. Delivering classic after classic, Travis has become the protégé that Kanye believed in.