Travis Scott's new album ASTROWORLD is here. In addition to previously released single "Butterfly Effect," ASTROWORLD contains 16 additional tracks, and there are some impressive features: Frank Ocean makes a rare appearance while Drake and The Weeknd contribute vocals. Production comes from sources as wide as Boi-1da, Pharrell, and Tame Impala. Executive producer Mike Dean is credited on every song.
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It’s rumored that Stevie Wonder plays harmonica on “Stop Trying to Be God,” though he has no official credit at the time of writing. It is also believed James Blake and Kid Cudi appear on the same song. Scott thanked Wonder in a tweet sent after the album’s release.
Phillip bailey James Blake Stevie wonder thank u. #stopttrynnabegod — TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) August 3, 2018
See ASTROWORLD's tracklist and production credits below, via TIDAL.
After more than two years of anticipation, Travis Scott’s third studio album ASTROWORLD has finally seen the light of day. And just one glance at the project’s credits, we’re confident it was worth the wait.
The long-awaited project spans 17 tracks, including the previously heard record “Butterfly Effect.” The track "Watch" featuring Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert didn't make the cut. ASTROWORLD also boasts guest appearances by some of the biggest names in the game, as well as production courtesy of Murda Beatz, Boi-1da, Nineteen85, and more.
Now that we’ve had some time to listen to the full album, or at least get a little taste, we’re taking a closer look at the team that made ASTROWORLD possible.
You can check out the credits for the project below.
"Stargazing"
Composers
Sonny Digital
Mike Dean
B Wheezy
CyHi the Prynce
Travis Scott
30 Roc
Jamie Lepe
B Korn
Lyricists
Travis Scott
Jamie Lepe
B Wheezy
Mike Dean
CyHi the Prynce
B Korn
30 Roc
Sonny Digital
Producers
B Wheezy
30 Roc
B Korn
Sonny Digital
"Carousel"
Composers
Frank Ocean
Hit-Boy
Travis Scott
Lyricists
Hit-Boy
Travis Scott
Frank Ocean
Producers
Hit-Boy
"Sicko Mode"
Composers
Hit-Boy
Mike Dean
Drake
Oz
CyHi the Prynce
Travis Scott
Mirsad Dervic
Tay Keith
Lyricists
Mike Dean
Hit-Boy
Travis Scott
Drake
Tay Keith
Oz
Mirsad Dervic
CyHi the Prynce
Producers
Tay Keith
Oz
Cubeatz
Hit-Boy
Rogét Chahayed
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"R.I.P. Screw"
Composers
Mike Dean
Travis Scott
Swae Lee
Lyricists
Swae Lee
Travis Scott
Mike Dean
Producers
FKi 1st
Travis Scott
"Stop Trying to Be God"
Composers
James Blake
Travis Scott
Cubeatz
Lyricists
Cubeatz
James Blake
Travis Scott
Producers
J Beatzz
Travis Scott
Mike Dean
"No Bystanders"
Composers
Mike Dean
WondaGurl
Travis Scott
Juice WRLD
Sheck Wes
Lyricists
Travis SCott
Sheck Wes
Juice WRLD
Mike Dean
WondaGurl
Producers
Gezin
808 Mafia
WondaGurl
Mike Dean
"Skeletons"
Composers
Pharrell Williams
The Weeknd
Kevin Parker
Travis Scott
Mike Dean
Reine Fiske
Lyricists
Reine Fiske
Kevin Parker
Mike Dean
The Weeknd
Pharrell Williams
Travis Scott
Producers
Tame Impala
"Wake Up"
Composers
The Weeknd
Mike Dean
Frank Dukes
Travis Scott
Sevn Thomas
Wallis Lane
Lyricists
Frank Dukes
Travis Scott
Wallis Lane
Sevn Thomas
The Weeknd
Mike Dean
Producers
Sevn Thomas
Wallis Lane
Frank Dukes
"5% Tint"
Composers
Travis Scott
Mike Dean
FKi 1st
CyHi the Prynce
Lyricists
FKi 1st
Mike Dean
CyHi the Prynce
Travis Scott
Producers
FKi 1st
"NC-17"
Composers
Boi-1da
Mike Dean
Travis Scott
21 Savage
Johnny Stefene
Lyricists
Boi-1da
Mike Dean
Travis Scott
21 Savage
Johnny Stefene
Producers
Cubeatz
Boi-1da
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"Astrothunder"
Composers
Travis Scott
Thundercat
Frank Dukes
John Mayer
Lyricists
John Mayer
Thundercat
Frank Dukes
Travis Scott
Producers
Frank Dukes
John Mayer
Travis Scott
Thundercat
"Yosemite"
Composers
June James
Gunna
NAV
Travis Scott
Lyricists
Gunna
Travis Scott
June James
NAV
Producers
Turbo
June James
"Can't Say"
Composers
Sonny Digital
Mike Dean
Frank Dukes
Jacques Webster
WondaGurl
Don Toliver
London Cyr
Lyricists
WondaGurl
London Cyr
Travis Scott
Sonny Digital
Mike Dean
Frank Dukes
Don Toliver
Producers
WondaGurl
Frank Dukes
"Who? What!"
Composers
Quavo
Travis Scott
Takeoff
Cardo
30 Roc
Lyricists
Cardo
Travis Scott
Quavo
30 Roc
Takeoff
Producers
30 Roc
Cardo
"Butterfly Effect"
Composers
Murda Beatz
Donald Paton
Travis Scott
Lyricists
Donald Paton
Jacques Webster
Murda Beatz
Producers
Murda Beatz
Felix Leone
"Houstonfornication"
Composers
Sevn Thomas
Travis Scott
Wallis Lane
Lyricists
Travis Scott
Sevn Thomas
Wallis Lane
Producers
Sevn Thomas
Wallis Lane
"Coffee Bean"
Composers
Mike Dean
CyHi the Prynce
Nineteen85
Travis Scott
Tim Suby
Lyricists
Mike Dean
Nineteen85
Tim Suby
Travis Scott
CyHi the Prynce
Producers
Nineteen85
Travis Scott is the son of Houston, Texas. He has biological parents who brought him into this world, sure, but it was the city he was born and raised in that ushered him into the life he’s now living. With the release of his latest album, ASTROWORLD, Travis has been vocal about two things: 1) the influence of the real-life, now-nonexistent Six Flags AstroWorld on his adolescence; and 2) the fact that ASTROWORLD is an ode to Houston.
THIS IS FOR HOUSTON TEXAS. MO CITY MY HOME. — TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) August 3, 2018
“THIS IS FOR HOUSTON TEXAS,” he tweeted the night of the album drop. “MO CITY MY HOME.”
In a 2017 interview with GQ, Travis gave his perspective on the importance and relevance of his city. “I feel like Houston is one of the leading things in music culture,” he said. “Everyone loves the Houston culture.”
A scan of the tracklist shows Travis is focused on bringing Houston back to the forefront of music. “5% Tint” takes its name from a memorable line in Slim Thug’s verse on Mike Jones’ watershed moment of a single “Still Tippin’” (“Five-percent tint so you can’t see up in my window”). “R.I.P. Screw” takes its title from a phrase that holds Texas together; I’m a Texas native, so believe me when I say that’s not an exaggeration. It’s a direct mention of the most influential figure in Houston rap, the late DJ Screw, who passed decades ago but continues to shape the sound of the city, the state of Texas, and hip-hop writ large, if we’re keeping it funky.
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Listening to the music itself yields yet another Houston hat tip. On “Can’t Say,” producers WondaGurl and Frank Dukes sample Trae tha Truth’s single “Swang,” a song named for a Texas pastime: driving, better known as swanging. That track is also a dedication to deceased Houston rappers (it was made as a tribute to Fat Pat, and featured Pimp C and Big Hawk, who died after its release) who made the city’s subgenre what it is today.
By following the path of his predecessors, Travis is bringing Texas back into the mainstream. He’s breathing new life into regional classics and simultaneously picking up local fans who might not have previously understood him as a contemporary Houston artist. After all, he’s known for high-energy, aggressive sounds—the opposite of the city’s typically laid-back foundation.
But it’s not just about Houston. Dallas rapper Big Tuck is one of the first voices we hear on ASTROWORLD. He drops off an encouraging voicemail at the beginning of “Carousel,” saying, “ASTROWORLD is now in session, ya understand? I’m the dean of this here—I got this.” After this proclamation, the song starts properly, revealing a sample of Tuck’s Texas anthem “Not a Stain on Me.” If you haven’t heard it, the easiest way to describe it is as a party-starter that floats off of a loop of voices (belonging to the Beastie Boys) hyping up Tuck and, by extension, whoever’s listening. It’s a song that’s played at every function, nightclub, and house party throughout the state, almost as if required by law.
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When I reached Big Tuck on the phone to talk about his appearance on ASTROWORLD, he said things came together pretty quickly. “Sunday, I got a tweet and it was Travis Scott,” Tuck explained. “He was like, ‘Yo!’ I’m like, ‘Wassup?’ He was like, ‘What’s your number?’ and he called, telling me what he wanted me to do. I’m like, ‘Cool. Let’s do it.’ He asked me to do a drop just to make it ASTROWORLD. I did it, sent it to him, and it is what it is.”
The Tuck feature bridges a gap between two cities that haven’t always had love for one another. “It goes way back to the penitentiary, basically,” Tuck said. “That’s where all of the beef was. Dallas and Houston, a feud had been going on for a long time. As far as the music scene now, it’s all love between Dallas and Houston music.”
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Speaking of beef, Houston has had its moments of intracity dissonance. On "R.I.P. Screw," Travis raps, “Had the Southside fade, now let the braids hang.” These were the go-to hairstyles for each side of a very separated Houston: The fade indicated Southside roots, while the braids were repped by the Northside. Slim Thug and ESG, who represent the North and South, respectively, even went so far as to title their we-shall-overcome-the-rivalry song “Braids & Fades” as a means of acknowledging the regional importance of this seemingly benign choice of hairstyle.
The Texas-centric moments on ASTROWORLD are Travis at his most authentic. His long-hyped record would have sounded completely different without the Lone Star State embedded in its most personal tracks. With this album, Travis is proving that no matter how individual your sound becomes, there’s always a way to incorporate the timeless elements of your history and pay homage. ASTROWORLD has made it abundantly clear that Travis stans for Texas culture. And we in turn stan for a young legend who knows where he came from.
Travis Scott is the stage name of Jacques Webster, a Houston-born hip-hop artist and producer affiliated with Kanye West's GOOD Music and T.I.'s Grand Hustle. Scott has a heavily Auto-Tuned half-sung/half-rapped vocal style, and refers to himself as a singer rather than a rapper. He's produced or co-produced tracks by Kanye West, Rihanna, and Drake, and he's appeared on tracks by Jay-Z, Pusha T, Meek Mill, and numerous others. Within four years of his 2012 mainstream arrival, Scott attained platinum singles as a lead artist and songwriter/producer, as well as a pair of Top Five studio albums, the latter of which went to number one.
Scott grew up in a suburb of Houston and began making music as a teenager. He formed a duo called the Graduates with Chris Holloway, and they released an EP in 2009. The following year he formed another duo, the Classmates, with OG Chess. Scott produced the duo's two full-lengths, Buddy Rich and Cruis'n USA, and the duo broke up by the end of 2011. After dropping out of college, Scott moved to Los Angeles and began recording music on his own. He met T.I. and eventually Kanye West. Scott was hired as an in-house producer for GOOD Music, and appeared on the label's Cruel Summer compilation in 2012. Scott's debut, Owl Pharaoh, was originally scheduled to be released as a free mixtape in 2012, but as his profile grew (including a placement in XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2013), and due to sample clearance issues, the album wasn't released until May of 2013. Featuring guest appearances by T.I. and 2 Chainz (on the single "Upper Echelon") as well as Toro y Moi and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, the mixtape eventually garnered a nomination for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.
The buildup to Scott's first proper studio album involved the Days Before Rodeo mixtape, promoted with the singles "Don't Play" and "Mamacita," and the March 2015 U.S. Rodeo Tour, for which Scott headlined, supported by Young Thug and Metro Boomin. Several of the dates sold out. During the same month, Rihanna's Scott-produced hit single "Bitch Better Have My Money" was released. "3500" and "Antidote" were released ahead of Rodeo, Scott's second full-length, which followed in September on Grand Hustle/Epic and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Toward the end of the year, "Antidote" peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100 and became Scott's first platinum single.
Chatter regarding a follow-up, along with numerous delays, ensued throughout much of 2016. Meanwhile, Scott extended his commercial presence with featured spots on Wiz Khalifa's "Bake Sale," Rihanna's "Woo," and Kanye West's "FML," as well as a collaboration with Young Thug and Quavo, "Pick Up the Phone," a mid-year hit issued as the lead single of Young Thug's JEFFERY. Three months later, after "Bitch Better Have My Money" earned a platinum certification, Scott's second proper album arrived. Titled Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, after one of Quavo's lines in "Pick Up the Phone," the woozy, mostly midtempo set featured that hit and contributions from the likes of André 3000, Kid Cudi, and Kendrick Lamar. It went straight to the top of the Billboard 200. Leading up to his third LP, Scott appeared on "Kelly Price" from Migos' Culture and on Drake's "Portland" from the More Life project. The latter track peaked within the Top Ten of the Hot 100, Scott's highest chart placement to date. In 2017 Scott dropped the hazy, Migos-esque single "Butterfly Effect" and Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, a collaborative project with Quavo. ~ Paul Simpson & Andy Kellman
