TRAVIS SCOTT pays homage to the unique and legendary sound of his hometown in his latest project, ASTROWORLD

by: @Deevag
follow: @theTXPlug

Consider this a blast to the past from a futuristic perspective.

Travis's due homage to the unique and legendary sound of his hometown of Houston, Texas is clearly expressed through random samples of the late great DJ Screw, those 1980 R&B synths we all grew to love, and solid, strong basslines that were tailor-made for slab riders. True Travis Scott fans can sense a brief presence of "La Flame", which is Travis's alias and true artist persona. However, for the majority of this project he goes super saiyan Travis Scott mode.  Astroworld was a major theme park that has been closed indefinitely, and is a place that many native Houstonians hold dear to their hearts. This album is like traveling through an imaginary portal rewinding time in real-time from the present back to the days when the Screw subculture was in its beginning stages. Artistically speaking, the best way to describe this piece of work is that this most certainly is musical representation of what that must feel like.

STARGAZING

Sit down, buckle up, and relax as Travis begins this rollercoaster ride with a heavy hittin bass banger. Not too fast, not too slow, but just the right tempo. Something you can definitely bodyrock or even hit a Texas two-step to. Trav pumps the breaks mid-song, switches up the beat and takes a detour for a completely different trip, so don't get too comfortable.

CAROUSEL

When riding in Travis's spaceship it only takes 3 minutes to visit Big Tuck in Dallas, TX, Houston's sister-city. Common influences, similarity of lifestyles and interests brings these two unique cities together to represent for the Lone Star State. It's a Texas vibe!

SICKO MODE

Scott hooks up with an unlikely peer of his. Once again switching the beat up mid-song and once again towards the end, (which we heard a lot of in his Rodeo LP) it's safe to say this is officially Trav's signature mark of originality as far as music production is concerned.

R.I.P. SCREW

Travelling at the speed of light, we are taken back to Houston in the mid 1990s.  This ode to the legendary DJ Screw, the creator of the Screw subgenre of rap is pure nostalgia; it contains all of the instrumental elements that are essential to that H-Town sound that is recognized all over the world. "Rest in peace to Screw tonight we take it slow".. Pour up a 4, roll a sweet, pull out the slab and represent one time for DJ Screw and all the work he put in for our city's urban culture.

STOP TRYING TO BE GOD

Travis taps into his spiritual consciousness on a futuristic melody. Invoking the force of jazzy serenades with a sultry trumpet over a basic yet smooth beat, Scott freaks this track his way and creates a new sound we haven't heard until now.

NO BYSTANDERS

I hear a Mint Condition synth riff in the beginning! Am I tripping? Well I did my research and the notes are different but I'm sure they had some kind of influence on the riffs used on this album filler. Nothing more than Trav feeling himself Three 6 Mafia style.

SKELETONS

Travis puts on his rockstar skinnys and bangs out La Flame style, exposing the vulnerability of the Kanye West and Kid Cudi influences that have been true to his heart from the beginning of his career. A sneak peek into the past days of when his alter-ego/true persona "La Flame" was more relevant in his artistry.

WAKE UP

Take a trip down lovers lane as Trav invites you to daydream and stay asleep in a lustful trance until...

5% TINT

"Who's that creepin through my window?"

Lil Keke and DJ Screw changed the game forever when they flipped the classic hit "Cell Therapy", originally performed by Goodie MOB of Atlanta, GA. They got the instrumental, chopped it and screwed it, then recorded a classic freestyle that lasted 10:55 minutes long! This is another tribute to the city from Trav, who is now basically the new spokesperson for the city of Houston (maybe the state of Texas as well) in rap/hip-hop.

NC-17

Check out our boy Trav going full lit mode as he and another classmate join forces to create another album filler.

ASTROTHUNDER

Is just that.  A piano scroll of 808s dropping like rain on your ears over a soothing synth melody, leveling off the rhythm to this dreamy nostalgic tune. Kind of reminds me of a 1980s R&B track.

YOSEMITE

Something new, something different.  Slow roll and relax to this new age hip-hop track and vibrate with Travis as he takes his musical diversity to another frequency.

CAN'T SAY

Trav keeps it going with the beats, bringing that old H-Town back.  Tempo is "Body Rockin", blessed by another appearance by the spirit of DJ Screw.

WHO? WHAT?

The Huncho Jack boys are back to let us know that it's still a vibe, and it's even better this time. Travis and a close friend do their thing and rock this beat to perfection as usual. The order that this track falls in makes it a proper introduction to the next track, which is also the highlight of the album. Good job guys.

BUTTERFLY EFFECT

Travis Scott in rare form, morphing into his alias (the Butterfly) as he fulfills his purpose in the industry. Although as catchy of a tune this may be, this one is probably considered to be the most important track on the album to true Travi$ Scott/ La Flame fans.

HOUSTONFORNICATION

Accelerating the speed on his "Slabship" (lol) a few light years ahead, loosen up a little as Trav invites us to listen closely while he gets in his element and flexes all of his clichéd ad-libs.

COFFEE BEAN

Easy arrival on the landing pad. Travis Scott, La Flame (or whoever he decided he was at the moment) serenades the city once again. A completely different style than what we're used to. Yes, many of us Houstonians do drink coffee; most definitely needed at one time or another dealing with the overall hustle and bustle of the city. Our culture indulges in sleepless nights, long hours at work, and is notorious for wasting time and energy fighting traffic. Refocus on reality with Coffee Bean. Its actually a breath of fresh air from the auto-tune and mumbling so prevalent in the new generation of leaders in rap and hip-hop.

Out of respect for Scott's format of the album tracklist and decision to hide credits of the artists he featured, I personally did not find it necessary to mention each featured artist because he did not do so on the album art itself.  Trust that there are plenty of pleasant surprises from an entourage of recent hitmakers. Thanks Mr. Scott for putting the city on the way Screw always wanted it to be. I'm sure he would have been proud that you solidified the movement he started as a genuine culture to the rest of the of the word. Congratulations on obtaining the number one album in the country! H-Town stand up

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Listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/41GuZcammIkupMPKH2OJ6I
Watch: http://smarturl.it/k987v5

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review  by: @DeevaG