Five years after the release of “Astroworld,” Travis Scott has finally delivered the long-anticipated followup: “UTOPIA.” This otherworldly sensation includes features contributions from countless eye-catching artists. Since its release, ‘UTOPIA’ has remained at No. 1 on Billboard’s top 100 for three consecutive weeks, and for good reason. This has been an incredible comeback for Scotts’s career since he was put under a heated microscope for the tragedy during his Astroworld concert in 2021, where 10 were killed and thousands others were injured. With something to prove, Scott brings the heat.
Beginning with “HYAENA,” Scott sets an extremely high bar for the rest of the album. From the first beat of the song, it is apparent that Scott continues to draw inspiration from Ye, showing similarities to Ye’s 2013 album ‘Yeezus’ with his dystopian-esque intro and his unique track.
Our first feature comes from Teezo Touchdown, and appears in ‘MODERN JAM’, not necessarily the top feature song, however it is one of the many standout songs on this album. The shift from Scott’s hard-hitting verses and beats to Teezo Touchdown’s chorus appeals to more of the pop aspects of the rap industry.
Scott suddenly drops the mood from “MODERN JAM” to “MY EYES,”’ a slow-paced touching experience describing his troubles in life. Not only does Scott touch on his feelings of lack of love, but he dives into the guilt he feels from the Astroworld disaster. Scott even sings “I replay them nights, and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride wit’ me. If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child.” This verse is especially touching as he alludes to 9-year-old Ezra Blount, who died at the festival. Scott brings this emotional side in many tracks, my favorite being ‘PARASAIL’ featuring Young Lean and Dave Chappelle. This song as a whole is emotionally freeing and just entirely beautiful. The entire song is a continuous metaphor for resilience and liberation. He uses the parasail as a way to represent rising above his struggles and reaching serenity, which is exactly how this song makes you feel.
Track 6, ‘SIRENS’ contains the most sensational intro and outro on the album. And while the rest of the song is not bad, it simply just does not measure up to the bookends on the song. After coming in with extremely high hopes from the intro, I was disappointed to hear that the majority of the song did not bring the same energy.
All of the features in ‘UTOPIA’ bring the exact energy I was hoping for in this album. Scott has put together a star-studded album filled with some of the biggest names in the rap industry. It is difficult to even compare these songs because they all blew me away with their quality in different ways. “LOOOVE” with Kid Cudi is a wicked masterpiece where Kudi and Scott come together to create the perfect song to obliterate the dance floor. Similarly, it is impossible to sit still while listening to“DELRESTO (ECHOES)” featuring Beyoncé where Scott seemingly leans into the vibe of her “Renaissance” album. While it is not consistent with Scott’s style, it pairs deliciously with the rest of this album. Although these features are extremely audibly pleasing, nothing prepared me for the impact “TELEKINESIS,” featuring SZA, would have on me. It brought my ears complete euphoria, and the second I heard SZA’s vocals I felt like my third eye had opened and I began levitating. This song is the crown jewel of ‘UTOPIA’ as it encapsulates everything Scott is attempting with this album.
No matter what mood I am in, ‘UTOPIA’ will never fail to make me feel better. This album is a feeling I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their life. I seriously recommend giving ‘UTOPIA’ a listen in hopes that it brings you the same overwhelming happiness that it has brought me.
By Evy Nigh
