Rodeo
Epic Records / Grand Hustle Records
Hip-Hop is a genre that prides itself on its stylistic
differentiators. The finest MCs to ever take the mic have been branded on
distinct styles both in their word play and the production behind their voices
, often acting as an east coast, west coast, mid-west, or dirty south
indicator. Hip-Hop has been dominated by an attitude of domestic geography as a
defining personality trait since the genre’s inception, but even mainstream
hip-hop artists are no longer letting these labels define their work. Hip-hop aesthetic
is beginning to blur as artists such as A$AP Rocky are hailing from New York,
but rapping with a Houston flow and spitting over cloud rap beats. Insert
Houston, Texas native and Kanye West protégé, Travis Scott, who has been
producing and rapping for Very G.O.O.D Music and generating massive hype due to
the “Days Before Rodeo” mixtape which dropped before his debut album
appropriately titled “Rodeo”. Travis Scott has actually been lambasted for his
style witch critics claiming there is nothing unique or original about what he
does. Scott’s detractors will state that he steals the flows, styles, and
techniques of other rappers and uses them himself while bringing nothing new to
the table. “Rodeo” should act as a piece of reflection for hip-hop listeners.
After hearing “Rodeo”, one would hope Scott’s critics who hold the sentiments
listed above will come to terms with the idea that a rapper no longer has to
obnoxiously represent his hometown, push a style, or bring something new to the
game to create an enjoyable hip-hop record. A rapper can capitalize on what is
trending or what sells and still create something worthwhile. And that’s ok.
One of the first things to strike listeners on “Rodeo”
should be the extensive list of guest features involved in this project both on
the mic and behind the production. This A-list contains the likes of Kanye
West, The Weeknd, Chief Keef, Future, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Justin Bieber, Toro Y
Moi, Pharrell, T.I. and others. What is remarkable
is that just about every featured artist blends well in these tracks and tends
to match the production well while also bringing in quality word play. Like
most Travis Scott releases the lyrics on “Rodeo” are by no means enthralling
but they are passable and have the occasional clever moment from the features.
Scott seems to focus more on atmosphere and delivery with his verses. On many
of these tracks Scott implements a vocal style that uses singing and auto-tune
reminiscent of 808s era Kanye or Drake. Scott seems more comfortable using this
in demand style and he manages to create some catchy chorus and songs with it.
Backed by fantastic production, songs like “3500”, “Pray 4 Love”, and “Maria
I’m Drunk” accomplish exactly what they set out to do. Tracks like these
capture the fun party mood while others such as “Wasted”, “90210”, and
“Nightcrawler” are more laid back hazy ballads with production Scott has no
trouble navigating through either. The power of "Rodeo" lies in it’s hooks,
choruses, and the ambiance of the production.
For me this record is an enjoyable listen, but it is more
about who Travis Scott wants to be and the context of this album in
contemporary hip-hop. Major label debuts like “Rodeo” are now more calculated
than ever. Testing markets with mixtape, gauging listener interest, and
investing in rappers like Travis Scott by backing them with the best production
money can buy while stacking releases with proven big names to feature. This is
obviously done to prevent a flop release, but I still don’t necessarily think
that is a bad thing. This album masks a lot of things Travis Scott doesn’t do
well and emphasizes his charisma, vocal braggadocio swagger, and his attention
for what is trending. “Rodeo” highlights not only how great Travis Scott can
be, but reflects the given point of the hip-hop era in which we are currently
living.
7.5/10
-
TJ Kliebhan
9/14/2015
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