Travis Scott officially released his fourth full-length release, “UTOPIA,” just like the title, UTOPIA brings the themes of living life to the fullest, relationships, god complexes and even the occasional brag rap.
“HYAENA” brings the out-of-control nature right off the bat as Scott talks about having an out-of-control life and hearing the sirens out of his house.
“I’m drivin’ through Hell and I done brought snow,” Scott adds and he ends the outro by asking the question, “For I knew I had to rise above it all or drown in my own shit.”
The “Yeezus” comparisons begin with the song “MODERN JAM” with Scott’s intro and cadence sounding extremely similar to the vibe of “Yeezus”.
UTOPIA’s “MODERN JAM” is Yeezus’ “I AM A GOD” with Travis putting himself in a god-complex with the way he views himself, “Way I keep the knowledge, think I’m Socrates. I got em’ levitation’ way off their knees.”
He also brings yet another theme into the picture, bringing up his relationship, “Had me inside like I’m on parole. I’m outside like I’m on patrol.”
“MY EYES” brings a slower pace as Scott questions all the things in his life and the wealth he shows off, which has similar themes to Kanye West’s “Guilt Trip.”
The song shows Travis looking ahead at the future of his relationship, “When I stare in your eyes. You’ll be there forever. […] I’m fallin’, and, I’m drownin.’ But, you’re takin’ me.”
Scott brings up the weight of creating art and the tragedy at the Astroworld festival, “If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child.”
The outro to the next song, “SIRENS,” brings more of the story element as someone questioned his UTOPIA, pointing to UTOPIA being a perfect destination yet it’s just Scott’s hotel room, “Yeah, it looks perfect to me,” Scott replied as the song concluded.
Two songs later, “FEIN” brings back the theme of the Devil and hell as he repeats, “fiend,” meaning demon and addict.
Moving towards the halfway of the album, “I KNOW ?” the Houston-born rapper confides about his relationships with other women, the lifestyle he lives and this song is an authentic look at how he sees himself.
Scott continues to repeat the hook, “I lied too, way before, before. Before I had you right in my arms. But then again, I could be drunk.”
The last song on UTOPIA, “TIL FURTHER NOTICE,” is short for until further notice, meaning the situation will continue for an uncertain length of time until someone changes it.
He starts the song by asking, “Where will you go now? Now that you’re done with me? I don’t blame you. You should be done.”
This could be interpreted as his relationship ending and it’s bolstered when 21 Savage came with his verse, “My mama always told me, ‘Put yourself first.’ I don’t really fall in love with women, man, ‘cause love hurt. […] I thought about given’ you the key to my heart, but it froze.”
The strong points of the album were the beat switches, the different cadences and styles of music while also telling an interesting story about his life.
“UTOPIA” carves its own path while expanding upon what Yeezus released back in 2013 but making the album feel like Travis’ story.
While the album leaves us with more questions than answers, Scott did show us his evolution in the rap game and while the album isn’t his best work ever, it’s amazing due to the storytelling elements and flow of the entire album.
Will Scott rise above it or drown in his own shit? We’ll have to wait to hear the answers in his next album.