2018 has been considered one of the best years for music in the last decade, especially for hip-hop. With releases from hip-hop legends such as Kanye West, Pusha-T, Eminem and Lil Wayne, as well as young and rising artists like Denzel Curry, Post Malone and Sheck Wes. Despite all the quality records put out this year, Travis Scott’s Astroworld stands out ahead of the rest.
Astroworld showcases Scott’s development as not only a rapper, but a multi-dimensional artist. The promising potential Scott showcased in his 2015 debut studio release, Rodeo, is realized in Astroworld. The slick beat switches and spacey keys that were first introduced in Rodeo are fleshed out and elevated on Astroworld, creating iconic trapster-pieces like the Scott and Drake collab “Sicko Mode” and the album opener “Stargazing.”
Scott’s tendency for auto-tuned croons and energy-filled ad-libs harmonizes with the high-profile production displayed throughout the record. Tay Keith provides hard-hitting street trap on the aforementioned “Sicko Mode,” while Pharrell and Tame Impala lend their talent on “Skeletons,” and The Weeknd comes through with melodic vocals on “Wake Up.” Scott also takes advantage of the smorgasbord of features on the album, with talent varying from modern kings Drake, Frank Ocean and The Weeknd along with rising stars like Scott’s Cactus Jack labelmates, Don Toliver and Sheck Wes.
What separates Astroworld from the rest of the litter is the album’s ability to provide a seamless collection of musical experiences that’s restless in its mission to infect the ears of the public. Even after several hundreds of play-throughs, Astroworld stays as magical as it was when it released in August. Each of Astroworld’s 17 cuts act as an array distinct roller coasters in Scott’s galaxy of a theme park, providing a different sound for listeners to enjoy on each track. There are bona-fide bangers (“Sicko Mode”, “Yosemite”) and ballads (“Stop Trying to Be God”, “Wake Up”) scattered across the album, creating a theme that can be described as psychedelic party trap.
Astroworld lives up to the promise Scott made of restoring the fantasia experienced at the former Houston theme park. With a runtime of just under an hour, Scott provides a bevy of content without bloating the album with useless filler, solving the issue that hindered the quality of projects like Drake’s Scorpion and Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V. No album this year has been able to match the production quality, or the artfulness of Scott’s third studio effort. While Astroworld doesn’t carry the poetry of something along the lines of Denzel Curry’s TA13OO, it makes up for it out-of-this-world production, an all-killer no filler track list, and flawless execution of pacing. No album comes close to presenting the audio experience Astroworld brings to the table. That’s what truly separates Astroworld from everything else - it’s not just an album; it’s a sonic experience. So buckle up, and enjoy the best ride of 2018 if you haven’t already.
Diamond Growney is a freshman studying integrated media at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Diamond by tweeting him at @growney_diamond.
