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💿 Review: Travis Scott's Utopia

💿 Review: Travis Scott's Utopia

Utopia dropped last Friday and now that I've had enough time to digest it, I'm ready to give you my review. Overall I am definitely pleased, but I do have a few critiques that I would like to share. Enough with the preamble though, let's just jump right in 🌵 (2 min read)

Dylan Forrester & Justin Schnell
August 02, 2023

Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for E11EVEN

Utopia Review

The review of all reviews – Travis Scott’s Utopia. You ready? Here we go…

UTOPIA

Travis Scott · Album · 2023 · 19 songs.

open.spotify.com/album/18NOKLkZETa4sWwLMIm0UZ?si=Wb50hxi1StOqaHL86Y3WJw

Right off the bat I’ll say this – Utopia left me overall pleased, and I must say it is far from being a disappointment by any stretch of the imagination. While it may not immediately strike you as the most sonically pleasing album upon the first listen, I am confident that it will age beautifully with time 💿

“UTOPIA” — Spotify streams (unfiltered):
1st day — 129,452,261
2nd day — 78,881,536
3rd day — 57,920,664
4th day — 56,792,349
— Total: 359,104,283
— Travis Scott Stats (@chartstravis)
1:46 AM • Aug 2, 2023

Travis did an amazing job at pushing the boundaries of his sound, bravely taking risks with the production style and straying from the formulaic cookie-cutter Travis sound that had been overplayed since Astroworld 😏

.@trvisXX's "Utopia" received 56,176,467 streams on the Global Spotify Chart in its 4th day, down 1.67% (July 31, 2023.
319,752,543 streams on the chart so far this week.
"Meltdown" saw the largest % gain, "Lost Forever" the largest % loss.
— Spotify Stats (@StatsSpotify)
7:25 PM • Aug 1, 2023

One of the highlights of Utopia was its impressive features, which brought a stellar mix of talent to the project. SZA smoked her part, Westside Gunn’s sound complemented Travis’s sound, and Teezo Touchdown was insanely fun. These collaborations added depth and diversity to the album, enhancing the listening experience and once again validating Travis’s ability to work with other artists seamlessly 🤝

Travis Scott’s 'UTOPIA' now no longer has hidden features
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast)
5:03 AM • Aug 1, 2023

Despite my overall satisfaction with the album, I couldn’t help but notice that the lyrical content left me a bit displeased. While Travis Scott is not typically known for deep introspective lyrics, I found myself hoping for a more personal and revealing glimpse into his life. Instead, Utopia seemed to rely on arbitrary one-liner/filler bars, leaving me wanting more substance in the storytelling 😢

Travis Scott % of lyrics on of each of his projects
73.4% - Owl Pharoah
69.0% - ASTROWORLD
68.2% - Days Before Rodeo
64.4% - UTOPIA
64.2% - Birds
63.2% - Rodeo
I never feel like Travis gets overshadowed by his guests
Do you think he could carry a classic album w/ no features?
— Hip Hop By The Numbers (@HipHopNumbers)
3:54 AM • Jul 30, 2023

Nevertheless, Utopia is undoubtedly a project that showcases Travis Scott’s growth as an artist. It demonstrates his willingness to experiment and evolve, breaking away from past patterns and embracing a fresh sonic direction. As time goes on, I believe this album will be remembered as a pivotal moment in Travis’s discography, marking a shift in his artistic expression 🌵

New Sound Cypher

One of my favorite new MCs, Oh Hi Ali, just pulled up to the studio and absolutely blessed our microphone with an INSANE freestyle over one of my favorite beats of all-time. Check out the video here 👇

@overtimesound
Oh Hi Ali freestyles over “Terry” by Action Bronson, Part 1 🐊 @Oh Hi Ali #ohhiali #actionbronson #thealchemist #freestyle #freestylerap #hiphop