For a few years now, Travis Scott has been at the forefront of rap. Ever since the release of his Owl Pharaoh mixtape (back in 2013), Scott has been catching everyone’s attention with his dark, psychedelic sound, autotuned bars, and extraordinary live performances. With the release of his critically-acclaimed ASTROWORLD album, he became one of the biggest artists and amassed a group of both die-hard and casual fans. However, many of his fans often don’t understand the man behind the music. Let’s take a look inside the mind of Travis Scott.
Travis Scott is constantly working to show others his personal vision. There is a never-ending party in his head, and he always wants to bring that to life. Everyone has hopes and dreams that they want to accomplish—things that they want to bring to life; we see all of this through Scott’s music and performances. Travis is definitely a musician at heart. In his 2019 Netflix documentary “Look Mom I Can Fly,” viewers saw that he was always surrounded by music: whether it be his father’s band, the music he listened to, or what he created as a child.
His love for music is something that all musicians share, but what makes Travis different is his energy and motivation. He loves to “rage” and will do anything to make that happen.
“Since I was 6, I wanted to be a fucking wrestler. The Hardy Boys were fucking amazing. So [with] performances, I always wanted to make it like WWF or some shit,” Scott said in a 2015 interview with GQ. In the same interview, he gives insight into his goals, saying: “Raging, having fun, and expressing good feelings is something I plan on spreading across the globe. I just need air. I don’t need a stage to perform, I just need something to stand on, it can be somebody. I just need a platform.” He has always wanted to live life to the fullest—even back in 2015—long before he was mainstream. He was hungry, always itching to share his vision with the world. Now, in 2020, we truly see how it’s been brought to life.
His journey was not easy, but he did it himself. In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Atlanta-rapper T.I. was talked about working with Scott: “The thing that was interesting about Travis more so is that he did everything. Everything. He wrote, he produced, performed, he directed videos, he did everything. It kind of felt like someone trying to explain something that they could see in their head, but couldn’t articulate it in any other way but music.”
Travis Scott has consistently worked to bring his music to life in the best ways possible. His live performances are especially interesting, as he does it differently from other artists. Whereas regular artists simply rent out a venue and sing on stage for an hour, Travis takes it to the next level. For his Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight tour, he performed on a giant bird prop (in the air); during his ASTROWORLD tour, he utilized a roller coaster in the venue (fans could even ride it!). He goes over the top with his shows, making sure everything is perfect. He wants his shows to be an experience, and tries his hardest to make sure fans have as much fun as possible—ragging however they want. This is why you’ll often catch the Houston rapper telling off his security or letting fans on stage with him—he wants them to live how they please at a Travis Scott show, no matter what rules are already established.
Travis puts extreme effort into both his live shows and music. He doesn’t approach things like other musicians; he goes almost completely against the rap “norm.” In a 2017 interview with SHOWstudio, Travis explained how: “I’ll play a beat wherever I’m at so I could be freestyling. I’ll be in the whip, backstage somewhere, or a hotel because I don’t really put a pen to pad. I stopped writing shit down, my first few albums I kind of just went to the mic and kept rapping until I got my words right.” He goes on to say: “I genuinely hate studios nowadays, it’s starting to become one of the most uncomfortable places for me. It’s cold all the time, shit don’t work fast enough, there’s too much space. I just like shit loud, shit like that, and it’s not true to sound.”
There’s no doubt that he’d rather work somewhere that’s comfortable; he needs to be able to create his best music, rather than record in an uncomfortable space that could ultimately reflect in his sound.
Fellow artist SZA commends him for his work ethic, as shown in an interview with MTV News. During the interview, she talks about how: “I love Travis Scott as an artist, like I’m just a fan. The way that he rides on the beat is weird. He uses a certain type of mic that’s very clear and crisp and I love the texture of his vocals. I love the way he has melody but it’s very aggressive.” She continues to talk about how he records, saying: “I’ve been to the studio and he’s involved in everything.” Travis Scott sees things a certain way, and always works to perfect them.
People are quick to judge Travis Scott as just “another” rap figure or for how he acts on camera—only seeing him rage. They don’t see the intricacies of Jacques Webster that make Travis Scott whole. His passion for music is truly remarkable—working to show it through everything he does. Inside the mind of Travis Scott, a raging Jacques Berman Webster II is living his dream, always striving to help others do the same.
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