days before rodeo

Travis Scott Albums, Ranked

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Travis Scott has been teasing his next album UTOPIA in an extensive fashion as of late. Overall, this is good timing when you consider how it has been almost five years since the release of Astroworld. At the start of Scott’s career, he came out with five projects in the span of five years. During that time, he went through various stylistic shifts. From the raw energy of Owl Pharoah to the psychedelic musings of Astroworld, Travis has never shied away from experimenting with his sound.

Consequently, fans are expecting a huge shift on UTOPIA which has been in production for years at this point. However, with UTOPIA on the way, now is as good of a time as ever to look back at his first five projects, and rank them from worst to best. The albums in question are simply his solo endeavors. That means Jackboys and Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho won’t be considered.

5. Owl Pharoah (2013)

Firstly, we have Travis Scott’s first full-length project, Owl Pharoah, which dropped back in 2013. At this time in his career, Scott was still trying to figure out what kind of artist he wanted to be. He had writing credits on Yeezus, which suggested he was all about creating new sounds. Upon listening to Owl Pharoah, this experimentation became evident. Tracks like “Quintana” and “Upper Echelon” had a maximalist quality to them that proved to be exciting. From the big choruses to the anthemic production, these songs felt like the first stages of a superstar in the making.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t able to live up to the singles mentioned above. Much of this has to do with the songwriting and production, which oftentimes feel unfinished. A good example is “Bad Mood/Sh*t On You,” which contains a jarring beat switch halfway through the song. Beat switches are a key feature in Travis Scott’s music; however, these days, he is much more clever about how he does it. Furthermore, the rest of the album can feel clunky thanks to out-of-place features, songs that overstay their welcome, and some glaring attempts at doing Kanye cosplay.

4. Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight (2016)

Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight might be in the lower half of Travis Scott’s discography, but it is by no means a bad album. Overall, BITTSM is an album that helped cement Scott as a hitmaker in hip-hop. From “Goosebumps” with Kendrick Lamar to “Wonderful” with The Weeknd, this album had bangers from front to back. Not to mention, this is also the project that helped turn Nav into a household name, thanks to “Biebs In The Trap.”

At this point, it had been one year since Travis had released Rodeo. Therefore, it can be said that his sound was well-established. The key selling point for Travis at this time was his ability to craft catchy tracks that contained moody yet progressive trap production. Moreover, his autotuned vocals and signature ad-libs were beloved and imitated by many. That said, Travis had all of the ingredients to create a memorable album.

For the most part, he did just that. After all, the first track, “The Ends,” contains a feature from Andre 3000, which is always going to garner attention. Unfortunately, there are times when the album feels like “Travis Scott By The Numbers.” Sure, the songs are good, but at the time of this release, many of these tracks contained ideas we had already heard. It’s easy to see how a fan could listen to Rodeo and then feel like BITTSM is a leftover album.

3. Days Before Rodeo (2014)

Just a year after the release of Owl Pharoah, Travis Scott began preparing for his 2015 album, Rodeo. Part of his rollout was a mixtape called Days Before Rodeo. Much like Owl Pharoah, this album is full of energy and a version of Travis that is still trying to find his sound. However, a couple of things are different here. Firstly, Scott sounds infinitely more confident here. Secondly, the production choices and vocal performances align with what makes Scott such a phenomenal artist.

Starting with the opener, “The Prayer,” we see Travis deliver some of his best verses yet. The production also comes with some significant improvements. This is especially true on the Young Thug-assisted tracks “Skyfall” and “Mamacita.” Perhaps the best part of the album is Travis’s use of guitars on “Drugs You Should Try It” and “Don’t Play,” which actually contains a sample of The 1975’s “Money.” It is in these moments that we see what makes Scott stand out amongst his peers. While his vision hadn’t been fully realized yet, you could see the seeds growing rapidly.

Additionally, there are some truly off-the-wall records on this project that were a product of their time. Albeit, they make for some of the best moments. Examples are “Sloppy Toppy” with Migos and Peewee Longway, where we get some of these artists’ most graphic verses. You also can’t forget “Basement Freestyle,” filled with some of Scott’s most progressive and ridiculous production choices to date. Sure, it may be a raw listen, but this is the project that turned a lot of skeptics into believers.

2. Astroworld (2018)

Travis Scott dropped arguably a modern classic back in 2018 with Astroworld. Overall, this is an album that came with a ton of hype. The artist had been teasing the project for quite some time, and there was this sense that it would be an ambitious endeavor. After all, Scott wanted to make the listener feel like they were at an amusement park. Fans were curious about how he would pull something like that off, but in the end, he somehow succeeded.

From the jump, we are met with “Stargazing,” an ambient delight that eventually devolves into debauchery. As mentioned before, no one likes a good beat switch better than Travis Scott. With “Stargazing,” it is a malfunctioning rollercoaster that transitions us into one of the best verses Travis has ever put to tape. As the album goes on, we are given a barrage of different sounds that are both goosebump-inducing and sometimes even shocking. “Skeletons” with Tame Impala and The Weeknd is a delightful experiment that did wonders for the future of hip-hop and psychedelic rock crossovers. “Stop Trying To Be God” is a beautiful ballad that offers introspection, which Travis doesn’t always provide. Not to mention, who can forget when he introduced us to Don Toliver on “Can’t Say.”

Perhaps the most beautiful moment on the album comes with Astroworld‘s closer, “Coffee Bean.” The production is unlike anything else on the album. All while Travis professes about “being bad news.” Overall, the chord progressions and strings at the song’s end tell a story. It’s as if a night of heavy partying has ended, and now all the partygoers are walking home with the sun slowly rising. Sadness sets in as the joy ride has come to an end.

1. Rodeo (2015)

The number one Travis Scott album on our list is Rodeo. Now, we get it. Some of you will argue for Astroworld. Some may even say Days Before Rodeo is his best. But there is something about Rodeo that is simply too special to discount. In many ways, this is Travis Scott’s “aha” moment. From his vocals to the production to songwriting, you can point to this album and say, “This is quintessential Travis Scott.”

From the jump, this album is presented by T.I., who gives us an introduction reminiscent of Nicki Minaj’s soliloquy on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The opener, “Pornography,” provides the listener insight into Travis’s mind as he is presented with numerous vices he can’t escape. He subsequently gets introspective on “Oh My Dis Side,” where he delivers perhaps one of the best songs of his entire career. From the hedonistic bars on the “Oh My” section to his adoration of Houston on “Dis Side,” we get a real sense of who Travis is and the internal conflicts fame has presented him with.

As for the rest of the album, we get a plethora of moody bangers and some undeniable hits. “3500,” “Antidote,” “Pray 4 Love,” 90210,” and “Maria I’m Drunk” are all 10/10 songs. Furthermore, songs like “Impossible,” “I Can Tell,” and “Apple Pie” are deliberate closers to the album that ensures there is no filler to be found. This is Scott’s most cohesive project, and it’s hard not to put it number one. If it were not for this album, it’s hard to imagine Scott being the star he is today. That said, you have to give it its due.

Let us know your favorite Travis Scott album in the comments section down below.

The post Travis Scott Albums, Ranked appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

10 Classic Mixtapes That Still Haven’t Hit Streaming Platforms

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Earlier this month, Big Sean rewarded his longtime supporters by making his Detroit mixtape available on all streaming services. The 2012 release has long been touted by fan as the best project in Big Sean’s discography. It housed timeless collaborations with artists such as J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Wale, Jhené Aiko, Royce da 5’9”, and more. Yet until its 10-year anniversary on September 5, the fan-favorite mixtape was widely inaccessible for listeners who predominantly consume their music from DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. Streaming blew up in the years following the release of Detroit, but — like so many other classic mixtapes that were released for free during the late 2000s and early 2010s,  from Nicki Minaj’s seminal Beam Me Up Scotty to A$AP Rocky’s breakout mixtape Live.Love.A$AP —  it took an incredibly long time for Sean’s mixtape opus to hit DSPs.

Over the last handful of years, artists have made meaningful strides in bringing their mixtape catalogs over to streaming platforms. Although many of fans’ favorite tapes have been slightly reworked due to sample clearance issues, at least acclaimed projects like Mac Miller’s Faces, Drake’s So Far Gone, Lil Wayne’s Sorry For The Wait, Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & Orange Juice, Meek Mill’s Dream Chasers 2, and Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap are available right now on all DSPs. 

However, there are far too many classic mixtapes that have seemingly been lost to the Blog Era. Fans are left waiting for every milestone anniversary in hopes that one of the free mixtapes that they downloaded over a decade ago will finally reappear on streaming services. To illustrate just how many gems are still unavailable to stream on most platforms, here are 10 classic mixtapes that need to hit DSPs as soon as possible.

1. Rich Homie Quan & Young Thug — Rich Gang: The Tour Pt. 1 (2014)

Young Thug (L) and Rich Homie Quan perform onstage during the BET Hip Hop Awards 2014 at Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on September 20, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brad Barket/BET/Getty Images for BET)

When they united for The Tour, Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug became one of the best Atlanta rap duos since OutKast. Although their team-up was unfortunately short-lived, their joint mixtape remains a certified classic eight years after its release. Surprisingly, The Tour isn’t officially featured on most DSPs under Quan, Thug, or Rich Gang’s profiles, but you can still listen to the full project on Spinrilla.

2. Fabolous — The S.O.U.L. Tape Series (2011-2013)

Fabolous performs onstage at Power 105.1’s Powerhouse 2013, presented by Play GIG-IT, at Barclays Center on November 2, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Clear Channel)

Regardless of which installment is your favorite, it’s safe to say that Fab’s S.O.U.L. Tape run is one of the most memorable mixtape series from the early 2010s. Back in 2020, the Brooklyn native did fans a solid by uploading the original S.O.U.L. Tape to SoundCloud, but over two years later, the classic project and its two sequels have yet to make it onto any of the big three DSPs.

3. Drake — Comeback Season (2007)

Drake speaks at the Spring Awakening and Degrassi panel discussion with Rosie O’Donnell at the Eugene O’Neill Theater on April 30, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)

So Far Gone often gets the credit for laying the foundation of Drake’s sound and introducing him to the masses, but it would be criminal to overlook the influential project’s predecessor, Comeback Season. From the Lil Wayne-assisted “Man of the Year” to the Trey Songz-assisted “Replacement Girl,” Drake’s 2007 mixtape houses some serious throwbacks. It’s a shame that it’s so hard to come across online. Considering that Comeback Season just turned 15 years old earlier this month, it’s unlikely that fans will see a DSP release of this early Drake tape anytime soon, but for now, they can at least still listen to it on DatPiff.

4. Travis Scott — Days Before Rodeo (2014)

Travis Scott performs at the GQ Fashion Week Party At The Wythe Hotel on September 9, 2014 in Brooklyn, New York.. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for GQ)

As fans eagerly await Travis Scott’s highly anticipated fourth studio album Utopia, there’s a general consensus that the Houston-bred artist already has quite the impressive discography. But, longtime fans of La Flame know that his hot streak began prior to the release of his debut studio album, Rodeo, in 2015. In 2014, Travis Scott unleashed Days Before Rodeo, his second official mixtape and the project that would significantly alter the trajectory of his career from that point forward. Laced with iconic tracks such as the Big Sean-assisted “Don’t Play,” the Rich Homie Quan- and Young Thug-featured “Mamacita,” and the classic Metro Boomin-produced “Skyfall,” Days Before Rodeo kept the Blog Era trend of album-quality mixtapes alive. To this day, the project remains one of Travis’ best and most distinct works. With its 10-year anniversary approaching in 2024, Days Before Rodeo is overdue for an official commercial re-release. For now, you can still stream it on SoundCloud.

5. Wiz Khalifa — Star Power (2008)

Wiz Khalifa performs at The Masquerade on November 6, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Wiz Khalifa is mixtape royalty. The Taylor Gang boss has far too many free releases to count. Despite the expansive nature of his mixtape catalog, it actually boasts a considerable number of classic and iconic projects, from 2009’s Flight School and 2010’s Kush & Orange Juice to 2011’s Cabin Fever and 2012’s Taylor Allderdice. In recent years, Wiz Khalifa has been one of the few Hip-Hop artists that have been consistently adding nearly all of his past mixtapes to streaming services, but still, there are a few that remain unavailable on DSPs, chiefly his 2008 tape Star Power. Fortunately, you can listen to the full project on DatPiff.

6. 50 Cent — The Kanan Tape (2015)

50 Cent attends the fight between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez on June 7, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Cotto won by a TKO in the ninth round. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

50 Cent may be the most powerful Hip-Hop mogul in the television and film industry, but if his Emmy-winning performance during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show earlier this year proved anything, it’s that fan appreciation for his music career has not dwindled in the slightest. That’s why his last official release, 2015’s The Kanan Tape, should be readily available on streaming services. With his infamously unreleased Street King Immortal album officially shelved last year, that’s even more reason for 50’s popular seven-track mixtape to make its way to DSPs.

7. J. Cole — Friday Night Lights (2010)

J. Cole visits Fuse’s “Hip Hop Shop” on July 15, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Whereas many of his contemporaries have at least made the effort to make the most important mixtape of their early careers available on streaming services, J. Cole has not done so whatsoever.  To this day, none of the Dreamville founder’s three breakout mixtapes can be streamed on any of the major DSPs. While it would be amazing for 2010’s Friday Night Lights — which can be streamed in full at DatPiff — to become available everywhere, we’ll honestly take 2007’s The Come Up or 2009’s The Warm Up, as well.

8. Childish Gambino — STN MTN (2014)

Childish Gambino performs onstage at the 2014 mtvU Woodie Awards and Festival on March 13, 2014 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for MTV)

A year after the release of his Grammy-nominated sophomore studio album Because The Internet, Childish Gambino delivered his seventh and, as of now, final free mixtape, 2014’s STN MTN. A day after it dropped, Gambino doubled back with an equally incredible — and commercially released — EP titled Kauai. Yet nearly eight full years later, only the latter remains available on streaming services. Since the Hip-Hop community has had so much love for Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost and Dreamville’s D-Day mixtape, it’s only right that Donald Glover’s Gangsta Grillz mixtape makes its way to DSPS too. Until that day comes, you can still listen to STN MTN on DatPiff.

9. Rick Ross — Rich Forever (2012)

Rick Ross performs at Power 106FM Presents CaliChristmas at Gibson Amphitheatre on December 14, 2012 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage/Getty Images)

At the turn of the 2010s, there were select mixtapes that were able to break the internet before “breaking the internet” even became a saying. Mixtape downloads were always a surefire way of telling whether a project was worth checking out, and Rick Ross’ 2012 epic, Rich Forever, remains one of the most downloaded mixtapes from the Blog Era. On HNHH alone, the tape was downloaded over 580,000 times, and on DatPiff — where you can still listen to it — Rich Forever was downloaded over 2.2 million times. Nonetheless, several months after its 10-year anniversary, Rick Ross’ blockbuster mixtape is still unavailable on nearly all streaming platforms, but our fingers are still crossed that this classic makes its way to DSPs very soon.

10. Frank Ocean — Nostalgia, Ultra (2010)

R&B crooner Frank Ocean’s debut Los Angeles show at the El Rey Theatre on Nov. 15, 2011 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

For an artist whose discography is already extremely limited, it’s wild to think that two of Frank’s only four official projects aren’t available on all streaming platforms. While contractual obligations are likely what is keeping Endless an exclusive to Apple Music, it’s much harder to stomach that Nostalgia, Ultra isn’t available on any of the major DSPs, especially since its breakout singles “Novacaine” and “Swim Good” weren’t repurposed for any official full-length project. This classic alternative R&B mixtape is one of the more challenging projects to find in full — with “American Wedding” included and without the cut-off version of “Nature Feels” — on the internet. Hopefully, Frank Ocean blesses his fans by bringing Nostalgia, Ultra to streaming services one day.

These are just 10 beloved mixtapes that still haven’t found a permanent home on contemporary streaming platforms, so let us know in the comments which classic mixtapes you want to get uploaded to DSPS in the near future.