Houston rapper Travis Scott really, really, really has the world ready to pull through to see him. The hip-hop superstar’s Astroworld Festival sale day tickets sold out in less than 60 minutes – no cap. Travis Scott’s Astroworld Fest Sells Out According to Live Nation, the must-attend concert easily sold out in just under an […]
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Travis Scott‘s Astroworld Festival is making its return this year after being postponed due to COVID safety precautions and the year off did nothing to dull fans’ fervor. According to a press release from Live Nation, the festival’s organizers, tickets to this year’s fest sold out less than an hour after they became available at 10 am CT this afternoon. Even more impressively, neither Scott nor Live Nation has announced a lineup, although the previous fests have included guests like DaBaby, Lil Wayne, Megan Thee Stallion, and Post Malone.
While this year’s lineup will be announced closer to the event dates (November 5-6 at NRG Park in Houston, Texas), one performer is a given: Travis Scott himself. Whether his new album, speculatively titled Utopia, will be out by then is anyone’s guess, but considering how antsy some of Travis’ fellow stars have been to release their delayed 2020 offerings, it’s a safe bet he’ll at least be previewing songs from it, even with a potential setlist full of surefire hits like “Sicko Mode,” “Goosebumps,” and “Franchise.”
As in prior years, Travis’s festival will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Cactus Jack Foundation, which looks to enrich the lives of young people by providing access to education and creative resources. You can learn more about the nonprofit here. Meanwhile, you can stay tuned to Astroworld Festival updates at the official site.
Houston rapper Travis Scott is very far from any studio right now. The rap superstar goes to Instagram Story with a clip of himself on a jet ski rocking shades. The clip even features Cactus Jack getting a can of his signature Cacti alcoholic beverage being tossed to him. Scott smiles and doesn’t hold back […]
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Hip-hop superstar Travis Scott does his best work outside the box. The Houston hitmaker doesn’t even embrace the words traditionally used to describe how he’s made himself into big name, rejecting terms like “branding” and “marketing.” Travis Scott Isn’t One For ‘Marketing’ + ‘Branding’ Himself Grammy-nominated Travis Scott was recently named Adweek‘s Creator Visionary of […]
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For those of you who’ve been following Don Toliver since his breakout feature on mentor and label-boss Travis Scott’s Astroworld, for the track “Can’t Say,” the Texas rapper is back on the scene today with a brand new video. Following up his own debut album Heaven Or Hell, released in 2020, a year that very well fits that description, Toliver’s “What You Need” video is a Nabil-directed clip that finds him riding in green limos and encountering mystical, glowing plumes of smoke out in the forest. It’s trippy in all the right ways, and the song itself is going to be the lead single off Toliver’s sophomore album, slated for release sometime this summer.
Aside from releasing his debut last year, Don also raised some eyebrows over his kerfuffle with the XXL Freshman cover, an extremely coveted and highly-visible co-sign for rising rappers, which he reportedly turned down in a sense. The magazine’s longtime editor-in-chief told Hot 97’s The Breakfast Club that the young Houston MC basically insisted he’d only pose for the cover photo, and was going to skip all the cyphers, concerts, and freestyles associated with the project. Obviously that didn’t go over well with XXL, but considering Travis Scott took the same route, eschewing the Freshman cover, it seems like Toliver will do just fine anyway. Plus his appearance on Cactus Jack’s Jackboys EP was another boost for his profile, proving Scott’s co-sign might be just as important at this point.
Watch the new video above and look for more info on Toliver’s second album coming soon.
In a new interview with Adweek, Travis Scott rejects terms like “branding” and “marketing,” which may strike some as sort of ironic. Over the course of the past year, his brand partnerships netted him over $30 million, landing him on Forbes magazine’s coveted 30 Under 30 list thanks to deals with McDonald’s, Nike, and Sony PlayStation. He also launched his Cactus spiked seltzer brand earlier this year, pulling down some truly impressive sales figures for a brand-new product. Still, despite all that, he insists his process is based on vibes, not a business strategy based on branding.
Receiving Adweek’s inaugural Creator Visionary of the Year designation, Travis downplayed his gift for selling himself, saying, “I don’t like words like ‘branding’ and ‘marketing.’ I just wasn’t ever really into it, you know? I guess I’m a naturalist in that sense… I’m just more about putting out very cool things that inspire me and I hope one day inspire other people. I’m trying to bring a utopian effect … hoping to inspire the next person to just get creative or even just live their life in an aesthetically pleasing, vibed-out way.”
However, he also pointed out how choosy he can be when picking partners to collaborate with. “I can’t do anything that I’m just not totally comfortable with,” he said. “I was never into being handed anything and just standing behind [a product]. Then we wouldn’t be creators. I’ve always set out to formulate something to bring to each partnership. I’ve just stood on that since day one and maintained it… I do think there is care in how you present things. It’s all about how you deliver things to people. My intentions aren’t to market a brand.”
You can read the full profile here.
Houston rapper Travis Scott‘s long-awaited return of the Astroworld Festival is officially secured. The hip-hop star has announced the mighty comeback of his jam-packed and music-filled Texas takeover. Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival Returns Cactus Jack’s huge event is slated to go down this November. For 48 hours, attendees will get to experience a lineup of […]
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Do athletes even endorse sneakers anymore?
Don’t get us wrong, Jordan is still the biggest name in footwear. And when a hot new sneaker designer bursts onto the scene, best believe they’re going to want to put their spin on a fresh pair of Jordans above all else, so we don’t imagine another name is going to surpass it anytime soon. But big names are coming (relatively) close, and none of them are known for their skills on a court.
We’re talking not about performance shoes but “performer shoes” (a term dubbed by DJ Clark Kent) — made by people like Kanye West, who has now realized his dream of making a pivot from the hottest rapper in the game to the hottest sneaker and streetwear designer with his Yeezy Brand; Pharrel Williams, who has been toiling away at Adidas for a minute now with his Hu line; J Cole who seems to be constantly pumping out Pumas and actually has the hoops skills to bring in ballers; Bad Bunny, who — despite starting it all off with a few Crocs — is now two for two with his Adidas collaborations; and Beyonce, who continues to make tremendous leaps with each drop of her Ivy Park line.
It’s undeniable that, save for Virgil Abloh and Aleali May, the most exciting sneakers to drop right now are coming from the world of hip-hop. And no name is more exciting than La Flame — yes, we’re talking about Mr. Cactus Jack himself, Travis Scott. Together in partnership with Helmut Lang, Nike, and Jordan Brand, Scott has been dropping some of the most hyped sneaker releases of our modern era of streetwear, offering remixed designs of the aforementioned brand’s most popular silhouettes draped in Scott’s signature dusty desert aesthetic and vibe.
Over the last three years, Scott has dropped 14 sneakers and today we’re here to rank every single one of them from worst to best. Let’s dive in.
Amongst fans of Scott’s sneaker collaborations, these are absolutely hated. It’s easy to see why. I mean… look at ’em!
Some people feel that hate is overkill, arguing that these are slept on but they still deserve their spot at the bottom of this list. It’s not simply that they’re bad — this army olive mesh upper and brown suede heel panel is a pretty solid design for the XXXIIIs and pretty emblematic of the looks to come — but it’s just so boring in comparison to everything else Scott has done with Nike.
It feels mean to place any Scott shoe dead last, but it’s hard to argue that this is better than any of the other shoes on this list.
Find the Travis Scott Jordan XXXIII Army Olive at GOAT.
Before Travis Scott started lending his aesthetic to classic Nike and Jordan silhouettes, he linked up with Italian designer Helmut Lang for a sleek all-black high-top and low-top sneaker. The Helmut Lang collaborations are soft of an anomaly in the lineage of Travis Scott sneakers, but looking at it does make us wonder what the Cactus Jack label would’ve looked like if it never linked up with Nike. Thank God it did!
Featuring a nylon upper with leather and velcro straps across the heel and upper, the Travis Scott x Helmut Lang was made in Italy and features graphic bull imagery on the tongue and Helmut Lang branding on the heel tab.
It’s… okay. Just that and nothing more. Definitely a step up from the XXXIII, though.
The Travis Scott x Helmut Lang Low Top is currently unavailable on the aftermarket.
Originally, we ranked this one last. It’s a three-way collaboration that coincided with the release of the Playstation 5, which just felt like tacky branded overkill. But the more we look at the design — which is actually kind of dope and borrows from the OG Playstation’s look for its colorway — the more it grows on us. This one is certainly a grower.
We still don’t like the Sony branding on the heel (Playstation logo can stay) but we can’t sit here and pretend that the Jordan XXXIII is somehow better than this sail and light blue upper, with its charcoal grey reverse swoosh and embroidered branding.
Find the Travis Scott x Playstation Nike Dunk Low at StockX.
You’ll notice that Scott has a definite preference for Nike’s more retro silhouettes, so the Air Max 270 Cactus Trails is unique in that this is one of the most futuristic-looking Cactus Jack sneakers released yet, thanks to the aerodynamic design of the 270. It’s ironic that it’s also the most artificially aged, with a yellowed midsole and a messy mix of textile, nubuck, and TPU Overlays over a dirty cream colorway.
It really earns its moniker “Cactus Trails,” this is a grimy, dusty mess of a design.
Find the Travis Scott Nike Air Max 270 React Cactus Trails at GOAT.
Travis Scott’s long and fruitful collaboration with Nike begins with this take on the Air Force 1. Released in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the silhouette, this white canvas take on the AF-1 dropped at ComplexCon 2017 and featured interchangeable removable swooshes that were meant to evoke Scott’s trademark grill.
The laces have a Cactus Jack logo covering them and the whole thing sits atop a contrasting gum sole. It’s perhaps most notable for looking so different than the designs that would come to define Scott’s work with Nike.
Find the Travis Scott Nike Air Force 1 Low White at StockX.
The High Top version of Scott’s Helmut Lang sneaker is a massive improvement over the low. This may be the last time this particular sneaker stays in the top 10 as Scott and Nike have a bunch of rumored releases planned for Holiday 2021. Enjoy your spot, Helmut Lang Highs!
Featuring the same nylon upper with leather paneling and straps as the low, the Helmut Lang high tops are super sleek, militaristic, and represent a Travis Scott era that feels like a distant memory. Not much to say about these that we haven’t said already with the low tops, this is just an all-around better design.
The Travis Scott x Helmut Lang High Top is currently unavailable on the aftermarket.
The Cactus Jack Air Force 1 has always had a Sean Wotherspoon vibe to us. We know what you’re thinking, “WHY BECAUSE IT HAS CORDUROY???” Yup, that’s exactly why. Do you really think this zipped corduroy lace shroud would exist without Wotherspoon’s Air Max 97, which dropped two years earlier? You’re tripping. Wotherspoon MADE corduroy.
The AF1 Cactus Jack features a graphic canvas upper, a brown swoosh on the outer, a black swoosh on the inner, and sits atop a gum outsole. It’s a dope design, but it’s just a little too busy. A comfortable mid-tier release by Scott.
Find the Travis Scott Nike Air Force 1 Low Cactus Jack at GOAT.
This low-top version of the Jordan I borrows the design of the more iconic high-top version with a mocha and black nubuck leather upper and that polarizing backward swoosh on the lateral side. The backward swoosh actually looks bigger here (it’s not) making the sneaker look unlike a Jordan I, that’s kind of cool. The medial side panel features Cactus Jack lining in university red, making another appearance on the tongue, with the Air Jordan Wings on the heel tab.
This is pleasant and middling. Perfectly functional but not going to make a huge scene.
Find the Travis Scott Jordan 1 Retro Low Mocha at GOAT.
This Sail colorway of the Air Force 1 was Scott’s second release with Nike and built upon the all-white colorway that preceded it. The canvas upper and removable shiny swoosh is still here, but this Sail colorway just works so much better with the gum outsole and canvas construction. It feels like a true transitional sneaker between Scott’s first Nike drop to the more earthy and worn designs that would come to define the Cactus Jack aesthetic.
Find the Travis Scott Nike Air Force 1 Low Sail at GOAT.
We considered not even including this sneaker, as it’s a close friend and family-only release and never had a retail release, but it’s just too clean to ignore. It’s also currently available at StockX, which means someone isn’t being a good friend (we wouldn’t have done you like that, Travis!). This moody Jordan IV features a suede upper in a deep purple with black accents and a grey lace cage.
It’s easily one of the best colorways we’ve ever seen of the Jordan IV period, it’s almost cruel this wasn’t released to the public. Scott has a few more friends and family colorways, but none reach this level of perfection, which makes the StockX sale sting even more.
Find the Travis Scott Jordan 4 Retro Purple Suede at StockX.
This is a totally personal take, but this pair brings up a lot of nostalgia for me. The bandana-inspired paisley overlays capture so much of the imagery of growing up in and around East LA. This sneaker looks like my childhood, filtered down into a shoe.
The SB Dunk Low Cactus Jack is significant because it’s Scott’s first skate sneaker, utilizing Nike’s ridiculously popular silhouette, dressing it in a tan leather base with plaid quarter panels, paisley overlays, and canvas that tears away to reveal an earthy camo pattern that kind of resembles Nike’s elephant print (but isn’t quite that).
The design is rounded out by thick rope laces, the whole thing really captures Scott’s Cactus Jack aesthetic — muted, yet psychedelic. Scott and Nike have a whole slate of Dunks that are supposed to drop in late 2021, we’ll see if they can match this take.
Find the Travis Scott Nike SB Dunk Low Premium QS at GOAT.
Released at the end of 2019, the Jordan VI features an almost militaristic olive green nubuck and suede upper with a little stash snap pocket on the outer collar. At the time of release, it felt like this was the perfect music festival sneaker to hide your stash in. The idea of going to a concert still seems novel, and this is the second time we’re ranking Scott’s whole sneaker output. Another handful of Travis Scott sneakers will likely drop before we are able to see the rapper perform live again. That’s just sad.
Scott rocked this colorway at the Super Bowl 53 halftime show, leading to its coveted status amongst sneakerheads and Travis Scott fans alike. The design is rounded out by a glow-in-the-dark translucent outsole with sail and university red accent work. Scott has yet to drop something that tops this design since its debut release.
Find the Travis Scott Jordan 6 Retro at GOAT.
Are the little pockets and zippers stupid and gimmicky? Yes. But forced utility aside, the British Khaki Jordan 6, Scott’s first sneaker of 2021, is in every way an improvement over 2019’s Olive colorway, which it clearly builds off of. Featuring a suede and canvas upper dusted in a mix of British Khaki and Sail, it’s the Bright Crimson accents on the heel, tongue, and branding that really pull this design together.
On top of this earthy colorway, a glow-in-the-dark sole and heel tab adds a nice psychedelic edge to the look, while seamlessly blending in with the rest of the design, never dipping into gimmicky territory, despite you know, being glow in the dark.
Find the Travis Scott Jordan 6 Retro British Khaki at GOAT.
There were several times I came close to ranking this as the number one pick, and while ultimately I contend that it’s probably (probably!) not the best Travis Scott sneaker out there, it is my personal favorite. This use of Nike’s university red and blue here is just beautiful, with its blue Durabuck leather upper and a red collar and insole. Inspired by the Houston Oilers, Scott’s hometown team, the Cactus Jack Jordan IV’s are rounded out by a core black lace cage and heel panel with university blue speckles, and feature Cactus Jack and Jumpman branding on the left and right heel respectively.
I’m already regretting not giving it the number one slot, but not enough to bump it up… yet.
Find the Travis Scott Jordan 4 Retro Cactus Jack at GOAT.
It feels almost cliche to rank the Mocha Jordan I Retro High as Scott’s best, but this sneaker release has managed to become emblematic of Cactus Jack as a fashion entity now three years after its original release. The large over-sized backward swoosh looks very gimmicky by today’s standards (though we don’t know that it didn’t always) but that mix of mocha suede paneling again a sail leather upper with university red accents is still one of the silhouette’s best colorways.
Since this insanely popular drop, Nike has since borrowed this same exact color scheme for a stock Air Jordan I, which we actually prefer, since it doesn’t have the backward swoosh. But hey, that’s just us.
Find the at Travis Scott Jordan 1 Retro High at GOAT.
It’s safe to say that Baby Keem has crawled out of the quiet cave that was his 2020 year. Aside from being a part of the 2020 XXL Freshman list, which served as a huge moment for him and resulted in a new freestyle, Keem kept things low last year until its final moments when he returned with a pair of singles that sparked a string of releases bringing fans to his latest effort, “Durag Activity” with Travis Scott. The clouded banger sees Keem leading the way with near-mumble raps as he details the things that make up “durag activity.” After a couple of verses, he opens the door for Scott to arrive with his trademark autotune croons for a solid verse.
The new track is also paired with a video that depicts Keem as a mob boss of sorts who gets into trouble with Scott after laying hands on an enemy. The song will hopefully lead to the arrival of Keem’s third album, which remains untitled at the moment. It’ll be his first full-length effort since 2019’s Die For My B*tch, a project that helped boost the Las Vegas native into the spotlight thanks to “Orange Soda,” which grew to be the rapper’s most successful single to date. On a more recent note, the single arrives after his “No Sense” effort, one that dropped with a video that captures Keem going stir crazy. That song was the follow-up to his late 2020 releases, “Hooligan” and “Sons & Critics Freestyle.”
As for Travis, the Houston native was recently awarded for his philanthropic efforts towards HBCU students. He’s also set to headline Rolling Loud’s Miami festival with ASAP Rocky and Post Malone.
You can press play on “Durag Activity” above.
While Travis Scott has amassed a number of awards in his career, his latest comes as a result of his work with public service. According to Billboard, the Astroworld rapper was recently awarded for his philanthropic efforts for HBCU students, specifically his work with Red Carpet Advocacy (RAD) Awards, which highlights people who “inspire purpose.” Scott was one of five recipients of the award, joining a list that includes Laverne Cox, Charlize Theron, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Margot Robbie.
Some of Scott’s past charitable contributions include paying off the tuition of five students at historically Black colleges and universities, which he did back in October. A month later he created the Cactus Jack Foundation, and a few months later, he partnered with his Houston hometown to deliver 50,000 meals to residents after the state’s brutal ice storm. The foundation also launched its first major initiative, the Waymon Webster Scholarship program, named after the rapper’s grandfather, who attended an HBCU, and aimed at granting several HBCU students with scholarships. First-round selections have already been made through the program for potential recipients that were enrolled at Prairie View A&M University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, and Grambling State University.
The award arrives after Scott was listed as a headliner for Rolling Loud’s Miami festival with Post Malone, ASAP Rocky, and others.
