With Utopia slowly approaching, Travis Scott’s latest moves see him getting back into the swing of things.
Since Travis Scott made his return to the mic on Southside’s “Hold That Heat” last weekend (April 22), excitement for his long-awaited album UTOPIA has reached an all-time high.
Along with roadside billboards that first teased the album’s release near Coachella’s festival’s grounds (April 10), UTOPIA has been well over two years in the making, as the Cactus Jack head honcho seems to have started the rollout for his mythical fourth studio album.
Scott’s near-Coachella marketing stunt not only turned all eyes on the Astroworld rapper, but seemingly has led in his return to concert stages this year. Slated to perform at E11even nightclub during the Formula One Grand Prix May 7 in Miami, Scott is also headlining a handful of festivals in South America this Fall, hosted by Primavera Sound.
Scott was also scheduled to headline Coachella’s two-weekend return, but was hastily removed following the tragedy of Astroworld Festival.
While the Houston superstar has had a rough go in recent months, he’s strived to make amends since Astroworld’s “mass causality incident.” On March 8, Scott announced the establishment of Project HEAL — a multi-faceted initiative that supplies mental health resources for low-income communities of color that came as a result of Scott “taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community.”
Also spearheading a direct approach to avoid another Astroworld tragedy, in collaboration with the US Conference of Mayors Task Force of Event Safety, the initiative came shortly after Scott resurfaced on social media — seen working with Kanye West and evidently landing on Ye’s Donda 2 track “Pablo.”
Stemming from a handful of clips of Travis working in the studio, making his own beats and “experimenting” with new and old sounds alike, UTOPIA is looming closer than ever before. Previously releasing two singles that came the night before Astroworld Fest, “ESCAPE PLAN” and “MAFIA” strongly asserted a revamped psychedelic, hip-hop approach to Scott’s soundscape.
In October, it was reported that UTOPIA was in the final stages of production with Mike Dean handling the finishing touches of the mix and master. Dean has worked on every Travis Scott album since 2015’s Rodeo — further alluding to how long Scott has sat on the record. Dean even divulged to OGM host Hakeem Rowe in our exclusive interview that Travis is “getting back to” the style of Owl Pharoh — his debut 2013 mixtape.
While La Flame is slowly getting back in the saddle, his upcoming album is all about “proper lines of communication,” he said to CR Fashion in 2021. Scott also spoke on the album with WWD last June following the Dior-Cactus Jack Summer 2022 Men’s Show.
“I’m in this new album mode of like psychedelic rock. So even just like the field of cactuses and mushrooms, you might get tripped out.”
Travis Scott via WWD
Looking to heal listeners upon its release, UTOPIA is more than just an album for Scott. Revealing itself as arguably the most important moment of his career, Scott’s comeback is not only reliant on great music, but a great message surrounding it.
Check out the latest from Travis Scott below!
