Photo courtesy of Danny Pleckham
First the Super Bowl, now NBA All-Star Weekend — Travis Scott is tackling big stages with an even bigger message.
The Houston rapper has strung together a series of public appearances this week, reigniting the hype train for his long-awaited album UTOPIA in the process. Months removed from his November single “Down In Atlanta” with Pharrell, the Cactus Jack mogul’s set in Scottsdale, Arizona for Rolling Stone’s Super Bowl event was an inkling for the label’s 2023 takeover.
On Feb. 17, Scott and the Cactus Jack Foundation hosted the HBCU Celebrity Softball Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston, as sports superstars in Ken Griffey Jr., Adrian Peterson, DeAndre Hopkins and more participated in the charity outing. There, fans clamored for Scott’s attention, shouting “UTOPIA UTOPIA UTOPIA” from behind the home plate netting, to which Scott replied, “that motherf—a is coming.”
He kept the same tune during NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, as Cactus Jack hosted its own set that showcased its entire roster. Amid Sheck Wes bringing out Scott for an electric performance of “NO BYSTANDERS,” Don Toliver’s LOVESICK (Feb. 24) looks to be the first domino to fall in Trav’s Utopia rollout. Ultimately, Scott came to Salt Lake City to spread a message worth hearing.
“Sheck Wes is on the way. We got SoFaygo putting a ‘lil EP out — that’s on the way. And right after that, Utopia,” he said. “We came here with that message, and I can’t wait for these motherf—s to drop this shit.” While it’s been nearly five years since Scott shared his GRAMMY-nominated album ASTROWORLD (2018), UTOPIA’s release is now expected for June 2023, per the CEO of Epic Records.
Fresh off guest verses on Metro Boomin’s HEROES & VILLAINS as well as Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (“Pussy & Millions”), Scott initially previewed a slew of Utopia tracks during his “Road To Utopia” residency at Zouk Nightclub in Las Vegas last September. He previewed songs featuring Kid Cudi, Future, Lil Uzi Vert and more — also debuting unreleased cuts in “God’s Country” and “Lost Forever” at his O2 Arena shows in London.
Utopia’s rollout was initially halted by the tragedy at Astroworld Festival in late 2021. Scott planned to unveil the project following the release of his two-pack “ESCAPE PLAN” and “MAFIA,” however, Travis opted for a hiatus — handling the many lawsuits that followed Astroworld’s events.
La Flame has stayed focused on finishing Utopia since August — taking to Twitter to say “I’ll be back when it’s album time.” Settling back into a groove following Astroworld Fest, 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
Despite it being 1,683 days since Astroworld, Travis Scott is counting down the hours until UTOPIA drops.
This story will be updated.
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