Travis Scott

Houston native Travis Scott emerged as a singular force in mainstream rap through his psychedelic trap aesthetic, setting him apart as one of the era’s most singular voices to reach widespread commercial dominance. His signature sound—dense layers of vocal manipulation blending sung and rapped delivery—quickly distinguished him, propelling the artist from early ties to Kanye West’s GOOD Music and T.I.’s Grand Hustle during the first half of the 2010s into sustained chart supremacy by decade’s end. Following the number-three Billboard 200 debut of his initial studio effort, 2015’s Rodeo, Scott notched consecutive chart-topping albums with Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight in 2016 and Astroworld in 2018, all while lending his touch to platinum-certified singles fronted by Rihanna on “Bitch Better Have My Money,” SZA on “Love Galore,” and Drake on “Portland,” plus extensive joint work with Quavo under the Huncho Jack banner. Whether in the lead or in support, Scott’s imprint remained unmistakable, yielding Grammy wins, brand partnerships, and credits on more than eighty charting tracks. Entering the 2020s, he ranked among the planet’s most commercially dominant living musicians. That visibility fueled both outsized triumphs and devastating fallout, as Scott stood at the center of scrutiny over the fatalities and injuries of hundreds of attendees at the 2021 Astroworld festival, before unveiling his fourth album, the cross-genre, Grammy-nominated UTOPIA, in 2023. He subsequently appeared on assorted cuts alongside 21 Savage, Metro Boomin, Asake, and additional collaborators.

Born Jacques Webster, Scott spent his formative years in a Houston suburb and started creating music during adolescence. He launched a duo named the Graduates alongside Chris Holloway, issuing an EP in 2009. The next year he assembled another pairing, the Classmates, with OG Chess; Scott handled production on the duo’s two albums, Buddy Rich and Cruis’n USA, before the project dissolved late in 2011. After leaving college, he relocated to Los Angeles and began self-recording material. There he connected with T.I. and, subsequently, Kanye West. Hired as an in-house producer at GOOD Music, Scott contributed to the label’s 2012 compilation Cruel Summer. His debut project, Owl Pharaoh, had been slated as a free 2012 mixtape, yet rising visibility—including selection for XXL Magazine’s 2013 Freshman Class—combined with sample-clearance hurdles delayed the release until May 2013. Guest spots from T.I. and 2 Chainz on the single “Upper Echelon,” along with Toro y Moi and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, helped earn Owl Pharaoh a Best Mixtape nomination at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Preparation for Scott’s first official studio album centered on the Days Before Rodeo mixtape, trailed by the singles “Don’t Play” and “Mamacita,” and the March 2015 U.S. Rodeo Tour, which Scott headlined with support from Young Thug and Metro Boomin; multiple stops sold out. That same month Rihanna issued the Scott-produced hit “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Ahead of Rodeo, Scott dropped “3500” and “Antidote”; the full-length arrived in September via Grand Hustle/Epic, entering the Billboard 200 at number three. By year’s end “Antidote” had climbed to number 16 on the Hot 100, becoming his first platinum-certified single.

Talk of a successor, punctuated by repeated postponements, occupied much of 2016. Scott broadened his reach through guest appearances on Wiz Khalifa’s “Bake Sale,” Rihanna’s “Woo,” and Kanye West’s “FML,” plus the mid-year collaboration “Pick Up the Phone” with Young Thug and Quavo, which served as the lead single for Young Thug’s JEFFERY. Three months after “Bitch Better Have My Money” received platinum status, Scott’s second studio album surfaced. Titled Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight after a Quavo line from “Pick Up the Phone,” the hazy, largely mid-tempo collection included that track and contributions from André 3000, Kid Cudi, and Kendrick Lamar, debuting at the summit of the Billboard 200.

Building toward his third LP, Scott featured on numerous releases, among them platinum singles led by SZA on “Love Galore,” Drake on “Portland,” Miguel on “Sky Walker,” 2 Chainz on “4 AM,” and Trippie Redd on “Dark Knight Dummo.” His own “Butterfly Effect” surfaced amid this run of hits in May 2017 and quickly earned platinum certification. Seven months later the collaborative album Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho with Quavo entered the Billboard 200 at number three. The following May Scott issued the non-album single “Watch” featuring Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert, then delivered Astroworld three months later, which he viewed as the genuine successor to Rodeo. Incorporating “Butterfly Effect” and named for a razed Houston amusement park, the project debuted at number one and was promoted with the follow-up single “Sicko Mode.” Scott closed 2018 by appearing on several tracks of Metro Boomin’s Not All Heroes Wear Capes.

After teaming with Young Thug and J. Cole on 2019’s “The London” and joining Ed Sheeran on “Antisocial,” Scott released his solo single “Highest in the Room.” JackBoys, a short compilation spotlighting artists on his Cactus Jack Records imprint, surfaced at year’s end and became the first number-one album of the 2020s. Another Young Thug collaboration, “Franchise,” also featuring M.I.A., topped the Billboard 200 upon its September 2020 arrival.

In January 2021 Spanish DJ HVME unveiled a deep-house reinterpretation of Scott and Kendrick Lamar’s “Goosebumps,” which eventually led Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Two additional tracks followed that November, with “Escape Plan” and “Mafia” arriving simultaneously and reaching the top ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

On November 5, 2021, a fatal crowd surge occurred during Scott’s set at the third annual Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, claiming ten lives and injuring more than three hundred others. The rapper expressed remorse and the remaining festival dates were canceled. Scott and additional organizers faced investigation, though a Texas grand jury ultimately declined to issue indictments.

In May 2022 Scott returned to the stage at the Billboard Music Awards, marking his first live performance since the Astroworld tragedy, and contributed to four tracks on Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains album. In July 2023 he issued his fourth studio album, UTOPIA. This ambitious, genre-spanning concept project, styled after Kanye West’s Yeezus, enlisted producers including Scott himself, James Blake, and WondaGurl, alongside guests such as Bad Bunny and the Weeknd on the lead single “K-pop” and Beyoncé and Bon Iver on “Delresto (Echoes).” UTOPIA topped both the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts while securing a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Throughout much of 2024 Scott’s output primarily comprised features on projects by 21 Savage, Future and Metro Boomin, Mustard, and Asake.