Travis Scott has been in the limelight for the past week over the Astroworld Music Festival debacle that took place on Nov. 5, and my heart goes out to the people that were there. This article will strictly be looking at the two songs that Travis Scott dropped before Astroworld 2021, and my feelings about the songs have no relation to my feelings of the events at Astroworld.
On Nov. 4, the popular artist Travis Scott dropped a two song album teaser titled Dystopia. “ESCAPE PLAN” and “MAFIA” highlight the project and come off as strong additions to Scott’s discography, while also giving off major Days Before Rodeo vibes. It seems Scott is back to the dark and gritty sounds of his earlier projects like Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight and Rodeo, which I tend to prefer over the style of Astroworld.
“ESCAPE PLAN” kicks off the two track teaser with a bang, featuring a futuristic beat and hard hitting vocals from Scott. The song is upbeat and reminds me of driving to a party late at night, and is a testimony to Scott’s masterful use of autotune to create his own style that is almost impossible to replicate. There isn’t too much actual substance in the meaning or the message of the song, as it serves its purpose as a one-track banger similar to how Scott’s single “Highest In The Room” did in 2019.
“MAFIA,” on the other hand, is a slow and melodic track that had me bopping my head the entire time I was first listening to it. The first half of the song features solid rapping from Scott and has a fun hook, but the second half takes off and even features two lines from the popular artist J Cole. Cole’s feature, while only two lines, adds a ton of substance to the song and gives it another dimension that I think the song needed.
While only two songs, Dystopia gives fans a filling appetizer to Scott’s upcoming studio album, Utopia. Scott has had a history of gaps between his studio releases, and it’s nice as a fan to receive these little bangers that can spice up any playlist.
I give Dystopia a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
