Travis Scott - Utopia

on 2xLPs One of the most successful rappers and entertainers of his generation, Travis Scott changes gears on fourth studio album UTOPIA. The psychedelic trap sound that brought Scott chart domination on his 2018 album, Astroworld, gets smoothed out into new forms of tense, atmospheric rap with big-screen production aided by a guest list made up of some of the biggest names in music. Scott is in full-on Kanye mode throughout UTOPIA. The pulsing percussion and thick bass of "Circus Maximus" feel like a direct callback to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the burning synths of "Modern Jam" or shattered, distorted beats of songs like "Sirens" reference Yeezus, and other subtle nods to various moments of West's influence are peppered throughout. West himself lends production to parts of the album and is just one of many on UTOPIA's staggering list of world-famous contributors. Drake adds a seething verse to "Meltdown," Beyonce sings over the majority of doomy house-influenced track "Delre