The 15 Best Travis Scott Songs
Like him or not, Travis Scott is rap’s modern superstar. His evolution from Kanye West’s behind-the-scenes protegé to the face of McDonald's was (no pun intended) astronomical, and the highly stylized sound he pioneered has been a staple in hip-hop since his debut album was released in 2015. He showcased a refined version of the manipulated, melodic rapping he introduced on his earlier mixtapes mixed with a self-assured bravado that backs up his claims of rockstardom. It may not have been evident then, but Travis Scott was crafting records that would help define a new generation of trap music.
No other artist has mixed alternative hip-hop, trap, and psychedelia as effectively as Travis, and not many artists have created a sonic identity so recognizable. The autotune, the ad-libs, the crisp, overly compressed, saturated vocals. At first listen, one might attribute these characteristics to the work of an engineer, but as tempting as that may be for the cynics and non-believers, it’s simply not realistic. The elements of his sound that define him can’t be attributed to anyone but Travis himself, and in this sense, he’s a stylistic genius.
But what makes Travis Scott such a divisive figure in hip-hop has as much to do with his persona as it does his influential sound. He’s known as one of the rap’s greatest showmen, and his willingness to lean into experimentation garnered him the label “rockstar” well before Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, and the entire Soundcloud rap scene co-opted that term and stripped it of its dwindling meaning. However, if there is any rapper with a true rockstar aura, it’s Travis, and one look at a live performance makes it easy to understand why. His raging energy and attitude make him feel culturally significant — these traits are a part of his artistry that add to the listening experience.
As a prime overrated/underrated debate topic, Travis has had his fair share of misses and wears his Kanye and Kid Cudi influences a bit too on his sleeve sometimes. Regardless, he’s an artist whose impact has been felt throughout pop culture, and his boundary breaking brand deals with McDonald’s, PlayStation, (the Kardashians), and Nike have increased his celebrity tenfold. While I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Travis Scott fan, I went back and listened through every album to create a list of limited features honoring his ingenuity, energy, and influence. Here are the 15 best Travis Scott songs of all time.
15. “Zombies”
From the exaggerated choral vocals to the strangely electronic Lex Luger instrumental, “Zombies” is one of the most unique songs in Travis’ catalog. It serves as a protest against old-heads looking down on the new school in the early 2010s, and while it’s clearly not a rock song, it has that rebellious disposition derivative of rock counterculture. It also displays Travis’ nasally, untuned delivery and his inclination to hype up a crowd from the second he records ad-libs.
14. “lose”
Leaning on the high-pitched delivery he perfected on “Antidote,” this solo effort seems to go under the radar when people look back on the feature-packed Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. “lose” feels uncharacteristically bubbly and anthemic for Travis, but he fits in perfectly over the major brass and string samples. Dashes of experimental vocal layering and phasing, drum reversing, and one of his catchiest hooks ever make this track one of his strongest low-key cuts.
13. “Uptown (feat. ASAP Ferg)”
If nothing else, Wondagurl’s beat on “Uptown” makes it one of Travis’ most criminally underrated records. The menacing sample coupled with the rattling triplet hi-hats are mosh pit ready, and Travis takes full advantage of the energy she brought to the studio. Demonic pitched-down vocals layer his straightforward verse, and his monstrous Kanye-influenced hook is built for a thrashing audience to lose their shit over. If you need convincing, check out this absurd live performance from the Rodeo Tour to prove it.
12. “goosebumps”
Prior to ASTROWORLD, “goosebumps” was probably the most recognizable Travis Scott song. His ability to elevate his music through stylistic choices like distortion and off-kilter arrangements was on full display, effectively transforming a straightforward pop rap song into something that felt like it was worthy of more attention. Travis executes some dirty melodic rap over Cardo’s eerie, slumping beat, and Kendrick’s verse has some of the strangest falsetto I’ve ever heard. Even getting a Kendrick feature is a testament to Travis Scott’s tastemaking ability — a trait that allows him to surpass so many other artists that might outperform him as a rapper.
11. “Upper Echelon (feat. T.I. & 2 Chainz)”
The single that put Travis on the map. Admittedly, it hasn’t aged the best — it’s a blown out trap anthem featuring DJ air horns and two rappers who were peaking by the early 2010s — but it’s a crucial part of his catalog nonetheless. It channels the wild aristocratic hedonism that would go on to define Travis’ lyricism as his career progressed.
10. “Dark Knight Dummo (feat. Travis Scott)”
Travis’ feature on Trippie Redd’s “Dark Knight Dummo” is arguably his most intense verse ever. Honorable C.N.O.T.E.’s Halloween-esque beat sounds like tripping on acid in Transylvania — legitimately frightening — and the feature shows Travis’ ability to fit the mood of any track that he’s on. Best played at full volume on headphones (great for the ears), his verse runs off the rails with flow switches, tripped out echoes, and eerie background vocals that complete the duo’s horror house aesthetic. The track also highlights his expert command of autotune, because yes, there actually is a lot of skill involved in sounding like this. It feels like most artists that feature Travis Scott just want to exploit his popular sound, but “Dark Knight Dummo” is clearly not a pop cut, and its distinctiveness deserves some retroactive praise.
9. “NO BYSTANDERS”
Having described himself “the glue,” Travis Scott has a distinct ability to leverage his high-profile connections to create collages of features that all meld together under his brand. At times, this has garnered the criticism that he’s only a “vessel for the starpower of those around him.” On ASTROWORLD’s club-rattling “NO BYSTANDERS,” Juice WRLD and Sheck Wes add a spark of raging energy to the hook that Travis couldn’t have summoned alone, but at the end of the day, Travis brings the song to life. His strongest, fastest verses on the album are backed by an overstimulating arrangement of 808s and violins. His energy is impossible to ignore, and the track manages to hold interest by transitioning into a toned down third section that counters the madness of the first few minutes. After hearing “NO BYSTANDERS,” there’s no question that Travis can rap when he wants to.
8. “SICKO MODE”
Considering that this was Travis Scott’s first #1 single, it’s actually shocking how inventive and experimental this track is — it’s so far from accessible. It manages to combine brassy trap, dubstep, and new Memphis bounce into one arrangement that sounds surprisingly harmonious. While the Drake intro and the trendy Tay Keith beat might’ve garnered more attention, Travis Scott’s middle verses are some of his most striking, and they’re backed by ambitious, left-field production that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. A sample from the late Houston legend Big Hawk appears on the hook, Swae Lee chimes in for a haunting motif, and the verses even interpolate Biggie and Uncle Luke songs. “SICKO MODE” is a sonic free-for-all, with Travis leading the ride to places a Billboard #1 never went before.
7. “way back”
The Birds in the Trap highlight, “way back,” features a Hit-Boy instrumental that’s simultaneously hazy and hyped, layering lush synth chords over buzzing 808s. Travis’ appeal is paralleled by the production itself. At its core, the beat is a simple two-chord progression frequently employed in trap, but there’s a carefulness to its execution that makes it feel like so much more. Sample-like ad-libs from Swizz Beatz and Kid Cudi, fluttering synth flutes, a melodic harmony added to the repeated motif, and an eventual beat change elevate the track above the simple loop you might hear initially. It’s that idea that defines Travis Scott’s artistry: add color to something derivative and make it feel new.
6. “Antidote”
“Antidote” was a song that was never supposed to be popular. He premiered it at an after-party in 2015 and subsequently released it to SoundCloud, writing, “This is for the real fans; the real ragers!.. This isn’t on Rodeo… it’s coming soon.” It’s a song that people either love or hate, and everything that makes it good for some — the exaggerated ad-libs, the high vocal pitch, the nonsensical repetition, the complicated arrangement, the overwhelming instrumental — are the same things that make it bad for others. And in that lies the divisive lore of Travis Scott. The people who love a song like this feel even more attached to him as a revolutionary creative, and the people who dislike it simply write it off as another example of his overratedness. Regardless of the discourse, “Antidote” is one of Travis’ most progressive and daring songs for the risk it took being so unlike anything else he had released prior.
5. “STARGAZING”
The psychedelic intro to Travis’ career-defining third album, ASTROWORLD, is the clearest example of the experimental trap that he’s perfected over the last few years, and he’s immortalized it with a string of insane live performances. His vocals are chopped, echoed, pitched, and distorted to nearly inaudible levels as he floats through the hallucinatory first half of the record. At first, the beat is layered with ambient, multicolored electronic samples, but it eventually shifts to another mosh-ready banger after a trippy interlude of roller coaster noises and screams that play on the record’s theme park motif. Summarized by the bar, “It ain’t a moshpit if ain’t no injuries / I got ‘em stage diving off the nosebleeds,” Travis rips through a high-octane verse that can ignite a crowd the second it drops.
4. “Don’t Play (feat. Big Sean & The 1975)”
In hindsight, 2014’s “Don’t Play” was a revealing moment for Travis Scott. Its energy is completely unhinged. Baroque harpsichords are paired with oddly accented 808s; screaming synths explode on the hook’s drop and his vocals are coated in wild effects. Curtis Mayfield vocals ring out throughout the track and The 1975 gifted a sample of their song “M.O.N.E.Y.” to add a little more obscurity to the whole thing. Overall “Don’t Play” upped the energy in Travis’ discography — he wanted to create something kids could lose themselves to at a show. A recent interview in quarantine showed Travis literally shaking with anticipation to perform live again for “the kids,” and “Don’t Play” was the first hint that he really came to rage.
3. “90210 (feat. Kacy Hill)”
Many people consider “90210” to be Travis Scott’s masterpiece. The production is his most adventurous, ranging from understated synth pop to classic boom bap, and his last verse contains his most intelligible bars to date. Travis’ floats through the first half with distorted pitch correction and glitchy vocal edits that feel immersive and otherworldly. The instrumental opens up into a trip-hop drum break backed by a wistful Kacy Hill melody that reminds you what real vocals sound like, and eventually we’re handed a beat switch that borders on jarring but translates smoothly enough to comprehend. The sheer curiosity and complexity of the arrangement is what separates it from anything else in his catalog, and it’ll go down as a definitive track because of his willingness to break conventions of songwriting.
2. “Drugs You Should Try It”
As hard as it may be to believe now, it was rare to hear any mainstream rapper merge alt-rock and trap when this song was released in 2014. Aside from Kid Cudi, no one major was co-opting the understated, druggy emo-rap that Travis was positing on “Drugs You Should Try It.” It’s a rare moment where he legitimately was ahead of his time. Fast forward 3-4 years and artists like Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD had garnered popularity half-singing over guitars and trap drums. Fast forward a few more years and we have artists like Aries, Dominic Fike, or even MGK making hybrid music that’s abstractly comparable to this track. Stylistically, “Drugs You Should Try It” is one of Travis’ biggest wins, proving that there’s always been a considerable degree of foresight underlying his rise to stardom.
1. “HOUSTONFORNICATION”
The 16th track on ASTROWORLD isn’t Travis Scott’s most popular song, nor is it his most dynamic or experimental, but it’s his best one; a flawless example of the modern sound that he brought to rap’s table. He reflects on his monumental success as if he looked in the mirror that morning and saw a star for the first time — there’s a wondrous element to the way he raps about wealth. The song is freeing and fun, banking as much on bounce and catchiness as it does on coherence. The dreamlike instrumental relies on synth bass to ground the airy melody underneath choppy hi-hats and deep 808s. Travis’ verses are coated in a robotic autotune that would confuse most grandparents, and it’s that subtle air of futurism that makes “HOUSTONFORNICATION” worth celebrating — it shows us how wide hip-hop has spread from its golden era roots. The track is everything that defines Travis Scott’s artistry concisely wrapped into a 3-minute victory lap, and listening to such an celebratory statement on how far he’s come is enough to make you think, “Maybe he is a big deal after all.”
HONORABLE MENTIONS
In a loosely particular order, the songs that almost made the cut.
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