After a five-year album hiatus and a lethal competition tragedy in 2021, Travis Scott is again within the public eye along with his long-awaited new album Utopia out at present (July 28).
Scott initially deliberate a grand entrance for the album by way of a live performance on the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, however the occasion was formally canceled earlier this week (July 26) as a consequence of “advanced manufacturing points,” in accordance with a statement from Stay Nation Center East. Nevertheless, Scott took to Twitter to reassure followers that the present will occur at a later time. “Egypt within the pyramids will occur however as a consequence of demand and element logistics they only want a bit a time to set lay on lands. I’ll sustain posted on a date which might be quickly love you alllll,” he wrote.
Between briefcases, billboards, and pyramids (or lack thereof), the 32-year-old confirmed off his knack for going above and past for his album promotion with the Utopia rollout. Earlier this summer season, artists like Dangerous Bunny and The Weeknd (who’re each featured on the album’s first single “Ok-POP”), SZA (who’s featured alongside Future on “TELEKINESIS”) and Mike Dean (who mastered the album) had been noticed with brown Utopia-marked briefcases. Cryptic billboards selling the album have been additionally seen round Los Angeles final month. This previous week, Scott additionally revealed 5 grainy album covers that includes males sporting white coloured contacts — who, followers suspected, may symbolize track options as a consequence of their free resemblance of Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Juice WRLD, Child Keem and Lil Child. (None of those artists are on the album.)
Starting final night time (July 27), Scott premiered an album movie titled Circus Maximus in choose AMC theaters. Directed by the musician together with 5 further administrators, Scott “takes his viewers on a mind-bending visible odyssey throughout the globe, woven collectively by the speaker rattling sounds of his extremely anticipated upcoming album Utopia,” reads AMC’s web site. “The movie is a surreal and psychedelic journey, uniting a collective of visionary filmmakers from all over the world in a kaleidoscopic exploration of human expertise and the facility of soundscapes.”
Billboard attended the movie screening final night time. Right here’s what we gathered.
Free merch
Followers have been gifted free Circus Maximus t-shirts upon checking in on the theater. The shirts are black with the Cactus Jack and the movie’s emblem on the back and front, respectively. Scott additionally revealed that a few of them have been hidden in theaters, sending followers on a scavenger hunt.
Scott’s interior ideas
Circus Maximus begins with Scott being choked by an octopus, earlier than reworking into a brand new model of himself. He then climbs a mountain to satisfy with producer Rick Rubin, who engages him in a dialog about his emotions as of late. Rubin tells Scott that he’s come a good distance and acknowledges that the rapper has skilled tragedy, seemingly alluding to the lethal crowd crush that killed 10 individuals at his Astroworld Pageant in 2021. At instances, Scott appears flustered. He shortly deflects the subject, saying he didn’t go to Rubin to debate that, although he reveals regret concerning the scenario afterward when requested, “How’s residence?” “Dwelling ain’t been the identical shortly,” Scott replies. “I hear echoes half the day.”
Scott’s conversations with Rubin happen within the first half of the movie, and are sandwiched between cinematic music movies of him in numerous nations. In a single clip, he’s part of what appears to be like like an acrobatic trick, the place persons are standing on one another’s shoulders to assist a toddler climb out of a gap. The digital camera reveals a close-up of Scott straining beneath the strain, a attainable metaphor for the burden he’s felt over the previous few years processing his grief and determining the best way to transfer ahead along with his profession. Nevertheless, different scenes are extra jovial: One scene sees him DJing a celebration to Utopia‘s “MODERN JAM” whereas in one other, he’s seen driving camels and dust bikes with individuals in Nigeria to the set’s “HYAENA.”
The world-building and which means of UTOPIA
Travis Scott has turn into distinctive at creating worlds round his music. Whereas 2018’s Astroworld was extra easy in idea, UTOPIA is a little more free in which means and open to interpretation. For Circus Maximus — which he directed, wrote and starred in — the artist traveled to Iceland, Nigeria, Denmark, France and Italy to make sense of his private utopia. When requested concerning the album, the Houston artist explains that his idea of a utopian world just isn’t all that fairly and non-confrontational, however quite, he’s making an attempt to switch his vitality with out breaking or disrupting it alongside the journey. He additionally mentions that he’s looking for a brand new strategy to rage.
Scott appears essentially the most in his component over the past half of the movie, when he performs a handful of UTOPIA songs at an amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy. At this level, Circus Maximus pivots from a set of music movies and Rubin conversations to a live performance movie. Wearing white and backed by a wall of audio system, nightfall turns to daybreak as Scott rehearses a few of his new catalog within the empty historic venue.
Particular visitor appearances
Throughout his efficiency, particular company — a few of whom are additionally featured on the album — joined Scott to carry out. Teezo Landing (“MODERN JAM”), Sheck Wes (“FE!N”), Yung Lean (“PARASAIL”), James Blake (“TIL FURTHER NOTICE”) and mannequin Jazzelle all joined Scott and have been thanked for his or her participation within the closing credit. Different artists featured on the 19-track album embody Beyoncé, Drake, Younger Thug, Future, SZA and Sampha. In dialog with director Robert Rodriguez (Sin Metropolis, Spy Children) for i-D in early 2021, the Scott stated that with UTOPIA he’s “increase[ing] the sound. I’ve been making beats once more, rapping by myself beats, simply placing every thing collectively and making an attempt to develop it actually,” he stated. “That’s been one of the crucial enjoyable issues about engaged on this album. I’m evolving, collaborating with new individuals, delivering a complete new sound, a complete new vary.”
Cactus Jack and gamma?
Circus Maximus is in affiliation with Larry Jackson’s new media firm gamma, in accordance with the movie’s closing credit. In no matter capability that’s, it doesn’t appear far-fetched, since Scott attended the corporate’s launch get together again in March. gamma is an organization that makes a speciality of distribution, inventive steerage, advertising and marketing and extra. Its clientele thus far contains Snoop Dogg, Usher and Sexyy Purple.
