Rodeo (Travis Scott album)
Rodeo is the debut studio album by American rapper Travis Scott. It was released on September 4, 2015, through Grand Hustle Records and distributed by Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from Quavo, Future, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Kacy Hill, The Weeknd, Swae Lee, Chief Keef, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Young Thug, Toro y Moi and Schoolboy Q, while the production was provided by Scott himself, alongside several high-profile record producers such as Allen Ritter, Mike Dean, Metro Boomin, Frank Dukes, Sonny Digital and WondaGurl, among others.
Rodeo was supported by two singles: "3500" and "Antidote". The latter became his highest-charting single in the US Billboard Hot 100 at the time, peaking at number 16. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200. In May 2017, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Background
Travis Scott announced the release date for Rodeo through social media on July 17, 2015. In the CR Fashion Book, Scott stated his life was like a rodeo and he feels like he is trying to stay on a bucking animal:Promotion
On January 26, 2015, to support the album, Scott announced he would embark on The Rodeo Tour with Young Thug and Metro Boomin. On January 27, the following day, Scott released two new songs; "High Fashion" featuring Future, and "Nothing But Net" featuring Young Thug and PartyNextDoor. However, neither of them ended up being on the final version of the album. On June 12, 2015, a track titled "Drunk" featuring Young Thug, leaked online.Singles
On June 8, 2015, Scott released the album's lead single, "3500", which features guest appearances from American rappers Future and 2 Chainz. It peaked at number 82 on the US Billboard Hot 100.On July 29, 2015, Scott released the album's second single, "Antidote". The song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. On April 14, 2017, the song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Critical reception
Rodeo was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 64, based on 15 reviews. Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 62 out of 100, based on 16 reviews.Roger Krastz of XXL stated, "Overall, Rodeo has plenty of bangers and noteworthy collaborations that help bring out a fantastic trap sound that could bleed into the mainstream of hip-hop in no time." Jason Bisnoff of HipHopDX stated, "Rodeos back end after "Antidote" begin to mesh together and gets repetitive.... Nonetheless, the originality of Scott's sound within this new movement provides for a strong rookie effort leaving the listener excited for a career that is just getting started." Trazier Tharpe of Complex stated, "Travis Scott made an enjoyable album for his fans peppered with undeniable bangers for his detractors." David Jeffries of AllMusic stated, "With Rodeo, Travis Scott becomes a designer drug." Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews stated, "Somewhere beneath all the hype and production he does shine through." Martin Caballero of The Boston Globe stated, "His versatility, combined with a high-profile guest list, conspires against him; among 14 tracks, Scott conjures just a handful of moments that hint at untapped reserves of talent."
Matthew Cooper of Clash stated, "Yes, the production is razor sharp, the beats are skewed and often very loud which makes them feel important, but in reality, it's all a façade; an image." Kevin Ritchie of Now stated, "Scott goes for spacey sounds, stoner vibes and vocal filters, but despite the eclecticism, he's too elusive and bland for Rodeo to amount to a stylistic--let alone a subversive--statement." Sheldon Pearce from Pitchfork stated, "He is most effective when he harshly distorts his vocals to create texture, and in the company of others he can serve as a welcome change of pace." David Turner from Rolling Stone stated, "Left on his own, Scott can grow tiresome. "I Can Tell" sounds monochromatic without another voice to push this astute curator. Some rock stars are better leading bands than going solo." Matthew Ramirez of Spin stated, "This is a cold, calculated record lacking in personality, though it certainly tries to deliver something that Scott is incapable of."
Accolades
Commercial performance
Rodeo debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, moving 85,000 album-equivalent units, of which 70,000 are pure album sales. As of November 2015, Rodeo has sold 110,000 copies in the United States. In May 2017, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over one million units.Track listing
Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.Track notes
- signifies an additional producer
- signifies a co-producer
- All tracks are stylized in lowercase on the physical back covers. For example, "Oh My Dis Side" is stylized as "oh my dis side".
- "Pornography", "Wasted" and "Apple Pie" feature narration by T.I.
- "Oh My Dis Side" features additional vocals by River Tiber
- "90210" features background vocals by Chantel Jeffries
- "Flying High" features background vocals by Pharrell Williams
- "Ok Alright" features additional vocals by SZA and Kacy Hill
- "Never Catch Me" features additional vocals by Tinashe
- "Pornography" contains a sample of "Expectation", performed by ACHE.
- "Oh My Dis Side" contains a sample of "Flashbulbs", performed by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.
- "Wasted" contains samples of "Havin' Thangs '06", performed by Pimp C featuring Big Mike; and "Let Your Life Be Free", performed by T. Zchien and the Johnny.
- "Pray 4 Love" contains a sample of "Ask the Lonely", performed by Four Tops.
- "Antidote" contains a sample of "All I Need", performed by Lee Fields and the Expressions.
- "Flying High" contains a sample of "Slide", performed by Slave.
Personnel
Musicians
- Travis Scott – vocals
- Quavo – vocals
- 2 Chainz – vocals
- Future – vocals
- Juicy J – vocals
- The Weeknd – vocals
- Swae Lee – vocals
- Chief Keef – vocals
- Kanye West – vocals
- Justin Bieber – vocals
- Young Thug – vocals
- Toro y Moi – vocals
- T.I. – narrator
- Mike Dean – guitar, keyboards
- Darren King – bass, drums, guitar
- Larrance Dopson – keyboards
- Jordan Lewis – guitar
- Terrace Martin – keyboards
- Allen Ritter – keyboards
- Zaytoven – keyboards
- Kevin Amato – photography
- Chiki Uno – set design, art direction
- Corey Damon Black – art direction, design
- Chris Feldmann – art direction
- Dan Chung – design
- Anita Marisa Boriboon – creative direction
- Marc Kalman – creative direction
- Travis Scott – executive production, production
- Mike Dean – executive production, production, additional production, assistant, drum programming, engineering, mixing, mastering
- Jason Geter – executive production
- Allen Ritter – production, additional production
- Metro Boomin – production
- Frank Dukes – production, additional production
- WondaGurl – production, additional production, programming
- Noah Goldstein – co-production, engineering, mixing, assistant
- The Weeknd – production
- Illangelo – production, vocal engineering
- Ben Billions – production
- Darren King – co-production
- Kanye West – production
- Charlie Heat – production
- Eestbound – production, programming
- Pharrell Williams – production
- Terrace Martin – co-production
- 1500 or Nothin' – co-production
- Zaytoven – additional production
- FKi – production
- Maneesh Bidaye – production
- Apex Martin – additional drum programming
- Jimmy Cash – engineering
- Thomas Cullison – engineering
- Blake Harden – engineering
- Stuart Innis – engineering, mixing assistance
- Jordan Lewis – engineering
- Ari Raskin – engineering
- Alex Tumay – engineering
- Finis White – engineering
- Seth Firkins – vocal engineering
- Kez Khou – mixing assistance
- Albert Chee – assistance
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| US Billboard 200 | 131 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 69 |