album of the year
As the 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony comes over the horizon, one category in particular looms large: album of the year. The big Kahuna. Every year, best album is one of the most contentious races by far. And 2024 is no exception, given the excellence of each nominee: Taylor Swift’s Midnights, SZA’s SOS, Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS, […]
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UTOPIA, the latest studio album from Travis Scott, dropped Friday (July 28) and the early discussions online around the album were naturally centered on a particular feature. However, others are claiming that the Texas rapper has the best album to release in 2023, sparking a spirited online debate.
UTOPIA is getting a lot of burn on its first day of release due to the appearance of past collaborator Drake on the track “MELTDOWN” and the jabs made toward Pusha T and Pharrell Williams, although they weren’t mentioned by name.
Aside from Drake, UTOPIA has features from Beyoncé, Bon Iver, SZA, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Future, 21 Savage, and more. Scott also lends his production to a bulk of the project working with the likes of Mike Dean, Hit-Boy, The Alchemist, Metro Boomin, WondaGurl, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, James Blake, and more.
In our initial listen, the album borrows from some of the epic moments found on Scott’s previous studio album ASTROWORLD yet moves into the worlds of dance and electronic music without losing any of his usual punch.
It is too early for UTOPIA to claim the lofty title some are bestowing upon it, especially as some other heavy hitters are due to release albums this year including Drake.
For now, the chatter around the album is high as expected and we’ve got the reactions listed out below.
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Photo: Alexander Tamargo / Getty
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