Travis Scott
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Earlier this week Travis Scott shocked his Roman fans when he brought out Kanye West to perform alongside him at Rome’s Circus Maximus near the famed Colosseum. Unfortunately, the surprise did lead to some injuries as the crowd went too wild and hurt others while turning up.
TMZ is reporting that things were all good during the Monday (Aug. 7), show until someone in the crowd decided to spray pepper spray into the crowd, which led to some 60 people requiring medical attention including a 14-year-old who fell off a wall.
From TMZ:
During the unrest, Romans reportedly inundated the local fire department with calls about a possible earthquake writing on social media, “Anyone feel an earthquake?” But all the shaking residents were feeling was not from a natural disaster … rather, it was coming from the multitude of fans jumping around at Travis’ concert when Kanye West made a surprise appearance onstage and started rapping with his longtime friend.As a result, Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum Archeological Park, has now called for the end of concerts at Circus Maximus with the exception of operas and balletsRusso told CNN … “The Circus Maximus is a monument. It is not a stadium, not a concert hall. These mega rock concerts put it at risk.”
We can’t lie, we’re surprised authorities let Travis Scott rock at such an ancient site. This isn’t a good look for the rapper, who’s planning on doing the same at the Giza Pyramids as well. That show might never happen given what went down in Rome.
On the “bright side,” at least they’re not accusing Scott of holding another satanic ritual with this incident. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think? Are Travis Scott concerts too lit for his fans? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Taylor Swift announced the release of her album ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ during her final Eras Tour show in LA. V of BTS released the first track off his debut solo album ‘Layover.’ 60 people have reportedly been injured at Travis Scott’s show at Colossum after someone in the crowd sprayed pepper spray into the audience. […]
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The audience at Travis Scott’s concert in Rome, Italy was treated to a surprise on-stage appearance by Ye aka Kanye West.
On Monday night (August 7th), Scott was in the midst of performing songs from his new album UTOPIA before the packed arena for his Circus Maximus tour. He stopped the music and said, “Only one human being on this motherf**king planet that has ever walked side by side with me through anything and every motherf**king thing.” At that moment he brought West out onto the stage.
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“There is no Utopia without Kanye West. There is no Travis Scott without Kanye West. There is no Rome without Kanye West. Make some noise for Ye,” Scott said as the two performed “Praise God,” a song from West’s 2021 DONDA album that Scott is featured on. They also performed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”, from West’s 2007 Graduation album to a rapturous crowd.
It’s the first live performance by West since receiving a considerable amount of backlash and condemnation over his slew of antisemitic comments beginning last October when he wrote on social media that it would be “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” That led to the rapper’s Instagram account being restricted and the offending post being deleted. West’s Twitter account would also see those tweets removed due to violating its policies. It was also shortly after he debuted “White Lives Matter” t-shirts during a runway show at Paris Fashion Week earlier that month.
The backlash led to Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga severing ties with West. But he would prove to be more defiant, summarized in a post directed at Ari Emmanuel, the CEO of Endeavor who publicly called on companies to forego doing business with the
artist. “Ari Emanuel. I lost 2 billion dollars in one day. And I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am,” West wrote on Instagram afterward. The furor would even cause a greater rift between Ye and his now ex-wife, Kim Kardashian (her sister, Kylie Jenner, has two children with Travis Scott) as Kardashian publicly condemned his stance on social media shortly after the remarks were made.
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Travis Scott’s Utopia blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Aug. 12), capturing the third-biggest week of 2023 for any album and the largest for any R&B/hip-hop or rap release.
The star-laden hip-hop effort bows with 496,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 3, according to Luminate. Among the guests featured on Utopia are 10 acts who have all topped the Billboard 200 on their own: 21 Savage, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Drake, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, SZA, The Weeknd and Young Thug.
Utopia is Scott’s third No. 1 and first solo album since 2018’s Astroworld, which started atop the chart. In between Astroworld and Utopia, the Jackboys supergroup – led by Scott – notched a No. 1 with its self-titled release in early 2020. Utopia has been teased for years, as Scott first shared the album title in a series of social media posts in the summer and fall of 2020.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Post Malone clocks his fifth consecutive top five-charting effort as Austin bows at No. 2.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 12, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 8. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Utopia’s 477,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 3, SEA units comprise 243,000 (equaling 330.68 million on-demand official streams of the streaming set’s 19 total songs – the second-biggest streaming week of 2023), album sales comprise 252,000 (the second-largest sales week of 2023) and TEA units comprise 1,000.
Streaming activity comprises nearly half (49%) of Utopia’s first-week activity, with almost all of the remainder generated by album sales. The set’s streaming activity was so robust that the album would have been No. 1 from only its SEA units (and still have twice the total units of the No. 2 album on the chart, Post Malone’s Austin). The most-streamed song on the Utopia album, by official on-demand streams, is “Meltdown,” featuring Drake. It accounted for nearly 10% of the album’s streams during the week.
Utopia was preceded by its first single, “K-POP,” with The Weeknd and Bad Bunny, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 5.
Utopia is available with three different track lists: a standard 18-song edition through all major digital retailers (including the iTunes Store and Amazon), a 19-song set at digital retail and streamers (which includes the song “Meltdown,” featuring Drake), and a 19-song version available on CD, vinyl and a “First Edition” digital album sold through Scott’s webstore (that includes the song “Aye” with Lil Uzi Vert). All of the standard digital retail release’s 18 songs are on both 19-song expanded versions. The “First Edition” digital album was released at the end of the tracking week, in the closing hours of Aug. 3, and sold for just $4.99. The “First Edition” variant sold exceptionally well, due to fan speculation as to the set’s track list, which was not advertised by Scott’s webstore.
Utopia’s sales were also enhanced by its availability across five CD variants (each with a different cover), five vinyl LP variants (with different covers and color vinyl), 15 deluxe boxed sets – each containing a piece of branded clothing and a copy of the album on CD or vinyl, six zine/CD deluxe editions (where a copy of the CD is housed inside a magazine-like package branded to the album), and two Fan Pack offers in which customers could choose to purchase a copy of the CD or vinyl LP with a piece of branded merchandise for a discounted price. Initially, the assorted CD and vinyl album cover art was not displayed to customers on Scott’s webstore. When fans placed orders, they selected one of five covers, not knowing what the final design would look like. Eventually, closer to street date, the cover art for all variants was revealed.
All physical formats of the album are exclusively sold through Scott’s official webstore. It has not been announced when, or if, any of the physical versions of the album will be released wide to any other retailers.
Scott drove customers to his webstore during Utopia’s pre-order campaign and during its first-week thanks to frequent new merchandise releases. Alongside merch drops, the webstore promoted discounted pricing on the Utopia album – going as low as $4.99 for its digital album.
In total, Utopia sold 252,000 copies in its first week. Of that sum, digital downloads comprise 111,000 (with 79% of that sum from the “First Edition” variant), CD sales comprise 63,000 (80% of that figure were CDs housed in boxed sets and zine packages) and vinyl sales comprise 79,000 (30.5% were vinyl housed in boxed sets). Of the album’s 252,000 sold across all formats (digital download, CD and vinyl), deluxe boxed sets and zine packages combined to sell 30% of that figure (about 75,000 of 252,000).
Utopia’s vinyl sales were so big, they mark the largest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop or rap album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. Notably, Scott sold 55,000 copies of the vinyl edition of Utopia as individual purchases – those not contained inside a deluxe boxed set with merch. That figure would still represent the largest week for an R&B/hip-hop or rap set on vinyl in the Luminate era.
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Post Malone scores his fifth consecutive and total top five-charting set as Austin launches with 113,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 78,000 (equaling 101.14 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 songs), album sales comprise 34,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000.
Austin was led by a trio of charting songs on the Hot 100: “Chemical” (No. 13 peak in April), “Mourning” (No. 36 in June) and “Overdrive” (debuted at No. 47 on the July 29-dated chart).
Austin is absent any guest stars and presents a sonic shift for Post Malone, focusing more on pop and alternative sounds and guitar-based tunes instead of hip-hop. (Post Malone’s four previous albums all hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.)
The set was available to purchase across five CD variants (four with alternative covers, one of which includes a bonus track), three vinyl LPs (including a Target-exclusive color variant), a cassette tape, four digital download variants (each with a different cover, exclusive to his official webstore), and two Fan Pack offers. In addition, the album was issued in a deluxe version in the middle of its first tracking week, with a new bonus track added, “Joy.”
Austin sold about 11,500 copies on vinyl – marking Post Malone’s biggest week ever on vinyl.
Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, shifting 96,000 equivalent album units (down 7%). It’s the first time the album has fallen below 100,000 units in a single week, in its 22nd week on the chart. The set earned in excess of 100,000 equivalent album units in its first 21 chart weeks, the most weeks of 100,000-plus units since the Billboard 200 began ranking titles by units in December of 2014.
The Barbie film soundtrack dips 2-4 in its second week with 91,000 equivalent album units (down 28%), Taylor Swift’s former leader Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) falls 4-5 with 66,000 units (down 16%), NewJeans’ 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ falls 1-6 in its second week with 55,000 units (down 56%) and Peso Pluma’s Génesis slips 5-7 with 50,000 units (down 6%).
Three former No. 1s round out the top 10, as Swift’s Midnights backtracks 6-8 with 49,000 (up less than 1%), Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album falls 7-9 with nearly 49,000 (down 5%) and Swift’s Lover holds steady at No. 10 with 43,000 (up 2%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
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Travis Scott is receiving tons of accolades for his latest studio album UTOPIA, nothing yet another creative high mark that could end up being an easy Album of the Year candidate. However, admit the hoopla surrounding Travis Scott there is also the looming Astroworld tragedy and an attorney for the Texas artist is questioning the release and timing of an investigative report connected to the incident.
TMZ reports that an attorney for Travis Scott speculated that Houston police released the report about the 2021 Astroworld incident last Friday (July 28), the same day as UTOPIA‘s release. Kent Schaffer said that the department was well aware that UTOPIA was going to be released last week and put out the report to sink sales. It should be noted that UTOPIA went on to break streaming records as the album was highly anticipated by Scott’s legion of fans.
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Houston police responded to Schaffer’s claim, stating that the release of the report was pure coincidence and not a planned attempt to undermine the album’s momentum. As previously reported, Scott was not charged in the 10 deaths that occurred at the Astroworld concert but is facing several lawsuits from the families of the victims.
In an update of TMZ’s initial report, Scott’s legal team exclusively shared a statement which we’ll post below:
“Travis Scott and his team were, as anticipated, fully cleared of any wrongdoing associated with the Astroworld tragedy by a grand jury based on the very report released today. It is outrageous that HPD has chosen to resort to tactics that attempt to discredit Travis and his team, casting doubt on how the unfortunate events at Astroworld actually transpired while deflecting blame from their own critical failures.
“Travis’s commitment to his audience’s safety and well-being is well-documented. As reported countless times, he actively stopped the show three separate times. Contrary to the HPD report’s inaccuracies, the concert did end at the exact time communicated to Travis. Meanwhile, Houston police officers present at the event did not intervene during the unfolding situation. They were observed throughout the show standing by idly, buying merch and even filming the concert in its entirety.
“We encourage the Houston PD to make peace with the fact that Travis Scott and his team were found innocent of any wrongdoing and to focus on what really matters – making sure tragedies like Astroworld never occur again under their watch.”
As this story develops, we will keep readers updated.
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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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Drake and Pusha T‘s feud might not have the spotlight it once did but it appears to be far from over. The Canadian superstar took a light shot at King Push and Pharrell on Travis Scott’s new album UTOPIA, and fans have their thoughts per usual.
Travis Scott dropped UTOPIA on Friday (July 28) and so far the early returns on the album say that Cactus Jack has another one in the can. Among several standout features that include the likes of Beyoncé, 21 Savage, Future, SZA, Young Thug, Playboy Carti, and more, Drake is also part of that star-studded list. Drizzy shows up on the track “MELTDOWN” and the last few bars of his feature had the aforementioned targets.
From “MELTDOWN”:
My schedule is out, come spin us, for realMan, f*ck all that spinnin’ the narrative sh*tI melt down the chains that I bought from yo’ bossGive a f*ck about all of that heritage sh*tSince V not around, the members done hung up the Louis, they not even wearing that sh*tDon’t come to the boy ’bout repairing some sh*tDon’t come to the boy about sparing some sh*tYou lucky that Vogue was suing, ’cause I would’ve been with the Wassas in Paris and sh*t
As it stands, Drake is alerting his opposition that he’s on his “It’s All A Blur” tour and inviting the smoke in the first line of the lyrics quoted above. On Twitter and Genius alike, fans are noting that the “melt down the chains” line is directed towards Pharrell, who reportedly designed a series of chains the rapper wore in the “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” video from Her Loss, his collaborative album with 21 Savage.
The lyric that begins with “Since V not around” is a clear nod to the late Virgil Abloh, who was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, a role Pharrell now occupies.
On X (formerly known as Twitter), Drake, Pusha T, and Pharrell’s names are trending. We’ve got the best reactions below.
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Travis Scott might be one of the biggest artists in the music game today, but unfortunately his fame isn’t enough to help him book a concert venue on sacred ground in Egypt.
After Roc Nation seemingly confirmed that Travis Scott would be heading down to Egypt to perform at the Pyramids of Giza for his upcoming Utopia album event, Egyptian authorities put the kibosh on the festivities and informed Scott and his peoples that their planned concert was a no-go. According to the Egypt Independent, the concert was canceled due to “strange rituals” performed by the “Highest In The Room” rapper’s at his other concerts which they felt was “inconsistent” with their own Egyptian values.
Looks like those demonic conspiracy theories that were levied against Travis Scott a few years back for the Astroworld tragedy is still a thing. Let the conspiracy theories once again roll.
Egypt Independent reports:
The company authorized to organize US rapper Travis Scott’s concert, Ticketsmarche, said that the size of the initial losses of canceling the concert amounts to approximately LE 300 million directly.
The company’s managing director and CEO Mohamed Serag added that he isn’t sure Scott’s concert could still be held while there is only five days before its scheduled date, as the equipment and the foreign team accompanying Scott – who are already in Egypt – were not allowed to enter the pyramids area.
He said that the preparations were supposed to start on July 20, and at the time, no one had informed him of the cancellation.
Serag added that until now it is still not possible to obtain a permit to enter the pyramids area.cThough they’re not letting Scott rock for now, they do remain “hopeful” that the Houston artist will eventually be able to perform at the Pyramids and broadcast the show live to 200 million people, which would obviously help promote tourism for Egypt and it’s pyramids area.
When that might happen is anyone’s guess, but as long as those pesky conspiracy theories continue to float around, it might be hard for Travis Scott to book any venues with historical and cultural meaning to them. Just sayin.’
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Travis Scott was slated to debut his latest studio album Utopia via a livestream event at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt near the end of the month. However, the event was called off after a music union in the African nation determined that the image Travis Scott presents doesn’t line up with tradition.
As seen in Egypt Today, Egypt’s Musicians Syndicate issued a statement on Tuesday (July 18) by way of Dr. Mohamed Abdullah, which highlights that the union observed imagery they found disturbing in their research of Scott.
From Egypt’s Musicians Syndicate:
Regarding the concert scheduled to be held on 28th July at the Pyramids area in Giza by American rapper Travis Scott, the Musicians Syndicate, as the entity responsible for issuing licenses for music and singing concerts in Egypt, in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture represented by the Censorship Authority for Artistic Works and the Ministry of Labor, emphasizes the necessity of considering security aspects and obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities as a top priority when organizing concerts. This is to ensure the safety and protection of the audience.
While the Musicians Syndicate has welcomed various art forms and concerts in recent months, it has set conditions and regulations to safeguard the customs and traditions inherited by the Egyptian people.
As the Musicians Syndicate is part of the fabric of our beloved country, it works towards its stability and security and rejects any tampering with the societal values, customs, and traditions of Egypt and the Arab world. After examining social media opinions and feedback, as well as the news circulating on search engines and social media platforms, which included authenticated images and information about peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions, the Syndicate’s president and board of directors have decided to cancel the license issued for hosting this type of concert, which goes against the cultural identity of the Egyptian people.
What isn’t known are what rituals the syndicate observed but there were earlier reports of pushback against hosting Travis Scott at the pyramids due to the Astroworld tragedy.
A scan of Scott’s social media pages does not indicate a response to the move.
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Getting a pair of Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 sneakers is no easy feat, but luckily one fan at a Travis Scott was able to take home a pair of the coveted grails and he actually got the pair from the “Highest In The Room” rapper himself!
Over the weekend social media was abuzz with a post that showcased the moment that Travis Scott took his own pair of “Cactus Jack” Air Jordan 1 Low “Olive”‘s off his feet and gave it to a fan in the front row of his show. According to TMZ the moment went down during Travis’ set at the Rolling Loud show in the Netherlands. After one very intense fan caught his eye, Travis and said fan began rapping along to his song and it was enough to inspire Travis to give the fan a parting gift.
TMZ reports:
The reason … this fella was rapping TS’s own lyrics right back to him, seemingly perfectly and just as animated as Travis too — almost like they were mirroring each other, really.Watch what happens next … Trav appears to be impressed by the fact that the fan was able to keep up, so he rewards him on the spot. He literally yanks his shirt off — an unreleased “Utopia” tee, it seems — and hands it to the kid … and ditto for the shoes off his feet.
We can’t even hate as that man knew Travis’ song word-for-word. He deserved them kicks. Whether or not he actually wears them or just puts them in some display case is on him, but regardless we know that’s a moment he’ll remember for the rest of his life.Afterwards the lucky guy posted pics of the kicks and shirt he copped at the show.
We’re just glad he made it out that place in one piece.
Check out the clip of the moment everything went down below and remember to be ready to recite Travis Scott’s lyrics at his show going forward. Might go home with a pair of grails.
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