Album Review: Travis Scott's 'Rodeo' (Deluxe) The Asymmetrical Genius

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The buzz and drama surrounding Travis Scott's "Rodeo" album has now subsided as the album has officially released. We can now tell you that "Rodeo" is not merely an extension of "Days Before Rodeo."

(Stream Below)

Some of the track titles off of the "Rodeo" album seems as if Miley Cyrus was enlisted to help when Scott couldn't come up with a name for a song. Take the first track for instance "Pornography," yes the first track of the album is called "Pornography." Once you get past the name you realize that it's an intro where T.I. is telling an outer-worldly story of Scott's origin and style as an artist. He simply doesn't give a f**k and it's evident from his performances.

As the beat drops you get that sense of a drug trip between Scott's lyrics about getting high and having sex in his fantasy. The overall sound is solid and you get the sense that Scott's untamed nature will spill all over the album, which it actually does.

The last quarter of "Pornography" is one of the most successful parts of the songs that will have you bobbing your head and getting hyped for the rest of the album.

One thing that is absolutely undeniable on this album is the production. Let's nip that in the bud right now. Production on all of the tracks are high class with out of this world beats and even the use of autotune is tasteful.

"Oh My Dis Side" featuring Quavo is a perfectly balanced track. In the beginning it's hard-hitting and menacing and in the second half it's the lighter side of this.

Breaking the song into two sides is a pretty clever approach to getting the point of the song across.

"3500" featuring 2 Chainz and Future really set the bar high for "Rodeo" when it was first released as the initial single. It is also another track that has that strange balance of hyped sections blended with more subdued areas. It is the highs and the lows that adds so much dimension to the music that Travis Scott creates.

Meanwhile "Wasted" featuring Juicy J is everything you would expect from a Scott track. It's an ode to Houston and getting drunk.

Scott delivers a solid verse and so does Juicy J. The Pimp C sample is a perfect addition to the track which features classic western movie sounds and heavy Hip-Hop beats.

One of the biggest stand-out tracks on the "Rodeo" album has got to be "90210" which features vocals from Kacy Hill.

Hill's mystical vocal ad-libs are incredibly haunting and we are definitely digging the little shout out to Kanye West's "808's & Heartbreak" in the first half and it looks like Scott also gave West another nod of appreciation with the second half which features an old school Kanye production.

It's one of the more layered pieces of work from Scott and one of the better ones sonically.

Travis Scott previewed "Pray 4 Love" the incredible collaboration with The Weeknd and if you didn't know something legendary was coming from that you were sleeping. There are slight shades of a "Bad Mood Sh*t On You" Scott on this track and The Weeknd's voice is further accentuated with the over all robotic yet milky sound of the track.

The Weeknd also kills his verse in the closing third of the song and brings it all full circle is grand fashion.

Pray 4 love

A photo posted by flame (@travisscott) on

One of the most talked about tracks when "Rodeo" leaked was "Nightcrawler" featuring Swae Lee and Chief Keef. It's the party starter. The night anthem.

That song you listen to while you're cruising to the club or simply cruising through the city in the night time. Swae Lee has a knack for being able to create an amazing hook and when paired with Scott's same skill the two create something quite impressive.

You can't ignore lord Sosa himself, Chief Keef who fits this track seamlessly.

"Piss On Your Grave" featuring Kanye West is a track that is frankly disrespectful in all manners but you can't help to enjoy the high energy level and absurdity of the song. It's got the "Yeezus" styled production and West completely spazzes out over the beat.

If someone ever pissed you off this might be one of the go to tracks to listen to. It's pure anger and art all in one.

While "Antidote" wasn't supposed to make the cut for the "Rodeo" album, it appears Scott had a change of heart. The fans won't complain either as the song was an instant classic when it was first released and really seems to get better with time. It's another party anthem that Scott can keep tucked in his musical utility belt.

"Impossible" is a good follow-up track to "Antidote" where Scott shines on his own. It's practically a little calm before the epic track to follow.

When the "Rodeo" album leaked, "Maria I'm Drunk" was a big trending track off the project and that can be attested to the two features on the song. Young Thug is no stranger when it comes to collaborations with Scott.

He was also featured on "Days Before Rodeo" and it all went up from there, especially on "Maria I'm Drunk." Thug starts out with a crooning intro and things spiral into a bouncy track that's perfect for the slow ride on a sunny day.

Both Scott and Thug interchange verses and before things get real. Justin Bieber jumps on to the track with a pretty sly verse and breaks into some smooth vocals which really adds another dimension to the track.

Scott's collaboration with Toro Y Moi titled, "Flying High" is somewhat of an outlier on the album but just as equally impressive as any other track on the album. It's got a supple electric feel and Toro Y Moi's alternative addition makes for a very interesting and out of this world collaboration. "I Can Tell" brings things back to a more familiar pace where Scott rips his verse. It's all about where he came from and his rise but it's done in a very epic fashion.

"Apple Pie" is a sweet ending to the regular release of "Rodeo." It's a smooth track that could be confused for a Pop sounding offering and it's most definitely got a radio sound. That is, until Scott blows our mind once more in the middle of the track.

Of course, T.I. comes back in to tell the end of the tale while questioning whether or not Scott will survive the "Rodeo."

Now to the two tracks that appear on the deluxe version of the "Rodeo" album.

Following in the asymmetrical two piece pattern that Scott has on most of his tracks for the project is "Ok Alright," featuring ScHoolBoy Q. The song is high energy as you would expect from a track feature TDE's most hype rapper and Scott.

Then it transitions into a smooth melancholic mystery similar to the first half of "90210." It also sounds like Kacy Hill was enlisted in the second half of this song and really shines once again, though her presence is brief.

It really solidifies the almost two-face aspect of "Rodeo" and the way Scott is able to blend hype and softer, more soothing sounds is impressive.

Things subside with "Never Catch Me", a song that features a Weeknd-esque vibe in the opening before moving into a more menacing end.The album is not a one listen album. To truly appreciate it you have to replay it a couple of times before you can to all of the layers it possesses.

"Rodeo" is more complex than you would think so if you're looking for sonic layers you might want to take a listen.

Listen to "Rodeo" below.