Travis Scott has released his long-promised new album Utopia. Beyoncé appears on the album track “Delresto (Echoes).” Drake appears on “Meltdown,” while both Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Sampha appear on “My Eyes.” Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is a co-producer on “Modern Jam.” SZA and Future appear on “Telekinesis,” while Kid Cudi appear on “Looove” (which also credits Pharrell). Give the album a listen below.
In addition to his appearance with Bad Bunny on the previously released single “K-Pop,” the Weeknd and Swae Lee appear on “Circus Maximus.” Playboi Carti and Sheck Wes feature on “Fe!n”. Young Thug and India.Arie appear on “Skitzo.” Dave Chappelle makes an appearance on “Parasail.” Westside Gunn appears on “Lost Forever.” The album also features credited contributions from James Blake, Metro Boomin, the Alchemist, Boi-1da, Kanye West, Vegyn, and more.
The album arrives after a tumultuous week for the rapper, who had planned to perform new material from Utopia during a livestreamed concert at the Pyramids of Giza. The endeavor was called off on July 26 over “complex production issues,” eight days after Scott had denied an earlier cancelation rumor. The show is still slated to be rescheduled for an as yet unannounced dates.
Scott said at Rolling Loud Miami on Saturday (July 22) that Utopia would arrive Friday, and premiered a trailer for the film Circus Maximus. Scott co-directed the film with Kahlil Joseph, Harmony Korine, Gaspar Noe, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Valdimar Jóhannsson. Though an A24 logo appeared on the movie’s official poster, the production company later claimed it was not involved in the project.
The album is Scott’s first full-length after the Astroworld 2021 music festival in Houston, which police called a “mass casualty incident” after eight people died and many others suffered injuries. A grand jury declined to indict Scott on any criminal charges over the incident, but the rapper and Live Nation Entertainment are still facing multiple ongoing lawsuits.
He released two new songs the night before the festival. Scott dropped his last studio LP, Astroworld, in 2018, following 2016’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. In 2020, Scott released Jackboys, a compilation featuring artists on his Cactus Jack record label.