By: Alex Kersh ![]() July 2023: summer is thriving, people are relaxing, and the rap music world is going crazy. Why? Because Travis Scott, popular rapper and producer, would be releasing his 5th studio album, “UTOPIA” on July 28. The last studio album Scott released was his hit album “ASTROWORLD”, featuring iconic songs like “SICKO MODE,” “NO BYSTANDERS,” and “BUTTERFLY EFFECT,” among others. However, that album was released in 2018. Scott has been working on “UTOPIA” for years, and millions anticipated its release. As soon as the album was released, I listened to all 19 songs. The album itself is Scott’s masterpiece, and, in my opinion, takes the spot for album of the year with no narrow margin. Since that date in July, I have listened to “UTOPIA” multiple times over, enough to make an authentic ranking of the best and worst songs on the album. Starting with…
19.) K-POP ft. Bad Bunny & The Weeknd K-Pop is a bilingual song with popular Spanish rapper Bad Bunny and renowned singer The Weeknd. This song was the only “UTOPIA” song Scott released before the album itself was released. As soon as this song came out, I was very excited to listen to it. However, the result from my first listen was disappointing. Scott and The Weeknd’s respective verses are not significant in any way, and Bad Bunny’s Spanish rap was not working. The production of the beat wasn’t anything special, and the song was all-in-all awkwardly structured. It should be a better song for an album honed for five years, especially with the features it has. 18.) PARASAIL ft. Yung Lean & Dave Chappelle “PARASAIL” features rapper Yung Lean and comedian/actor Dave Chappelle. If I’m being brutally honest, this song isn’t enjoyable. It has a sad tune to it, and the pace is slow and depressing. Chappelle’s words were fine, but the beat was boring and both Scott’s and Yung Lean’s verses were not anything significant to this album. Better than “K-POP”, but still not good enough for “UTOPIA,” especially because of the preparation which went into this album. 17.) GOD'S COUNTRY The fourth song on the album and what many would say is the worst song on UTOPIA, is the solo song God’s Country. I heard that Kanye West, hall of fame singer/rapper/producer, aided in the production of the song. Allegedly, West even had his own verse before it was eventually removed. With that in mind, I had high expectations for this song. I will say, however, that I was not satisfied with the short solo piece. The beat is repetitive, and the background sounds are annoying. Scott did have a consistent flow throughout the song, but his lyrics were dry, and that’s all it is. I wouldn’t call it a bad song by Scott, but it is definitely not a song worthy of this album. 16.) LOOOVE ft. Kid Cudi The electric-styled song, “LOOOVE” features Scott’s inspiration Kid Cudi. This song is definitely for EDM listeners. It has that music style shown by the beat and Kid Cudi’s features. However, Scott’s parts in the song were repetitive and boring. Although it is not one of my favorite songs on the album, it’s a perfect representation of EDM combined with the rap world. It’s difficult to combine two completely contrasting genres with one another, and Scott did a pretty good job at it. 15.) MODERN JAM ft. Teezo Touchdown An experimental song, Modern Jam features Teezo Touchdown. To many, this isn’t surprising. Scott’s part was genuinely bad, and did not go with the old school beat. To some, the sound may feel well-produced, but to me it is just average. So why isn’t this song at the bottom of the list? Easy. Rapper Teezo. His feature on this song took Scott’s verse and absolutely blew it out the water. His voice combined with a slight change in the beat turned this song from something weird and experimental to a piece that is actually enjoyable. Teezo Touchdown carried a song that was unfortunately doomed as soon as it started. 14.) TELEKINESIS ft. SZA & Future This absolute painting of a song features popular singer SZA and rapping sensation Future. By far, the song is my most controversial take, as many do see this song as the best on the album. For good reason, too. Scott and Future both delivered on their respective verses, and SZA’s voice, coupled with a beautiful beat, was legendary. The slower beat worked thanks to SZA's tendency to perform on slower paced beats. However, this is just not music I am used to. It felt boring, and Scott’s voice,, as well as Future’s, sounded dead for half of their verses. It’s a beautiful song, but its flaws are noticeable and undeniable. 13.) DELRESTO (ECHOES) ft. Beyoncé One of the most underrated songs on the album, DELRESTO (ECHOES) ft. Beyoncé, is truly one with both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Originally, I thought of this song as one of the worst on the album. “You can’t mix pop with rap, it almost never works,” I told myself. However, after listening to this song multiple times, I realized that the song itself isn’t as bad as many make it out to be. The best part is the ending, specifically Beyoncé’s part. Scott did alright, and the beat had its moments, both amazing and horrible. It’s a great song, but it is not better than the next twelve songs. 12.) FE!N ft. Playboi Carti Hands down, this is the best performed song (currently) in the world. FE!N, featuring popular rapper Playboi Carti, is a truly upbeat song. Carti’s verse is interesting, as he experiments with using a deeper voice instead of his usual high-pitched tone. I was confused at first, because I thought it was odd and different. However, his voice grew on me. But the song is not one I would play casually. Sure, it’s good at a concert, but, listening to it on a day-to-day basis? Absolutely not. 11.) HYAENA At No. 11 is the intro to the album, the experimental solo song HYAENA. This song is truly one of Scott’s best album intros. It used an experimental-type beat, which is hard to describe. However, the experiment worked, and Scott’s lyrical skill contributed to this song’s greatness. It is an absolute masterpiece of an intro. When I listened to the ending for the first time, I was amazed by how well Scott produces and raps. This song has many great parts, but it is not a song you can listen to frequently. It gets old and overplayed very quickly, which serves as a major weakness. 10.) LOST FOREVER ft. Westside Gunn Entering the top 10 is LOST FOREVER featuring rapper Westside Gunn. Scott’s verse on this song was a genuine piece of art. It was meaningful, well-constructed, and went along fine with the sufficient beat. Westside Gunn’s feature, unfortunately, did not feel the same as Scott’s did. Westside Gunn’s voice is completely different from Scott’s, which made transitioning between verses rather awkward. However, the song is overall something worth listening to. It’s a good song, but not amazing. 9.) SKITZO ft. Young Thug The six-minute long song SKITZO features a verse from rapper Young Thug. This song contains four instances where the beat switches, and multiple changes in pace. Around half of the beat switches are genuinely stunning. The other half are good, but not that good. Young Thug’s verse was alright, and the song was a rollercoaster of an experience. It’s a good song, but it has some clear problems. 8.) CIRCUS MAXIMUS ft. Swae Lee & The Weeknd CIRCUS MAXIMUS has a quick intro by rapper/singer Swae Lee, and The Weeknd’s better feature on UTOPIA. This song is one of the most, if not the most, underrated songs on this entire album. I’m so glad The Weeknd was able to be a part of a higher-end UTOPIA song, as his voice is a gamechanger. I get how people think the beat is weird, but I got used to it the more I listened to the song. Finally, the outro, and I do not say this lightly, the best song outro on the album, and arguably a top 5 best Travis Scott song outro of all time. Amazing job to all three artists, and it’s only this low because of the performance of the other seven remaining songs. 7.) SIRENS SIRENS is the fifth song, and a solo piece, on the album. Another underrated song on the album, “SIRENS” is given heavy notice for the ending, where Drake briefly teases himself to appear in a future song. However, the song itself is jaw-dropping. The sound effects, Scott’s verse, the meaningful lyrics, and the instruments involved put this song in the top seven. Not only that, but this song had another masterfully produced outro. 6.) TOPIA TWINS ft. Rob49 &21 Savage At this point, choosing the top six was genuinely difficult.. All six of these songs are separated by small differences. This song was nearly perfect. 21 Savage’s verse was crazy, and Scott always delivers on fast paced songs such as these. The only issue with this song was Rob49’s voice. It was a good verse, but his voice was flat out annoying, and the pairing between the voices of Scott and Rob49 did not come together. 5.) I KNOW? “I KNOW?” is one of the most popular songs on “UTOPIA”. And for good reason. The pacing and lyrics on this song are a contender for the best on the album. The beat is mellow, but exciting, and the pacing of this song has a low tone. The lyrics are meaningful, and the fact that this song doesn’t even have carrying features transcends it as one of Scott’s best solo songs. The only thing wrong with this song is how much it has been overplayed. It’s unfortunate, but it is the slight difference that puts it at the bottom of the top five. 4.) THANK GOD When I first heard this song, it was not that good to me. It was strange, different, and did not give me high hopes for the rest of “UTOPIA”. However, after listening to this song multiple times, I take back everything I originally thought about this song. Even if the beat is weird, the song is constructed beautifully, and the lyrics and pace make up for the beat tenfold. This song is nearly perfect, but it isn’t, which keeps it out of the top three. 3.) MELTDOWN ft Drake MELTDOWN features one of the most influential rappers of all time, helping it become the people’s top song. When everyone listened to “UTOPIA” for the first time, MELTDOWN became the staple. Drake’s feature does not disappoint, nor does Scott’s, and this song was favored by many in the rap community. Not to mention it only got better as the song went on and the beat switch happened. Amazing song, and no criticism.. 2.) TIL FURTHER NOTICE ft. James Blake & 21 Savage Out of all of Travis Scott’s albums ever made, this one has to be the best outro. Featuring American singer James Blake for background vocals, and a verse from=21 Savage, this is one of the best outros a rap album has ever seen. I do not think people understand this song. The beat is wild, which isn’t surprising considering it was produced by hall of fame producer Metro Boomin. James Blake is heavenly. When I heard his voice in the background, I genuinely thought it was a sample. How surprised I was when I figured out it wasn’t a sample, but James Blake, just singing. 21 Savage never has a bad verse, especially when it comes to a Metro Boomin beat. Scott delivered just as much. The perfect outro, I have no critiques. However, one song outperformed all. 1.) MY EYES “MY EYES”, a solo song, is the best song on “UTOPIA”. It blows the other 18 songs completely out of the water. The first part gives people low expectations, as it is soothing and calm. Then, halfway through the song, the beat switches, and Scott delivers his best verse of all time. I am convinced there is no song on UTOPIA that can beat this song.The fact that this song had no features only makes it better, as no external rapper carries this song. It’s a beautiful song, and by far deserving of the top spot on UTOPIA.
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