Video will appear as you scroll through the story
Travis Scott · S2 E2
T.I. and Grand Hustle
Getting signed by T.I. to Grand Hustle Records on the strength of a handful of loosies
Los Angeles, 2012. T.I. presses play on a track called "Lights (Love Sick)" from an unknown kid out of Houston, and before the beat drops he's already telling his team to set up a meeting.
Travis Scott ft. T.I. & 2 Chainz, Upper Echelon (2013). The first real single to come out of the Grand Hustle deal. T.I. doesn't just lend his name to the track, he goes bar for bar with his newest signee. This is what it sounds like when a legend decides to bet on a kid nobody's heard of.
The "Animal" Meeting
Travis had moved from New York to Los Angeles, still sleeping on couches, this time crashing with a friend who studied at USC. His track "Lights (Love Sick)" reaches T.I. through industry channels. T.I. doesn't just listen. He flies Travis in for a sit-down, hears a beat called "Animal," and freestyles over it right there in the room.
Sources
The Famous People, Travis Scott biography
Travis Scott, Wikipedia
Upper Echelon, Travis Scott ft. T.I. & 2 Chainz (2013)
The production is Travis's calling card: layered synths, aggressive 808s, and a hook that sounds like it was designed to be screamed from a car window. T.I. brings his signature Southern precision, every syllable measured. 2 Chainz rides the beat like he owns it. But listen for Travis's ad-libs underneath everything, the constant "La Flame" tags and vocal layers. He's not just rapping on this track. He's producing his own mythology.
Sources
Owl Pharaoh credits, Grand Hustle / Epic Records, 2013
TAP TO REVEAL: How did Travis Scott end up at Grand Hustle AND GOOD Music at the same time?
What Travis Scott track caught T.I.'s attention and led to the Grand Hustle signing?
Nightcrawler, Travis Scott ft. Swae Lee & Chief Keef
From Rodeo (2015). This track is the sonic version of the hustle that got Travis signed: late nights, new cities, trying to be everywhere at once. Swae Lee's hook floats over a beat that keeps shifting gears while Chief Keef brings a verse so effortless it sounds like he recorded it half-asleep. The production is Travis at his most ambitious, stacking melodies on top of melodies.
Nightcrawler, Travis Scott ft. Swae Lee & Chief Keef (2015)
Read the lyrics while you listen. The song is a tour of the nightlife that fueled Travis's come-up: VIP rooms, after-parties, and the constant motion of someone trying to be in every room that matters. Swae Lee's chorus is the hook that won't leave your head.
Grand Hustle gives Travis a label. But a phone number saved under "Ye" is about to give him something bigger: a seat at the table where Kanye West is building his next album. Next: the Cruel Summer sessions and the moment Travis meets his hero face to face.
0 XP earned this session