You know when you hear a song and it takes you back to either the first time you heard it or a significant recollection of what you were doing when you heard it? That’s how I feel every time I hear, “Don’t you open up that window, don’t you let out that antidote.” It was my freshman year of college and my friends and I went to a party. At this time, I was going to school in Houston, Texas, and “Antidote” by Travis Scott had recently dropped. It wasn’t until “Antidote” was played approximately 7 times in a row (no exaggeration) that we decided to leave. We left the party, but part of Travis still stayed with me. This is my personal journey to ASTROWORLD.
“Antidote” was one of the first songs I had ever heard from Travis Scott at the time. He wasn’t one of my favorite artists (yet) and I didn’t understand why everyone loved him so much. Shortly after the party experience, I was thrust into his music, and honestly, I think that is one of the best ways to experience a new artist. Listening to someone’s music is an experience in itself, and when you’re thrown into it, you learn to love it quickly.
All it took was one day of me listening to Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight from beginning to end.
Now I agree, ASTROWORLD is definitely amazing, but Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight will always have a special place in my heart. If you don’t agree, I suggest listening to the album all the way through. You should start with the first song, and let it play. Don’t shuffle! I have a tendency to always shuffle my music because I like a variety, but that album is made to be listened in chronological order. Also, make sure you have speakers that are really loud. It’s all part of the experience, trust me.
Now, let’s fast forward a couple years. I moved to Tampa and transferred to USF. I met a girl from my job (Sam) and we decided we were going to go to Rolling Loud. Rolling Loud is the premeire hip-hop music festival that is held in various locations around the world (now there is a Rolling Loud in Hong Kong). We attended the festival in Miami Gardens, FL, and that was when Travis Scott literally sang to my soul.
Travis has an amazing discography, but when you see him perform live and feel the bass in your chest… it’s a whole new feeling. Not only is he jumping around and absolutely RAGING on stage, but he has fire and smoke bursting from the stage on beat. It’s so evident how much he loves performing and being out there. He really gives his all and does his absolute best for his fans. One of my favorite parts about watching him was when he would pause in the middle of songs and tell the crowds to, “Open up the pit.” I’m not a mosher myself, but watching people go crazy in the moshpits when the beat drops was like nothing else. Travis has complete control over the crowd (even me) and seeing that was life changing.
Travis is a real-life example of going through struggles and getting yourself out of them. A kid from Houston is changing lives through his music and inspiring many with his story. Not only do I suggest listening to his music, but you can get a closer look into his life by watching his documentary on Netflix, Look Mom I Can Fly.
Maybe that’s why I love Travis Scott so much. Not only does he make the most bops, but he teaches us all that it’s okay to go wild sometimes. He’s taught me what it really means to RAGE. At the same time, he reminds me to live my life the way I want it and to do so unapologetically. That being said, this is for Travis- thank you for truly inspiring me to be myself.
