DAYS BEFORE RODEO by Travis Scott | Album Review
A Superstar Finally Releases A Mixtape After 10 Years
LISTEN TO Days Before Rodeo: APPLE MUSIC | SPOTIFY
Travis Scott, the American rapper and producer, surprises fans by releasing his 2nd mixtape Days Before Rodeo on digital platforms for its 10th anniversary.
In recent times, Travis has been embracing his roots with great intensity.
Whether it’s his inclination towards pure rapping or the haunting ambiance of his album UTOPIA, Travis has been gravitating towards the raw atmosphere reminiscent of his earlier records. With those sonic inclinations and ideas, fans have started debating about the potential release of Days Before Rodeo to streaming platforms explained by Travis’s recent tendency to perform more of his older material at his concerts.
Fans regarded this as a hint at the imminent release of his 2nd mixtape on streaming services, and they were proven right with the 10th anniversary upon us.
After a decade of credit problems and uncleared samples, Travis has finally released the reissue of Days Before Rodeo. With the addition of Mike Dean, a long-time collaborator, into the mix, there are a few things on the record that show slight changes all around, but we will discuss those later.
In this article, we will also focus on the Digital Deluxe version that was only available at https://shop.travisscott.com which contributed to the original release with 5 new tracks.
So, without further ado, let’s get into Travis’s 2nd Mixtape — Days Before Rodeo;
Days Before Rodeo ironically introduces you to Travis before his first commercial-success album, Rodeo with the high-quality trap that sounds fresh, and periodically dated. Here, you are not getting the more pre-dominant pop rap ASTROWORLD, or neo-psychedelia inherent to Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight, but a foreshadowing of what Rodeo was about to be.
On Travis’s second mixtape, we get a harbinger of things that were shaping him as an artist, illuminating his southern hip-hop rapping style that stood out with its rawness, anger and dynamic.
With examples of tracks like “Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer”, “Mamacita”, and “Don’t Play”, you get rage, ruthlessness, and hunger. Travis is in a position where he has much to prove, and one thing that he offers greatly is his rapping.
Days Before Rodeo gives you one of the best Travis’s rapping sides. He seamlessly captivates you with his skills that are filled with roughness and passionate rapping. If ASTROWORLD’s rapping sounds more elegant, Travis’s earlier voice sounds gravelly.
On this mixtape, Travis also feels free delving into more melodic, and expressive tracks like “Drugs You Should Try It” or “Skyfall”. If the former develops into a sentimental drug ballade, the latter continuously surprises me with his harsh and rough-edged vocals on a chorus that gives me chills.
Despite my big following for Travis and this record, some tracks did not age well for me. It is hard to say that Days Before Rodeo was simply hiding in the shadow of a bigger record like Rodeo, however; it is more true than wrong.
Songs like “BACC” or “Zombies” do not work for me, as they might have done a decade ago.
With over-stretched vocals and Travis’s undeveloped auto-tune range, those tracks do not intrigue me. There are still notable elements of Travis’s old mistakes that he focused on in future albums, such as unnecessary auto-tune, generic trap production, and monotone flow.
Now let’s talk about what changed in comparison to the initial 2014 version.
- So first, we don’t have a T.I. verse on “Quintana Pt.2” anymore, as it was removed. I would say it was a major decision, however, I do miss the beat switch that came along.
- “Grey” doesn’t have a “HUH” sample, and it sounds slightly offbeat to me.
- Lossless and Dolby ATMOS Version became available on Apple Music
- The cover no longer features the text “DAYS BEFORE RODEO.”
Aside from those minor changes, the album is mostly the same, only with better mixing and mastering. However, there is also a new Digital Deluxe Version which adds 5 new tracks, namely:
- Mocity Flexologist,” from 2014
- “Whole Lots Changed,” from 2015
- “Too Many Chances,” from 2015
- “Yeah Yeah” with Young Thug from 2016
- “Serenade” from 2016
All of those tracks were teased and partly leaked during the Birds and Rodeo era, and truthfully, it is surprising to have those tracks as finished products.
These tracks demonstrate to you how strong the period of the Rodeo era was.
Whether it is a punchy “Yeah Yeah” or a melodic and dynamic “Too Many Chances”, both show you the peak Travis Scott sound. Each of them resonates with a remarkable blend of Scott’s psychedelic production, vibrant energy, and nostalgic touch, creating a truly full experience.
This re-release is a great example of the implementation of a 10-year anniversary honorably and proudly. We can also hope that one day Travis is going to release his 1st mixtape Owl Pharoah on streaming services, but this may take another 5 or 10 years.
Days Before Rodeo is the record that showcases the rough and true work that may sound a bit dated or nostalgic for some, but still iconic.
I would rate this record alongside the Deluxe version, which is absolutely filled with amazing tracks, so I give this version of Days Before Rodeo an 8.5/10.
FINAL RATING: 8.5/10 ( GREAT )
FAVORITE TRACKS: “Skyfall”, “Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer”, “Too Many Chances,” “Serenade”, “Backyard”
LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS: “Zombies”, “Sloppy Toppy”
Scores guideline:
0–2 (dramatically bad)
2.1–4.5 (bad)
4.6–6 (mediocre/mid)
6.1–6.9 (Ok)
7–7.5 (good)
7.6–8.6 (great)
8.7–9.9 (amazing)
10 (perfect)
