Björk’s Volta track “Wanderlust,” Fun’s soaring “We Are Young,” and “Soundtrack 2 My Life” by Kid Cudi are among the songs Travis Scott names, which have played a significant part in the soundtrack of his life. The rapper and Rolling Stone cover star sat down with us for a look into the music that has left some of the most meaningful impressions on him as an artist throughout his life and career.
Scott begins his list with Aphex Twin’s “Cow Cud Is a Twin,” which he stumbled upon while watching Chris Cunningham videos (who has directed videos for the British musician) with a friend from school who listened to garage and punk music. Next, Scott recalls how the music video for “Wanderlust” changed his life, saying, “It ruined my day in a good way. Nothing got done. I was like, What the fuck?” While he knew of Björk, he credits the song for making him a fan.
“33 God” by Bon Iver also makes the cut, and Scott calls frontman Justin Vernon, who has inspired him since he was a kid, “one of the greatest artists to ever live.” The rapper points out that Vernon worked on Utopia, which debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. “You’ve got to dive in on Utopia,” advises Scott. “There’s a lot of my favorite people that I work with or inspire me since day one.”
Scott also points to Fun’s “We Are Young,” reflecting, “I feel like everybody heard it at the same time. … I think that song is the pinnacle of everyone’s soul — the beat, everything, is how everyone feels as soon as the sun goes down.”
Scott then moves to “Retrograde” by James Blake, who was one of the first people he met in L.A. “Everything he does, from his live performances, the way he makes music, his beats, vocals, everything — dude is a genius,’” states Scott.
Before introducing his next track choice, Scott chuckles and says “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” by Kanye West. “That song embodies every young, old, full-of-spirit person that you know got something they want to go for,” says Scott.
The beginning to the final part of “Soundtrack 2 My Life” left such a lasting mark on Scott that by the time the song ended, he felt like he and Cudi “were like brothers.” Scott, who was in high school when he first heard the track, says seeing audiences resonate with Cudi’s music gave him the confidence to tell his own narrative. “I was like, OK, people will hopefully understand what I got — the story I gotta tell,” Scott recalls thinking at the time. Scott was also drawn to Portishead’s “Western Eyes,” which prompted him to question “why rappers didn’t rap on that type of rap.”
Second to last on the list, Scott naturally embraces “Impossible” off his 2015 debut Rodeo, likening the song to ecstasy and DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) — though not the drug, just the feeling that people chase. “When I hear that shit, it’s like, that’s the release I get,” says Scott.
To close out his list of 10 songs that have made an impact on his life, Scott hat tips “Mo City Don” from Z-Ro. “That our national anthem from where I’m from,” says Scott, a Houston native. “He’s a Mo City legend,” adds the rapper, “Never forget that.”
