The hype on twitter had finally exploded. I put on my headphones and open up Spotify. Sure enough, Travis Scott’s Astroworld was the first recommended album. I smash the shuffle button and I am greeted by a brief Drake feature, then the party starts.

When Scott came in, it was as if my ears had been invited to an all out brawl. Line after line I was being tossed around by Scott’s bars and the banging beat. The next track, “NO BYSTANDERS”, plays, and I’m met with Juice WRLD appropriately screaming, “the party never ends.” His war-cry like feature was foreshadowed what was to come. Scott delivers some of the fastest and hardest-hitting bars in the history of his career in such a short time, which leaves me both extremely overwhelmed and incredibly satisfied.

Unfortunately it was 2 a.m. when I first started the album, so I decided to end the night on a high note and sleep on two amazing songs, eager to wake up to more heat.

The true opening track of the album, “STARGAZING”, rapidly shifts from angelic vocals to a beat that pleases the soul. As a sort of sequel, the track “CAROUSEL” plays off of the energy created by the previous song in a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

“STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” was the next song on the album that truly wowed me. With its themes of religion and power structure, the song is a melodic creation that has lessons all listeners can take away from it. Compared to the previous track, “RIP SCREW”, which is an emotional ode to the deceased Houston DJ, this song leaves the listener feeling much more satisfied with Scott’s work.

Unfortunately, after this point the album’s luster began to wane on me. Apart from the song “WAKE UP” featuring fan favorite artist The Weeknd, the middle section of the album is mostly forgettable and I didn’t feel completely impacted by it.

It was at this point where I was unsure if Astroworld was living up to the hype that had been surrounding it for the past few months.

This feeling of uncertainty in the album’s true strength faded as soon as it appeared. I was rapidly met with familiar beats and bars in the track that had started the hype around Astroworld in the first place: “BUTTERFLY EFFECT”. Scott’s theme of staying true to himself while still enjoying the luxuries that fame has afforded him resonated with me and earned my respect for him.

The final two tracks on the album are a sweet dessert to the full course meal I had been experiencing throughout Astroworld. “HOUSTONFORNICATION”, the first of the two, is another ode to Scott’s hometown life and culture, proving he hasn’t forgotten his origins on his rise to success. The final song, “COFFEE BEAN”, is a soft rant by Scott, discussing his anxieties living as a black man with a family in the modern era.

In all honesty, this album was well worth the wait. I truly felt as if Scott’s messages and themes and the power with which he delivered them were reminiscent of his fan favorite album, Rodeo. However, I feel like this album stands as much more than a successor to Scott’s previous projects. Astroworld is a non-stop stream of consciousness from Scott’s mind, ranging from struggles with anxiety and loss to enjoying all of the luxuries that come with being considered “la Flame”.