Everybody knows the stigma surrounding rap music. Since it’s insurgence in the late 1970’s, it has been consistently misunderstood and underestimated as a valid art form. But rap is powerful, and it’s cultural impact is important.
The cultural importance of rap music has perhaps never been as glaringly obvious as it was last week, when Travis Scott and Fortnite hosted the largest in game gathering to date. 12.3 million players logged onto the virtual Battle Royal for the event. That’s roughly half of Australia’s population alone.
The event was an aesthetically awesome three day virtual festival by the rapper, which more than lived up to its theme. Astronomical. Fans tuned in to listen to the rapper amidst their iso-blues, but the main attraction was the highly anticipated premier of Scott and Kid Cudi’s collaboration; ‘THE SCOTTS’.
The gamification of Travis Scott’s concert presents a new landscape for fans and artists to interact. Not only were players treated to a visually stunning and entirely free concert from one of the biggest artists of his generation, but they also had the chance to unlock Scott’s most famous outfits by competing challenges.
Scott was scheduled to headline Coachella in April, which was postponed due to the ‘Rona. Reaching out to fans through an online gaming site is an creative way to connect with his fanbase and to promote new music in a covid-19 world.
Social isolation has left a lot of people feeling lonely and well, isolated from the outside world. Humans crave interaction, which has meant that the last few months have been particularly hard on a lot of us. Which is why this collaboration between Scott and Fortnite is so innovative. The world is changing faster than it ever has in my lifetime, and it looks like a rap artist and a video game are leading the way.
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