“The Party Never Ends”.
Since the beginning of the last decade, the name Travis Scott has been uttered millions of times in conversations spanning any and all subjects in Pop Culture. From Fashion to Film and of course Music, Travis has cemented himself as one of, if not the biggest, pop culture icons in the world.
Born Jacques Webster II, the 29 year-old Houston, Texas native has made a habit of sticking his name in places where it traditionally doesn’t belong.
His career began in music, as a talented producer and rapper he was first noticed by an agent representing fellow rapper T.I. before being signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music label in 2013.
Since then, he has released 2 mixtapes (Owl Pharaoh, Days Before Rodeo) and 3 studio albums (Rodeo, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, Astroworld) to critical and commercial success. His last album was even nominated for Rap Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2019, losing to Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy.
Astroworld brought about a new era for Travis, launching a merch line that is still constantly sought after, and creating his own Music Festival of the same name in his native Houston. The festival and album share the same origin, representing the now defunct theme park in Texas formerly known as Astroworld. His commitment to bringing his memories and visions to life is extraordinary when compared to other artists in the genre.
He even performed a host of tracks from the album inside the video game Fortnite during COVID-19 isolation, just to keep the party going.
In March 2017, he founded Cactus Jack records, signing Texan artists such as Sheck Wes and Don Toliver, who would later go on to collaborate with each other on label mixtape Jackboys in the early months of 2020.
Through Cactus Jack, Travis would find a new lane in his branding. Breaking his own way into collaborative marketing, he has crossed paths with brands such as Air Jordan, OFF-WHITE, Reese’s Puffs and McDonalds just to name a few.
On resale marketplace StockX, Scott’s Jordan 1 shoes are currently going for around $2,500 a pair. A box of his cereal? $300. (Make that $500 if you want the bowl and spoon). His own line of merch based mainly around Astroworld and the tour that ensued averages to around $200 – $500 for lower end items. The craziest part is that there are thousands of sales a week for merch that is over 2 years old. That’s because with Travis, the party never ends.
This has been ever so apparent in 2020 per his recent efforts with Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet and global food chain McDonalds.
Travis produced a song for the film’s soundtrack which plays over its end credits. Included in the IMAX screenings of Tenet is a music video for his newest song Franchise that plays before the film opens. The video is directed by Scott himself and is shot on IMAX Cameras, just like Tenet.
It’s not Travis’ first foray into film, as a Netflix documentary titled Look Mom, I Can Fly based on the crazy life I’ve described to you was released in 2019.
His collaboration with McDonalds is what has turned him into a household name. He created his own meal, the aptly named “Travis Scott Meal” which he claims to be the “exact same order I had back in Houston”. A play on the classic Quarter Pounder with Cheese (who’s French counterpart we all know and love), including fries and a Sprite, the $6 meal caused shortages of ingredients across the USA due to its popularity.
Alongside the meal, he released a wave of over 70 pieces of merchandise branded with the Cactus Jack name, from T-Shirts to Basketballs to a body pillow in the shape of a Chicken McNugget.
Nothing ever seems like enough for Scott, who continues to produce content outside the music box the public would choose to put him in, even expressing interest in one day creating his own Broadway Musical.
With more music, movie-grade videos and of course collaborations and merchandise to come, the party never really ends for Travis Scott, the Millennial Every Man.
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