Travis Scott is undoubtedly entering a new level of stardom, already having put his stamp on the footwear world and now shifting into sports. His latest single, “4×4,” has been the anthem for some fresh appearances in the sports world, additionally setting off speculations about his next moves with this first post-Utopia release. Here’s everything you need to know about the single.
It’s easy to tell why “4×4” was the selection for the Travis Scott halftime show at the CFB National championship. While “made for madden” can often be a pejorative in the realm of hip-hop, the anthemic production that the “SICKO MODE” rapper utilized for this release is truly anthemic, carrying a momentous atmosphere perfectly fit for the biggest stages.
Those who checked into his UTOPIA will know that this isn’t a new development, though, and grandiosity has been a critical part of the rapper’s signature sound at large for a number of years already. Instead, it’s the mixing, effects and delivery that present the most intrigue. Each of his fourth LP’s most lasting products (“FEIN,” “I KNOW?” and “TOPIA TWINS” among them) each relied on a murky, dimly-lit atmosphere, something that Travis Scott ditches entirely for “4×4.”
Travis Scott Taps Into Throwback Aesthetics For “4×4”
In its place, it’s an unquestionably more celebratory air, helped in part by the use of TSU’s horn section throughout the song, left alone in the spotlight in the instrumental close to the song. That production quirk does raise the question of some of the meta aspects of the song—whether Scott pieced this together with its eventual crossover appeal in mind (4×4 also earned Travis Scott placement as the official theme song of Netflix’s WWE Monday Night Raw). Of that same token, some of the ASTROWORLD vibes that the rapper sets up also appear like an intentional choice, from the tacit reference to its “5% Tint” in the lyrics or that this serves as Scott’s first link-up with Tay Keith post-“Sicko Mode.”
Finally, this marking the Houston MC’s first official release post-UTOPIA has already lit social media feeds with speculations about whether this means a new album is on the way. That speculation only added credence with his Coachella announcement, promising a “NEW CHAPTER” in accordance with his headline performance. If operating on a typical two-ish-year release cycle, we would be due for a Travis Scott album in 2025, aligning well with the gaps between his first three. Famously, however, it took just under five years for UTOPIA to come about, though there were a myriad of non-music incidents in the rapper’s life that likely delayed the release (the 2021 Houston tragedy and the birth of his daughter Stormi among them).
Regardless of when his next full-length comes about, chalking off a new chapter in any sense is reason for celebration in La Flame’s world and for his fanbase. You can catch 4×4 and all of the Travis Scott catalog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Mac Miller – Balloonerism provides a bittersweet capstone.
