My Story by Travi$ Scott

This couldn’t have come at a better time in my career, to be honest. I would say y’all caught on to me late because I’ve been doing music for a while, but if y’all would’ve caught onto me before, I wouldn’t have been prepared for right now and shit. Now, I feel like I’m fully prepared musically, mentally, spiritually and shit.

Back in high school, I was a fuckin’ nerd. I was a nerd. I went around real fashionistas and street niggas, so it’s like, I was just all in that mix man. Kind of what influenced my music—T.I. and Kanye West—that was my life. I was a smart kid, I went to private school in middle school and got kicked out. Then when I went to high school, it was my first public school, so it was just all my niggas—I grew up in that area, so it was whatever. It was ill as fuck, man, being a freshman I was like, ‘I gotta make a statement!’

I remember seeing Kid Cudi on [the] first installment of the freshman shit and I was like, “Man—this shit is fresh as fuck,” because Cudi is one of my favorite artists. I was like, Man! Being on XXL, [it’s] a big thing, especially where I’m from—that’s all niggas pick up.

Now I am with this cover. I feel like this is all happening right on time. Like, being around Tip, being around Kanye and these guys already knowing about me and shit and reaching out—it’s a blessing. Some of my favorite artists, like I remember doing an interview with one of y’all and every artist on that list [that I mentioned wanting to work with] I’ve worked with. Except for M.I.A. Everyone on that list, I’ve worked with, I have songs with them. It’s a blessing, man. Just to even see Kirko Bangz in the here, it’s like, “We here, my nigga!” When’s the last time a Houston artist ever just came up? We puttin’ on for the city and shit. I’m doing it in another way, just like very artistically and just giving it that newer fresher sound just like him. Being on this cover just tells me that I gotta work even harder. I gotta put on extra hard, just as far my artistry and good records, good songs, good material— just for people to rock out to, you know what I’m saying? And also to really fill that void for the youth. Showing that young niggas can really create ill music, create structured and ill sonics.

2013, there’s a new wave of artists. Jay-Z, all these people are cool but it’s like, ‘We’re here to take that shit over! That shit’s about to be deaded!’ That shits been cool for a number of years, but me, personally, I’m not trying to hear that shit no more. I’m trying to hear the youth. I’m trying to hear the new Jay-Z, the new muthafuckin’ Jeezy—you know what I’m saying? I fuck with these artists hard, because they influenced me, but it’s like, ‘Who’s next?’ I think we in the building right now and shit.

My work ethic is crazy. I’m a producer, an artist, and a video director. So it’s like, I make my beats, I write the songs, and I direct the video. I really make the beats—and these are real beats I’m talking about. I just love that shit, creating new sonics, really pushing the radio. I talk to Kanye all the time, and he’ll always tell me, “Push the radio, man.” You gotta push that shit. Just creating sonics, man—the youth is here! That’s what I hope to prove with this Owl Pharoah EP. This shit is so ill. I’ve got Bon Iver, Common, muthafuckin’ Tori y Mori, Gunplay, Fredo Santata—all these niggas man. I put these niggas—Wale—I put these niggas on beats you’ve never heard before and it’s like the illest shit. I’ve got a song with Roscoe Dash—that’s next level, man. You’re gonna swear this is an album, man. You’re gonna be like, ‘This nigga gave this ho away? When’s this nigga gonna sell this?’

Overall, I feel like with this experience, people are gonna understand who I am as an artist, so my singles and my album—it’s building that core fan base, man. Building real fans who will buy your shit, whether there’s a problem with whoever. They’re supporting every single, every album. Because this shit is hard—it’s hard to be an artist. You’ve gotta really touch people to move them to buy your records. So through XXL and through all these media outlets, it’s like y’all giving us a voice!

I’m thankful for that.

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