Travis Scott Avoids Rihanna Questions on ESPN

Though he just recently released his debut studio album, Rodeo, to mixed reviews, Travi$ Scott has found himself in the inner circles of some of rap and pop music's most powerful figures. This can be traced, first and foremost, to his work with Kanye West: the young Texan was apparently a key component of studio sessions for West's similarly divisive 2013 album, Yeezus. (Scott also produced for Jay Z's 2013 album, Magna Carta Holy Grail.) Rodeo follows suit, sporting contributions from West, Future, Swae Lee, Young Thug, Justin Bieber and a bevy of other famous artists and producers. But now, he's been linked to the top of the totem pole in a more, well, intimate way, with the persistent rumors that he's dating Rihanna. Because this is 2015 and the press cycle is a voracious, all-consuming thing, the rapper hit a 24-hour sports network to avoid talking about the whole thing.

Yesterday (Sept. 16), Scott appeared on ESPN's Highly Questionable, a popular sports-meets-pop-culture show co-hosted by Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones that has become a go-to spot for rappers to flex their most absurd personality traits. (Migos, Lil Wayne, Jim Jones, Rich Homie Quan, Yelawolf and more have made appearances in recent months.) Scott--chains rattling in the microphone like Cam during his Rap City freestyle--recounted the story of scamming his parents out of money while sleeping on couches in New York and was candid about the fact that he justifies the experience because of the outcome. But he clammed up at each mention of Rihanna, repeatedly laughing, burying his head in his hands and calling the hosts "crazy," and finally admitting that he considered her "an amazing artist." All that said, with Rodeo sitting at #1 on Billboard's Rap Albums chart, Scott did feel comfortable reading some very erotic literature like Rob Gronkowski. Watch that here, courtesy of ESPN.