TRAVIS SCOTT: INTOWN’S “PERSON OF THE YEAR”
By: Virginia Billeaud Anderson
On February 14, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced by press release he had awarded hip-hop artist Travis Scott a key to the city of Houston during Scott’s sold out Astroworld: Wish You Were Here concert at Toyota Center. Video captured the arm-swinging gestures Turner used to express giddiness over be-knighting Scott, as well as the thunderous reaction of Scott’s fans. Turner oratorically yelled, “We owe so much to this guy, for keeping Houston on the map. As the mayor of the City of Houston, I feel so proud. Because of him we want to bring another amusement park back to Houston. I want you to know this city loves you. I want to present to you a key to the City of Houston.”
Arguably, Travis Scott is Houston’s top banana, and the Mayor’s press release summed up why. It described the rapper as “a great ambassador for art, education and youth initiatives in the City of Houston, and a strong advocate and supporter of our great city.” The release cited Scott’s Super Bowl LIII halftime show, and 61st annual Grammy Awards Show performances, as well as his coercing the NFL into donating $500,000 to the social justice organization Dream Corps in exchange for performing. It further noted his $200,000 gift to the mayor’s Complete Communities initiative which subsidizes low income neighborhoods. “Beyond his financial generosity, Travis has been a vocal champion of civic engagement among young people and millennials.”
Sylvester Turner’s slam dunking his new term in the December 14 run-off increases the likelihood Scott will get to dabble in the Mayor’s proposed amusement park, a venue Turner called “an entertainment destination for local families, which will attract interest from a global audience.” This, harnessed to the hip-hop artist’s phenomenal music industry success, awards and nominations, entrepreneurial talents, and philanthropy, inspires us to name Travis Scott Intown’s “Person of the Year.”
In January, Forbes noted that Scott’s Astroworld: Wish You Were Here album topped Billboard charts, and his Astroworld tour grossed over $65 million. Several months before, Rolling Stone critically described Scott’s pyrotechnic Astroworld concerts at Madison Square Garden as the greatest show in the world. Scott’s song Sicko Mode became the highest charting solo, with rap lyrics that bow to the mother of his child, Kylie Jenner, who landed the cover of Forbes as a young billionaire. Fans became unhinged when Scott performed Sicko Mode at the Super Bowl. “Baby mama cover Forbes, got these other bitches shook.”
Overwhelmingly, Scott’s racially diverse fans regard him as more than a singer, songwriter and music producer. He is a symbol of empowerment, and at every turn Scott acknowledges his desire to inspire others. He proclaimed it in Playboy, and made it a mantra in the August 2019 Netflix documentary Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly, which portrays scenes of success and fame butted up against footage from childhood, the camera jerks from a modest suburban bedroom to sold out arenas and diamond covered grillz. “I just wanna leave the whole world inspired, I want to leave a trail of inspiration.”
One way to leave a trail of inspiration is to broadcast career highpoints to your 22 million Instagram followers – Grammy Award nomination, Saturday Night Live appearance, Jimmy Fallon Show (charmed the pants off that audience,) modeling PUMA with Rihanna, Harper’s Bazaar cover, Nike deal.
Another is to collaborate with other artists. He created Cactus Jack Records the rapper said to sign new names and provide opportunities. And shield from vultures. One insider, Chase B, shared a crucial component of such alliances: work with people who are passionate about taking their craft as far as possible, who have no Plan B, a creed Scott reinforces on Twitter, “Keep God first and stick to the plan” and “Never let fear obstruct your vision.” His widely distributed message, essentially to be your best self, makes Scott extraordinarily influential among millennials.
Digital streaming, apparently, is not sufficiently lucrative. Hip-hop artist Fat Joe explained this fiscal reality in a recent CNBC interview, saying music is a springboard to other businesses. In other words, it’s the “merch” that pays for the Lamborghinis and Cristal. Product endorsement and merchandising are integral. In the manner that billionaire rapper Jay-Z co-branded PUMA sneakers, Scott partnered with Nike to market Air Jordan 6 “Cactus Jack” sneakers. And developed his own merch line, tee shirts, hoodies, and established endorsement relationships, Yves Saint Laurent, others.
After he dropped out of college and moved to New York to pursue music, that naughty child continued to take college expense money from his mother, who cut him off the minute she caught-on. The pride on her face in the Netflix documentary however reveals she has forgiven her son, whose real name is Jacques Webster (b. 1992), “He told me he was gonna be somebody.”