Utopia is coming.
As he gears up for the next chapter of his career, Travis Scott covers the Spring 2021 issue of i-D, which was photographed at his home in Los Angeles by Spike Jonze.
The 28-year-old Houston rapper has kept a tight lid on details, but he opens up to one of his favorite directors, Robert Rodriguez, about the highly-anticipated follow-up to Astroworld, some of which he has been recording in Mexico.
“I never tell people this, and I’m probably going to keep it a secret still, but I’m working with some new people and I’m just trying to expand the sound,” says Travis. “I’ve been making beats again, rapping on my own beats, just putting everything together and trying to grow it really. That’s been one of the most fun things about working on this album. I’m evolving, collaborating with new people, delivering a whole new sound, a whole new range.”
Travis, who says he’s been “way more productive” during the pandemic, has been challenging himself to push the envelope. “It’s never about repeating myself, I’m just trying to make the next saga… each album is like a saga,” he adds. “There’s so much more ground I can cover, and I want to cover it, and I love the challenge of it. I want to make a fu**ing new sound. I might spend days banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out, but once I do it, it’s like ultimate ecstasy.”
He also credits his daughter Stormi, who joined her dad for the photo shoot, for influencing his music. “Fatherhood influences my job. It has a huge impact. It’s a major inspiration, you know what I’m saying? Especially Storm, she’s just acting like a kid. She’s always interested, she catches on and learns things and adapts to things so fast.”
He stopped short of revealing a release date for Utopia, only saying that it’s “coming soon.”
Meanwhile, Travis remains busy with his other ventures including his CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer, which launches March 15. He is also hoping to bring back his Astroworld festival “around November.”
i-D’s “The Utopia in Dystopia Issue” will be available worldwide Feb. 25. Earlier today, La Flame celebrated the magazine’s release with fans at his i-D x Cactus Jack pop-up newsstand on Fairfax Ave. in L.A.