In 2014, Houston native Jacques Webster II dropped his mixtape, “DAYS BEFORE RODEO” under the name Travi$ Scott. This mixtape was his biggest success thus far and became a cult classic in his fanbase. His most devoted fans believed that this mixtape, which was never released on streaming platforms legitimately, housed some of the artist’s greatest songs.
Fast forward ten years and on Aug. 23, 2024, “DAYS BEFORE RODEO” was given a wide release on streaming platforms, a vinyl release, and several digital download versions with bonus songs. Even though these songs originally came out years ago and are not technically “new music” I feel the need to review this mixtape as now that it is more accessible than ever, more and more people have a chance to enjoy, at least in my opinion, one of Travis Scott’s best projects.
As the name suggests, “DAYS BEFORE RODEO” was a mixtape that was released before Scott’s debut album, “Rodeo.” This tape serves as a bridge between his past project “Owl Pharaoh” and his forthcoming one. There are aspects of both projects connected in this mixtape, from continuations of songs off of “Owl Pharaoh” and production styles that would be heard on “Rodeo.”
The mixtapes opener “Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer” sets the stage for the entire project. The tone is set with the fast flows Scott delivers in the first half of the track. In the second half, the production style is previewed with psychedelic vocal chops and deep, sliding bass synths.
The following two tracks are some of the best trap that have ever been released with “Mamacita” and “Quintana Pt. 2.” Both of these tracks are phenomenal and show the evolved side of Scott’s “Owl Pharaoh” days with aggressive drums on “Mamacita” and beyond psychedelic synth runs on “Quintana Pt. 2.”
Travis Scott has had a number of mind blowing songs. On “UTOPIA” he gave us “TIL FURTHER NOTICE.” On “ASTROWORLD” he gave us “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD.” “Rodeo” had “Impossible.” All of these songs are more introspective and focus on Travis himself. The production mirrors that being less in your face and more flowy. From the distant harmonica on “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” to the eerie synths used in both “TIL FURTHER NOTICE” and “Impossible,” none of these tracks would have been possible without his greatest track ever, “Drugs You Should Try It.”
“DYSTI,” as it is commonly referred to, is Scott’s magnum opus. The guitar playing the simple melody with the reversed vocals over it creates the perfect atmosphere for the track. The drums on their own sound aggressive but in the context of the track they keep it moving and the energy exactly where it needs to be. This song is the perfect Travis Scott song and has yet to be topped even by his most introspective and deeper cuts.
Those opening four tracks showcase what the majority of this main mixtape is. The common styles of synths are reused and the energy, specifically on “Mamacita” is maintained all throughout the tape. The standouts include “Skyfall” which has a fantastic feature from Atlanta native, “Young Thug.” “Backyard” uses an old Marvin Gaye sample that is flipped with some stereotypical trap drums that create a fun track that never gets old.
It is at this point that the deluxe tracks start. There are 11 tracks that were released in four separate packs. The first pack included “Too Many Chances,” “Yeah Yeah,” “Serenade,” “Whole Lots Changed,” and the standout, “Mo City Flexologist.” This track was thought to be lost forever on a hard drive that had been broken eight years ago. To hear this fully mastered is incredible. The vocal chops that appear at the end of the song is nothing short of legendary.
The second pack came with two tracks. “Hold On” is an older cut that comes from his “Birds in the Trap” era that has features from both Young Thug and Quavo. “Respected” is another track from that same era and uses a similar style of synth that was frequently used on the “Birds” record.
Next up is pack three with two more songs, “Naughty” and “Too Many Options.” “Naughty” is just an extended snippet of a track with producer Metro Boomin. “Too Many Options” is a pure trap cut with Young Thug. Underscored by a detuned guitar riff, this track has some of the most incoherent vocals Young Thug has ever delivered. I have no idea what he is saying but the track is so groovy I do not care.
The final pack is the one I was most excited for. Pack four came with a remix of “Quintana Pt. 2” with a remixed ending from producer Mike Dean. The other track is “Houdini (feat. Playboi Carti).” This was a throwaway from “ASTROWORLD” but now this track has been fully mixed and mastered. I had heard this leak about a year ago and there was something about how upbeat it was that was just intoxicating. I’m not a big fan of Carti but this feature is one of his more tolerable ones. Either way, it is a joy to finally have an official version of this track on my Spotify (even if it is through my local files).
Overall, this mixtape is what made Travis Scott. You can trace his current style and production styles back to this tape. With some of his best songs and features on this tape, with it now being on streaming, more and more people can enjoy where the Houston artist came from. And while a few of the bonus songs I could have gone without, the tracks like “Houdini” and “Mo City Flexologist” make it worth it. 9/10.
Featured Image: This is the Days Before Rodeo album cover. This mixtape was released initially on Aug. 18, 2014 and on DSPs on Aug. 23.
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