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Fans Are Comparing 'Utopia' to Kanye West's 'Yeezus'
On Friday (July 28), Travis Scott finally released his highly anticipated album Utopia. The 19-track effort is jam-packed with features from A-list artists like SZA, Playboi Carti, Sheck Wes, Future, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Teezo Touchdown, Drake, and more. Although the album was met with mainly positive reactions, some fans on social media pointed out the Yeezus-inspired sounds of the new project. At its release in 2013, Yeezus was met with mixed reviews. While some defined the album as trailblazing and pushing toward a unique sound, many hated it. Scott dropped his version of the sonically defiant rap project a decade later.
Did people forget Travis Scott produced on Yeezus, and Kanye pulled some inspiration from what Travis was doing at the time?
I’m not surprised to see Travis returning to some of these sounds
— Eric Skelton (@ericskelton) July 28, 2023
With the cinematic project drawing comparisons to Kanye West’s sixth studio album, fans also started to point out how the branding of the album was similar. Esteemed journalist and social commentator Lawrence Burney used this opportunity to give a history lesson to music fans. While some fans championed the “Bound 2” creator for breaking the mold on Yeezus, Burney pointed out B L A C K I E’s influence on the 2013 album. In a quote retweet, Burney says, “If you was hip to B L A C K I E at the turn of the 2010s, you knew 100% it had to be, at minimum, reference material for Yeezus.”
If you was hip to BLACKIE at the turn of the 2010s, you knew 100% it had to be, at minimum, reference material for Yeezus. https://t.co/NOWQU0ry0C
— Lawrence Burney (@TrueLaurels) July 28, 2023
A few other journalists chimed in the replies to show love to B L A C K I E and his influence on both musicians. Scott was credited as a collaborator on West’s Yeezus, along with Daft Punk, Mike Dean, Frank Ocean, and some others. Therefore, seeing the genre-bending creative dive back into a soundscape he seemed to have moved past with his most recent work is fascinating. Nonetheless, the “Sicko Mode” rapper is set to have a successful first week on the Billboard charts following all the commotion from his most recent album. The Houston-bred emcee also released a movie titled Circus Maximus to pair with his latest full-length effort.
Stream Utopia here below!