Kanye West & Other Artists React To Travis Scott’s ‘Astroworld’ Artwork
Rapper Travis Scott released the cover art for his upcoming album Astroworld Tuesday, and the rap world went crazy. Vibe called the cover “colorful and eccentric,” and rap artists chimed in with words of praise on Instagram. It’s obvious that excitement is high for this one. It’s set for release Friday, August 3.
Included in the cover art is an inflatable in the shape of the rapper also known as Cactus Jack and La Flame’s head. Similar inflatables have been showing up around the country from Los Angeles to New York City of late, adding to fan anticipation of his first studio album since 2016’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. Families are shown walking into the open mouth of the inflatable. Two children stand closer to the viewer, one eating popcorn and the other holding a drink and tossing their popcorn into the air as they jump. The image is reminiscent of an amusement park with pennant streamers, a rocket, an old car, and the ground littered with popcorn and crushed cups and popcorn containers. Photographer David LaChapelle is the creator of the work that is said to be inspired by an amusement park in Scott’s home state of Texas when he was a child, Six Flags: Astroworld.
An alternate version that La Flame posted to his Instagram account is less family friendly. The same location serves as the basis for the scene, but it’s after dark and includes women in various states of undress and in a variety of poses.
Scott posted his thanks to the artist after the release of the cover art.
DAVID LACHAPELLE THANK U FOR BRINGING ASTROWORLD TO LIFE WHATS IN STORE I CANT WAIT.
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) July 31, 2018
Artists including Kanye West, 2 Chainz, The Weeknd, and Sheck Wes shared the cover art on their Instagram accounts Tuesday and had nothing but praise. Sheck Wes captioned his post with a long line of trophy emojis. Kanye kept his “comment” to a row of flames, and 2 Chainz said simply, “This cover hard.” The Weeknd chimed in with a slightly longer caption that read, “bro is this f***ing fire @travisscott are you kidding me?”
Scott gave fans a little preview of what they can expect on Astroworld with the release of a video for his single titled “Stargazing.” It drummed up lots of interest with a post-apocalyptic setting that includes planets, UFOs, and other images in line with an outer space theme.
Travis Scott’s real name is Jacques Berman Webster II. At 26-years-old he has made a name for himself as a rapper, producer, singer, and songwriter. Hailing from Houston, Texas, Astroworld will be his third studio album. The other two were titled Rodeo, which was released in 2015, and Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, which was released in 2016. He also collaborated with Quavo of the Migos on the album Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, which was released in 2017.
