Travis Scott Takes Over Hot 97 in the AM to Talk New Album, Kid Cudi, and Cruel Winter! lyrics

[Playing "Antidote" ]

[Peter Rosenberg] Travis can we start off with uh what the name of your album is and what the hell it means cause when I saw it I was deeply confused

[Travis Scott]
My albums called Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight
And I'mma keep it short for this explanation
But, its basically its you know
Anybody creative thats kind of like been stuck and had a problem getting the idea out, it took me 8 months just to get the "90210" video out, with Hype Williams
It took me six months just to get the action figure out
It shouldn't take no one, no artist that long, you know
Just to you know get something idea out
Especially something thats going to culturally shift
You know, the world musically
Now the music's more towards the independent artists
I feel like in a couple years
We all be able to fly around and do what we want

[Rosenberg] But Why Sings McKnight?

[Travis Scott]
Cause, I wanted Andre 3000 with the whole album
I had this play idea, Act I, Act II, Act III
And then later on I was like
With the visuals I can make it more of a play
But theres no way I can make a album out of a play
I'm too much of a rager for this sh*t to be like (sorry, stuff)
For Stuff, for stuff to be to that you know
I didn't want people to overthink it
I didn't want it to look too much so I feel like the
Only thing that needed to be complicated was my title
People to understand it, and the music straight forward
[Rosenberg]
And thats exactly what it is you could have a party to this album and just let the whole album play

[Ebro] What do you want to listen to?

[Travis Scott]
I want to start with "the ends" thats my favorite song even if you skippin' around you gotta start there
Travis Scotts taking over the show
It's Travis Scott in the morning

[Playing "The Ends"]

[Playing "Pick Up The Phone"]
It's Travis Scott its HOT 97 in the morning

[Rosenberg]
Wait why do you get to talk
It's Travis Scott in the morning, let him say it

[Travis Scott]
It's Travis Scott in the morning
Hot 97, Ebro, Rosenberg, Laura Styles lets get it

[Peter Rosenberg]
Ebro I don't know if you realize this
Theres probably a pretty good chance, knowing Hot 97
It will be Travis Scott in here at some point and I'll still be sitting in the same seat, its a pretty good chance
[Ebro]
I think what happens is they bump you out and keep me, in a order thats the order of operation

[Ebro]
Wait, Travis out of all the young artists, you are on what, your third project now, you were one of the artists I gravitated to first just cause I can understand what you're saying
I'm just figuring out Young Thug, like I was late to it, but the style of music that you're creating who, who were you inspirations, who did you pattern yourself after, you're 24 now?

[Travis]
I looked up to M.I.A. and Kid Cudi man he's really one of the main dudes I kinda looked at and listened to all the time
He saved my life
He saved me from doing random bad things to myself
Kept me focused like..

[Ebro]
Just through his music or personal relationship

[Travis Scott]
Just through his music because I didn't meet him 'til
The first time I met Kanye was the first time I ever met him
But I didn't really meet no Cudi until like earlier like
Late late late last year when he came by the studio one time just to like talk to me

[Rosenberg]
What was it about Cudi's music that spoke to you so much?

[Travis Scott]
I feel like he really dialed in on like, the youth and really dialed in on like, inspiration, how to inspire you
His words were very selected, on like what to do
I feel like he always made the soundtrack to my life
Or anybody's life who was like going through the same thing
If you a big Cudi fan you know exactly what I'm sayin' like, he says the exact same things you growing up with
But makes it sound way cooler
I went through this, I went through that
My mom didn't have this, we had to go through this
You know we had to go through Christmas to do this
But the beats and everything just sounded like
You know, the Nutcracker
[Rosenberg]
Do you think, do you think
And you were saying off the air too
Do you think he gets credit for being a cultural influence?

[Travis Scott]
Nah not at all cause I think, you know
Cudi should be like a top tier artist up there man alongside
With these other artists who like, are number one, you know
I think he fathered a lot of, a lot of the music
A lot of style of music

[Ebro]
Well, we know what he did for Kanye for sure, like
Everybody talks about that

[Travis Scott]
He's a good influence and you know, a good help
His writing and his mind
He makes beats I don't think people know that
He made "Sky Might Fall" you know, he made mad beats
He made some beats on 808s and heartbreak, he's super dope he can write

[Rosenberg]
Speaking of which, who did the beats on this album, on your record

[Travis Scott]
Vinylz, I always work with Wondagurl on every album
Can't do a album without her
TM, this kid named dax, Murda, Cardo
Its weird though, I only have 4 producers or something like that 4-5 producers

[Ebro]
You wrote with and worked with Rihanna
You wrote with and worked with Kanye West on several things
Some other artists, I don't want to run through the whole thing But what else are you doing besides writing your verses

[Travis Scott]
Well when I first came into the game I made beats
Thats what I did, I had to give people my own beats
As a artist I lost a lot of lot of lot of time to make beats
I wanted to focus on raps because I felt like when I came up here I wasn't the best rapper, I had the best beats
I was doing Cruel Summer, I worked on Yeezus
With those albums, like by the I got to Jay Z albums
I was already having ill songs, so it just turned into me just giving people my songs, you know
On 'Ye album or her album, so on
I sat and worked with them on the whole album
Whether it was for two or three months, picking mad beats
Whether its different people beats or, taking out the drums
Putting my drums

[Rosenberg]
How do you know how to like craft something for someone else

[Travis]
I always see it, I'ma tell ya'll something about myself
I was always making music

[Rosenberg] You were mimicking other stash

[Travis]
Mimicking other artists, when I was 13-14 years old
Making beats and making music just to get the sound, right
And so like, I think every producer, any young producer
So like when they make like their favorite rapper
Made that beat, make the same rap just to understand okay this how they did it

[Ebro] To Understand

[Travis]
Just to understand it completely, okay the breakdown
So when I grew up, I was like you gotta translate it to your own songs, so that kinda grew me up like welded me
I'm a big fan of people man, a lotta people feel themselves

[Laura]
Thats so important that you say that because
Not a lot of people come out and say yo I'm a true fan and I love

[Rosenberg]
Who are you the biggest stan of you've worked with so far, musically

[Travis Scott]
Kid Cudi but
But I'mma say, I'mma say, I've been in the studio with Jay-Z dawg
And at first I was not that a big of a Jay-Z fan bro
But bro, bro, bro bro
I don't even know how old this guy is (no one knows)
This dude, I've never seen him pick up a pen
I seen him do the Magna Carter
This dude's freestylin' the whole album, with facts though
You know, him and Andre 3000 too though
Lotta people be talkin' bout Andre
Like why he not dropping music
Man that man has information man
He know how to play the piano man like
Frank Sinatra style, Beethoven style

[Laura] Do you have information on his new Outcast album

[Travis Scott] I'm not talking about that man

[Laura]
I tried to get it out

[Ebro]
It's Travis Scott takeover, let me bail him out
We don't want this to get crazy we want this to go right

[Rosenberg]
What's your favorite
Of the songs you've been involved in for other people, whats the one you're most proud of? The one they hear it on the radio
They're like man thats a great record, I'm glad I did that

[Travis]
You know what, the most I'm proud of is uhh
The one thats not out yet man, the one thats not out yet
Hopefully come
I know that

[Ebro] What are you sayin'? I don't understand what you're saying
So its Birds In The Trap, there's song you didn't put on it?

[Rosenberg]
No you mean a song with someone else, a collab, collab

[Travis] Oh you said a collab

[Rosenberg]
Like you worked on a record
You worked on a Kanye song or a Rihanna song
When you hear it you're like yes I love that

[Ebro] What are you saying, I don't understand

[Rosenberg] No with someone else a collab

[Travis]
Oh I thought you said a album I thought you're sayin' a collab

[Travis]
Oh yeah thats what I'm saying the song thats not out yet

[Rosenberg] Oh its with someone big? its with a singer?

[Travis]
Yeah its with Kid Cudi. Facts

[Rosenberg]
He says that based on Facts

Ebro
Well lets get into another record from Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight, what do you want to play man

[Travis] lets do that sweet sweet
You gotta prep em "sweet sweet" then "goosebumps"

[playing "Goosebumps"]

[Travis]
Shoutout K Dot
Thank you Punch bro, I love you, you the man

[Rosenberg]
Were you surprised like did you know you would get that done
Or were you surprised when it got done

[Travis]
I'mma keep it all the way 100 man
A lot of these features on the album
I was surprised every time someone was like, Yo I'mma at least try

I'mma at least try, when I hit up Brock shoutout Brock
I need this K-dot verse
I seen he had a show
I seen they were singing "Antidote" and was doing it with them
Like I'm on Kendrick radar
That was the second time I was him, I met him at the VMA's before like
He walked up to me like yo man my names kendrick da da da
Yo, your music is very inspirational, I love it, its like super dope
I love your last album, I was like what?
You be barring, bro you be barring N's out like
You be R.I.Ping N's on the track man like
You just walked up to me and was just like yo
I'm Travis, when I be rappin', I be really listening to your music
Like this dude just said a lot of bars man
These raps I got be lookin' like this spaced out man
I'm like man

[Laura]
Were you in the studio with Kendrick when you recorded

[Travis]
Nah cause he was dropping that album
I think he dropped the Untitled album
So as soon as that album came out
He sent me, Brock sent me the verse
Like "yo he hit you with the verse"
I listened to the whole song I always thought the song was so good
Yo when that dude hit the high note
I was like yo man this dude is on some other sh*t
I think he really go in the booth and make moments when he's 'bout to kill peoples tracks
I think they make R.I.P. tees when he bout to go in
They press em up like
We bout to do this Control verse
We bout to do this Travis verse
We bout' to RIP everybody, like for the year
We gon' line up everybody grave sites
Like, boom we got Travis right here

[Rosenberg] the Khaled one, he went crazy

[Travis Scott]
I think he purposely..
I be wanting to call him man, like who you mad at bro
You be blacking out on these things like
But thats the mental man
And thats why he the greatest artist man cause he got that focus man
Cause I don't care if its a feature, I'm treating it like its my song
You know what I'm saying, and as a artist, thats how I treat the beats when ya'll see me get on a feature like the "No Limit" Usher joint I had to redo the whole drums on the whole thing
I ain't like the drums, I wanted the drums to be harder

[Rosenberg]
And You could tell someone like Usher like nah I don't like this the way it is

[Travis Scott]
Yeah, Usher came to me like if you wanna do the drums man take it over, and I was like, Thank You

[Rosenberg]
But thats gotta be a crazy honor coming from someone like Usher

[Travis Scott]
But thats what I'm sayin' like
I be in the studio with these guys and like
They be like yo man, please man just like
Take the drums, take whatever
Take this out, you know what I'm sayin'
And I just be like yo ,this dude know how to turn this up
This dude know how to do this, he know how to do this
I can do this, I can get us all in a room
And this is whats gonna happen, know what I'm saying

[Rosenberg]
A few years ago, everybody was talking about you
I think it was the freshman show
You come through, and there's T.I involved
Theres Kanye involved, theres nine different labels involved
And the conversation in the industry
Theres a thousand chefs in the kitchen
Is it ever gonna come out
Is the Travis Scott thing ever gonna
Are you super satisfied you are out there you are fully a entity

[Travis]
Yeah yeah its just so weird
People think these dudes are with me all the time
Thats just not the case at all
I probably talk to these guys 3, 4, 5, 15 times a year

Ebro
You start at three and went to fifteen


[Travis] Three times a year
I might talk to T.I. three times a day in one setting

[Rosenberg]
Right it just depends
Who total do you work with besides those big names?
It was a third one too?
It was Kanye, T.I. and someone

[Travis] Nah nah nah I'm only signed to T.I. and Kanye

[Rosenberg] Have you talked to Kanye

Travis: I talk to 'Ye every single day

[Rosenberg] Who's crazier you or Kanye

[Travis]
Both of us I can't say one of us is more crazier than the other

[Rosenberg]
Are there ever times he's going off giving ideas and you're like
"damn Kanye you goin' in right now"
And there are times he looks at you like
"damn Travis you really got ideas man"

[Travis]
Yeah we really be looking at each other like damn we just really be like

[Rosenberg]
I have audio of travis and Kanye talking
This is what is sounds like
Bro, Bro, Bro, Bro, for 90 minutes
At least minimum

[Playing "outside"]
And I got a special verse coming for that in a couple days

Ebro
And we gotta talk about these new projects you said you were gonna tell us about
And this is okay to tell us about
You're not gonna mess anything up

[Travis]
No we got gonna mess nothin' up, I got you

[Rosenberg]
I keep secrets, don't believe the hype man[Rosenberg]
Hold on, you can't leave without telling us about the G.O.OD. Music release

[Travis Scott]
Cruel Winter, I'm executive producing that album
Its coming very soon, I wanna say like the top of next year
I'm putting the pressure on everybody, I'm saying February

[Ebro]
How many songs done right now for Cruel Winter

[Travis Scott]
I would say we have a lot of songs done
How many songs picked, I wanna say a handful
We got a lot of songs done
We just gotta sit down and lock in all on a wave

[Rosenberg]
Everybody's involved, Desiigner on there too?

[Travis Scott]
Kanye West, every G.O.O.D. music artist involved
Every G.O.O.D. music artist involved
Every G.O.O.D. music artist involved
Every G.O.O.D. music artist involved
Its like amazing, and you know
We got like our illest friends
And its going to be one of the illest projects
But one thing I can say about this project is
Its going to be very youthful, straight to the point
Like the illest ever man, just like the best album

[Ebro]
What does that mean? youthful

[Travis]
That means the kids that are not on the radio all the time
Who really got the clubs going ridiculous
Really have the fields going crazy thats what this album is for

[Rosenberg]
Real quick speaking of Kanye what has Kanye told you about your album, what does he think?

[Travis]
Man you know honestly he called me like "Yo"
I just finished the album on the Saint Pablo tour right
He called me like "Yo man I didn't know it was this crazy
I heard you when you were mixing it but just yo
It sounds way crazier listening to it 1-14"
That's what got everybody so excited for Cruel Winter
How I just finished that album like the last couple of weeks
This is the album Travis working on the bus, yeah
Everyone so confused

Another one

Pick up that album Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight