Travis Scott Reveals 'Utopia' Meaning & Harvard Plans

Have you ever wanted an alphabet of Travis Scott, dripped out, in the form of each letter? Now you have it, as La Flame’s Utopia rollout continues, his new cover with PIN-UP magazine includes a “Type with Travis” generator. Find the link in the tweet below. In other news today:

• Song streams & revenue 📈 

• Breakdown of Fetty Wap’s 6-year-sentence 🧑‍⚖️ 

• Offset & Quavo aren’t related and releasing solo albums 🚀 

• Travis Scott reveals Harvard plans and Utopia concept 🔥 

• Industry Insights

Song Streams & Revenue

It’s a new Thursday and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Double Daily, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart is a compilation of the 4-week streaming period from May 12th to 18th. Giving you more insight into how streaming revenue stacks up over time 💰️ 

There are 2 new song entries this week from rap rivals Lil Durk and NBA YoungBoy. Durk’s new single with J. Cole amassed over 25 million streams resulting in $125K of revenue. Meanwhile, YoungBoy’s intro track from his new mixtape Richest Opp generated $35K from over 7 million streams.

Trap King Fetty Wap Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison on Drug Charge

Fetty Wap, best known for his hit song “Trap Queen”, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge. It’s one year longer than the minimum sentence for the charge (the maximum was 40 years) and he’s facing 5 years of supervision after his release. He apologized to the communities and families of drug users he hurt through his actions at the sentencing.

Wap had been in custody since his bail was revoked last August after prosecutors said he displayed a firearm and threatened to kill someone during a FaceTime call. His defense attorney, Elizabeth Macedonio, argued for the minimum sentence saying that he resorted to distributing drugs after the pandemic ended live entertainment to support his relatives and children.

Defense

In a letter to the sentencing judge, Macedonio shed light on his financial situation, “He was sued personally, was going through a divorce, and was involved with a tour manager who was stealing from him. While the bills kept coming in, the money to pay them was running out.”

Prosecution

While arguing for a longer sentence, the prosecution said, “Young people who admire the defendant and are considering selling drugs need to be sent a message that selling drugs is not a glamorous lifestyle and, if they participate in that trade, they will receive lengthy prison sentences.”

Wap’s lawyer disagreed pointing out that the accusations in the indictment only involved a 6 month period of activity and accused the prosecution of trying to use Wap’s fame against him in their argument for harsher sentencing. Further stating that it showed “a complete disconnect” between law enforcement and the music world.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Wap was arrested in October 2021 in Queens, New York, before he was scheduled to perform at Rolling Loud NYC. Instead of hitting the stage, he was hit with a federal indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances. It alleged that he, and five other co-defendants, distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey.

Why this matters

Wap committed the crime and should do the time but his sentencing highlights the complex and troubled relationship between the justice system and rap music. Prosecutors continue to weaponize rap lyrics to portray defendants as criminals and a high-profile case, if won, is a shinier badge.

The prosecution’s argument about setting a precedent with Wap’s sentencing is called Deterrence Theory. There’s research to support the belief that negative consequences can prevent people from engaging in undesirable behavior but a lack of consensus on its effectiveness. Critics of deterrence theory argue that it oversimplifies human behavior and studies suggest that emotional states, social norms, peer influences, and socioeconomic status play a significant role in shaping behavior.

The inclusion of Wap’s lyrical content and argument that the judge should set an example is legal but suggests biases towards rap may exist in legal settings.

Offset & Quavo are Not Related and Both Releasing Solo Albums

It turns out that Offset was really just Migos with Quavo and the late Takeoff. In a new interview with Variety, Offset revealed that he was classmates with Quavo and began hanging out with him and Takeoff in the sixth grade. Quavo was Takeoff’s uncle but Offset is not biologically related to his former group members.

Little is known about Offset’s forthcoming solo album but the features include Travis Scott, Future, Chloe Bailey, Latto, his wife Cardi B, and the late Takeoff. It’s the last song he made with Takeoff before he died, recorded last summer, and while he seems happy playing the song for the interviewer, the topic of Takeoff is still tough to talk about.

“It’s hard for me to talk about shit right now. I’ve never talked about this stuff. Seriously. Talking about Take is hard, man,” Offset said.

Offset’s solo album was described as “the most anticipated record in the Universal Music Group” and it’s full steam ahead for his solo career, leaving behind the Migos and former label Quality Control.

“This is me going full-fledged into my solo career,” he says. “The objective is to do it fully and smash shit and fuck the game up as a solo artist. I’m coming through, bustin’ through the door. It’s all set, my next chapter. It’s my time.”

Context for those of you out touching grass

In April, Quavo announced his next solo album dubbed Rocket Power as a tribute to Takeoff whose 2018 solo album was titled The Last Rocket. ​​“This album is for the Rocket, our true fans, and also this is my therapy. This album is a true reflection of how I feel right now,” Quavo wrote on IG.

Takeoff was killed in November 2022 and although there were tensions among the Migos prior to his death, Quavo and Offset’s solo albums signal the end of an era with little hope of reconciliation.

Why this matters

Migos were arguably the biggest rap group of the 2010 decade and inevitably fell to the same fate many groups do—dissolution. Wonder why it’s hard for members to branch off into solo careers successfully?

It’s psychologically challenging to break the dependency of a group and establish individuality after being so publicly associated with the Migos or Destiny’s Child. Fans’ perceptions of the group don’t always translate to the individuals, their emotional attachment and love is for the collective.

For Offset, a lot of fans felt betrayed by his separation from the Migos because their loyalty was to the group that gave them “Bad and Boujee”. None of the Migos members saw as much success with solo music and these new albums will further gauge what the future looks like for Offset and Quavo’s careers.

Travis Scott Reveals Utopia Meaning & Harvard Plans

The Utopia rollout continues….Travis Scott appeared on the cover of PIN-UP magazine and dropped his design principles for each letter of the alphabet. The image above is from PIN-UP’s type with Travis generator, you can try it yourself here.

For the letter “A”, Scott revealed architecture is his true passion and he plans to apply to the architecture program at Harvard GSD when he’s done with music (which won’t be for awhile).

For “I” he talked about impact naming Virgil Abloh as the person who has had the greatest impact on him and his taste.

For “M” he revealed he made most of his new album on a music production computer, his favorite is the 2000XL.

“U” obviously had to do with Utopia and Scott said the concept of the imaginary paradise is not as far-fetched as people think—you create it yourself. That’s what the album is all about.

“With every album I live in these worlds in my mind — I’m trying to show people experiences where utopian things can exist, and you can enjoy yourself and have a good time. They can create energy that spews out magical things — new cures, new buildings, new avenues for people to move forward. People need to see that utopia is real.” Find the full A-Z list here.

Context for those of you out touching grass

In Tuesday’s newsletter, we covered the Utopia rollout thus far, and the bodyguarded briefcase photo opp continued throughout the week. The Weeknd was spotted with it and then Scott was photographed today in Paris.

Why this matters

The rollout continues to be an example of A1 marketing and promotion. Lil Durk goes on Akademics’ podcast for press and Scott drops a carefully curated magazine cover that doesn’t reveal much about the album but gets distributed nonetheless. The alphabet generator is a genius way to encourage user-generated content and have fans spread the word.

The briefcase continues to be the star of the rollout, everywhere it goes is documented and shared online. If it’s with the Weeknd, it prompts speculation that he might be a feature. Scott has found a clever way to physically represent his album, in a world where everything is digital, and it builds more anticipation than the non-physical idea of the album alone.

You may have noticed, we’ve made a few changes to the way we’re bringing you dynamic news on all things rap.

In addition to thought-provoking updates, we’ve added commentary with a psychological dimension to provide all the necessary info for conversations that challenge conventional perspectives. Correct your misinformed friend or challenge an internet troll and let us know what you think in the poll below!

• Lil Durk axed Kanye West from ‘Almost Healed’ album despite “genius” contributions. Kanye reportedly lend vocals and production to multiple songs that didn’t make the cut.

• Soulja Boy claims he made $100K per month from “Kiss Me Thru The Phone”. The majority was generated by fans calling the phone number sung in the song.

• Generative AI-powered music startup Boombot raises $7M. The platform claims to enrich the creative process of music helping users spitball song lyrics, titles, and more.

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