Songwriter Charlie Harding and producer Reanna Cruz sat down for an episode of Switched on Pop where they dove into the latest projects of Hip-Hop superstars, Travis Scott and Post Malone, who are currently owning the number one and two spot on the Billboard 200. But both Harding and Cruz believe these new projects reflect a shift in both of these artists' careers.
LISTEN NOW: Switched on Pop - The mid-career crises of Travis Scott and Post Malone
"Well I think both artists are going through a transitional moment and these albums seem to represent that," Reanna said, "Travis Scott is known for his predominately trap sound... but on UTOPIA he's playing in genres like house and electroclash on tracks like 'ELECTROJAM.'"
"And just like Travis Scott, Post Malone started his career making predominately Hip-Hop and trap music... but AUSTIN is reflecting a full pivot into his more acoustic and rock adjacent sensibilities," Reanna explained.
Shockingly, "both of these records which are coming from two Hip-Hop superstars reflect a time when the genre, which is now in it's 50th year is in a place of transition. In fact UTOPIA is only the second rap album to hit number one this entire year after Lil Uzi Vert's Pink Tape a few weeks ago," Reanna added.
Diving into artists who have tackled "transitional mid-life crisis," this whole idea isn't new. "It's natural I think for both Travis Scott and Post Malone to be at this transitional stage in their career," Reanna said before Harding used The Beatles, Madonna and Kendrick Lamar as reference for the "major genre and sonic shift that indicates a transition."
Ready to jump into Travis, Reanna said "okay. UTOPIA, let's get into it," before sharing some album stats, "a whopping 19 songs and 73 minutes," making this Scott's fifth and longest project to date.
"'SICKO MODE' and UTOPIA aren't just moments of musical change but also personal change" Reanna said, adding that this is his first album since the ASTROWORLD tragedy.
But to dive into how his career is changing musically, you must first determine what is Travis Scott's vibe? "Spectacle rap," Reanna would say. "When I listen to Travis Scott, what I come for is a sense of massive production... clearly a lot of efforts go into making his songs sound as big as possible"
"His voice is just larger than life," said Harding. Reanna added that "people have come to expect this" from him. And while UTOPIA isn't that much different "it plays in genres that we've heard less of in his output. We got some woozy, hypnagogic, art-pop on a song like 'PARASAIL,' we got 70's inspired, psychedelic, hodgepodge music like the song "LOOOVE," and he sampled jazzy prog musicians like Gentle Giant on the opening track of the record 'HYENA.'"
Simply put, "like his mid-career predecessor Travis Scott is playing with genre on UTOPIA and its evident through one of his more experimental tracks on the album, 'MODERN JAM,'" Reanna said.
Diving into Post Malone's AUSTIN, "much like UTOPIA, it signals a pivot in sound and aesthetic but, instead of skewing electronic and house adjacently Travis Scott, Post Malone leans fully in the opposite direction and goes more acoustic," Reanna explained. "I feel like Post Malone is doing trap music unplugged," Harding added.
As someone who has blended genres his whole career, AUSTIN doesn't come from left field for Reanna and Harding.
"Post Malone has a very clear vocal identity," Harding added before Reanna identified how Post Malone identifies himself as a "modern rock star."
Taking a look at the third single from the album, "Overdrive," the melodic, guitar led album is a clear depiction of his stray away from his 2016 "Congratulations" featuring Quavo. "It has a major change in rhythm. This is your straightforward Rock and Roll rhythm, this is 'I will rock you rhythm,' it's both a very simple rhythm but for Post Malone it's far from the Hip-Hop oriented records," Harding said.
Check out the full podcast episode where Reanna and Harding continue to analyze songs from both AUSTIN and UTOPIA and what it could mean for future projects.
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