The best rap album category has been a flawed aspect for the grammys over the past 10 years. Every year, many people think that some albums were snubbed; however,that was not the case with Travis Scott’s “Utopia”. “Utopia” isn’t a bad album; it actually is one of the stronger additions of Travis’ discography. However, “Michael” was the best album out of the nominees, which is why it received the award.
Both albums are very different and shine in different places. “Michael manages to excel in the aspects that many praise “Utopia” for. The main highlight of “Utopia” is its production, which sets Travis up for success. Nevertheless, “MICHAEL” still has a lot to offer in terms of production with less of a focus on it. Tracks like “SHED TEARS” and “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” feature neat samples, and with other songs such as “EXIT 9” and “SOMETHING FOR JUNKIES” displaying similar rapping on more fun trap beats. Lyrically, Killer Mike offers more. Travis’ music typically doesn’t have a focus on lyrics, which isn’t a bad thing, Killer Mike offers a more complete album that stands out in every aspect.
Additionally, “Michael” only has 14 tracks compared to Utopia’s 19. Utopia does not need to be this long, which is the reason it has a few unnecessary filler songs, such as “PARASAIL”, “LOOOVE”, and “LOST FOREVER”, which includes a Westside Gunn feature that feels out of place and does not fit with Travis’ style. While a few songs on “MICHAEL” are a bit weak and his style of rapping does get redundant at times, every track still feels key to the structure of the album.
One advantage of both albums is that they both have loaded feature lists. “MICHAEL” features CeeLo Green, Young Thug, 6LACK, Andre 3000, Future, 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, Eryn Allen Kane multiple times, and many others. “Utopia” includes Drake, Beyonce, The Weeknd, SZA, and many others. However, “MICHAEL” utilizes its features in a way that still mostly showcases Killer Mike’s rapping. On multiple songs on Utopia, Travis Scott allows his features to take over the track too much. This occurs on songs like “TELEKINESIS”, “TIL FURTHER NOTICE”, “CIRCUS MAXIMUS”, and “K-POP”. This isn’t always a bad thing; in fact, some of the best features are in these songs, including one of SZA’s best features of her career on “TELEKINESIS”. However, this makes it feel less cohesive and makes the listener want more from Travis, especially if they are a fan. For example, on “TIL FURTHER NOTICE”, Travis has one of his best verses on the record to end the album, but it made me wanting more from him on that track.“MICHAEL” is also paced better than “Utopia”.
Many fans of Travis were upset because they thought the Grammys picked a “nobody” to win. While “Utopia” has been a far more impactful album so far, that does not disqualify “MICHAEL” from winning the award. Out of all of the albums that were nominated, it felt the most complete and consistent, making it deserving of the award.
