As the clock strikes 10 on a chilly January night in Atlanta, Travis Scott, the King of Rage, is preparing to unleash a performance that will take his career to new heights — literally. Scott has already notched a dizzying number of accomplishments for a modern hip-hop star: four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo rap act, the first rapper to sell out Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. But tonight, perched on the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and not much more than 10 feet from its edge, he’s dreaming even bigger.
As his latest song, “4X4” — which became his fifth Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 when it debuted atop the chart in early February — pulsates through the speakers, La Flame rubs his hands together before launching into the pretape of his halftime performance for the College Football Playoff National Championship. At the cue of video director Gibson Hazard, rap’s ultimate daredevil bounces around fearlessly, savoring the thrill and danger of the moment.
The 33-year-old native Houstonian, who was once a ball boy for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, has love for his hometown’s sports culture — and its accompanying theatrics — that runs as deep as his passion for its unique strain of Southern hip-hop. As a teen sitting in his grandfather’s kitchen, he watched the nail-biter 14-inning game-three battle between his beloved Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series from his grandfather’s kitchen (the Astros lost that game, and the series in four). He recalls witnessing Rockets legend Tracy McGrady’s jaw-dropping 13 points in 33 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. Scott’s own unyielding spirit for captivating audiences on the biggest stages was born in these historic sports moments. “I was a ball boy for the Rockets when T-Mac was about to leave [the team in the late 2000s] and he was kind of fizzling out,” Scott remembers as he scarfs down a Domino’s pizza slice the day after recording his fiery performance. “I always wanted him to win.”
Read the full Billboard Travis Scott cover story here.
