La Flame Don’t Play No Game

A profile on then-rising star Travis Scott for XXL’s 2013 Freshman issue.

(Originally published on XXLMag.com)

Travis Scott is on a new high...

Not metaphorically — though he is in a sense, considering his incredible buzz as of late—but literally. Before we get to that though, let's set the scene. A few weeks ago, the good team at XXL asked me to hang out with a rapper of my choice for a day, and Scott, who has nicknamed himself “La Flame,” quickly came to mind. The enigmatic Houston-bred rhymer/producer is a star in the making (he was also a proud member of the 2013 XXL Freshman class), all off the strength of the deafening chatter that's surrounded him following co-signs from the likes of T.I. and Kanye West. Naturally, I wanted to know where all this buzz stemmed from, especially since this dude has yet to drop a full-length project. Coincidentally, the day I got to hang with him was the same day he released his long-awaited introductory project, Owl Pharaoh. He was also slated to perform at the Best Buy Theater, on a stop of the XXL Freshman Live Tour. Needless to say, I knew it'd be a busy day…

My last time seeing Travis Scott was at the XXL Freshman cover shoot, where he fidgeted with his outfit and mainly kept to himself. So on my way to link with the 21-year-old in his room at the Hudson Hotel — located in Midtown Manhattan — all I can think to myself is, "What the hell is about to happen?" Sure enough, as I step into the hotel room with his publicist — who put me up to speed on what to expect for the day, like making sure I mention Owl Pharaoh “an EP, NOT a mixtape” — I get my answer, as Scott and his crew of cohorts are sitting by the window smoking what I would eventually learn is hash oil.

The room — which is slightly bigger than a sauna — is essentially a make-shift workstation filled with label reps working furiously on their Apple MacBooks. Scott is in the final hours before the release of Pharaoh, and everything needs to perfect. Later, after the release of the project, he'll admit, "My site just crashed yo. This is my first solo project that I ever put out!"

Back at the room, he yells, “Smells like shit,” before abruptly coughing up a storm. The hash oil has got to be strong because after one puff, Scott immediately lifts off his #BEEN #TRILL (a lifestyle brand started by Kanye West affiliate Virgil Abloh) long-sleeve leafy tee and opens up a window. “You ever smoked hash before?” asks one member of his entourage. I hadn't, and I should also mention that it's a few minutes after noon at this point.

After watching Scott and co. smoke for a few minutes, the guys disperse and we finally sit and chop it up. But of course, there are a few distractions, namely his excitement about Pharaoh's release. “My first solo project,” he emphasizes, “I’m super happy.” For the raw young dude, the passion that emits in his voice about whatever it is he’s talking about could be mistaken for aggression. He's erratic; even on-edge at times. Sitting and trying to hold a conversation with me about the project, he doesn't know whether he should sit, stand or watch the Matt Damon action movie Green Zone, which is playing on the 40-inch screen across from us. He tries to focus, but his speech is jittery, and he has trouble looking directly at me. Instead, he looks down — sometimes looking as if he's speaking to his stomach. But, when I speak, he looks intently, and nods along when he agrees, sometimes even flashing that "Hurry up and ask the question already!" glance. When he's excited to give an answer, he talks fast. Really fast. So when I ask him how much of an influence Houston played on the making of his new music, he couldn't wait to blurt out "Z-Ro!"

“Z-Ro’s a legend bro. I respect that man. You hear the darkness inside my music, and it’s on some Z-Ro shit,” he admits. Sadly, he wasn't able to lock down the H-Town heavyweight for a feature on Owl Pharaoh. “I wanted him on this shit so bad. It’s just that he’s so real,” he says. “If you’re dealing with a real hustler, you got to be in that nigga’s parts and lay that energy.” When I eventually switch the subject from Houston to securing co-signs from living legends like T.I. and Kanye, Scott’s eyes widen like a kid who just scored multiple video game consoles on his birthday. “People tell me that shit all the time. It’s my mindset,” he confidently explains. “I’m not saying that I know I’m good and shit, in my mind, it’s like I kind of see where I want to be. You just got to get the world down to your shit. I feel like I’m a good leader.”

Really, a leader is all Scott really wants to be: “I feel like I’m a good leader. The kids could look up to me and they know that I won’t steer them wrong.” Despite how the comment comes across, he’s not being cocky. The Houston wunderkind is just as passionate about his craft and he is about his native city — and dude has reason to be. Within the last twelve hours, three life-defining things have happened to La Flame.

“I FEEL LIKE I’M A GOOD LEADER. THE KIDS COULD LOOK UP TO ME AND THEY KNOW THAT I WON’T STEER THEM WRONG.”

For starters, he met Timbaland last night and played him Owl Pharaoh. "I played him the album,” he says, while struggling to find the right word. "Just hearing [Timbaland’s] feedback and shit, he keeps me inspired.” Second, he received a call from his 13-year-old sister. "My little sister called me last night and was like, when is your album coming out?” Apparently, his sister was oblivious of his music when they were growing up. He remembers, "[She] never asked me about my music, ever, but she asked me last night.” Scott’s boyish eyes widen again, before adding, "She was so young when I started doing this shit and now she gets it.” The third fateful event was a phone call from Mr. West.

In case you're confused about Scott’s rap ties, he is currently signed to Epic Records via T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint, but is also signed as a producer to West’s boutique label, Very G.O.O.D. Beats. "I was on the phone with [Kanye] this morning, he's super excited about the project,” Scott exclaims. Though Yeezy isn't credited as a featured guest, the two worked closely together on beats for Pharaoh. "He helped me create it. Me and 'Ye did some of the beats on this shit. We had a good time working on it.” Before I can ask about Yeezus, ‘Ye’s anticipated sixth studio album that is rumored to feature Scott, the “Upper Echelon” rapper turns away to his production team and abruptly asks, "How we looking?”

Hopping up off the couch, he passes me his tightly rolled L (politely saying, "Hold on bro, smoke this”) and goes off to tower over his team as they continue to prep OP's cover art. After about 15 minutes of careful watching, I walk over to Scott as he is rocking back-and-forth, rhyming along to A$AP Ferg's verse on Owl Pharaoh˜s hard-hitting standout, "Uptown” word-for-word. "Where Ferg at?” he shouts out to DJ Chase B, his longtime friend and close collaborator. When Chase B notes that Ferg is currently on tour, Scott hypes up the energetic banger. "This shit is about to be crazy in these streets!” The track's pothole-crackling bass and loopy backdrop might be the best display of La Flame's true signature talent, which happens to be his golden ear for production.  Pharaoh is chock-full of sparse, dark and anthemic production that you couldn't really imagine anyone else doing, and he produced the entire thing himself. Though to be fair, his beat-making talent does tend to outshine his vocal ability. Throughout the project, his production is often so big and overwhelming that his voice struggles to compete with the instrumentals.

At about 5PM, Owl Pharaoh hits the Internet. As everyone in the room is celebrating, Chase B looks like a weight has been lifted, proudly shouting, "We did it nigga!” After a proper dap-up, he tells me, "You don't understand how long we were waiting for this moment. It's actually out. Like, wow.” With his excitement matched by the rest of the entourage, the focus quickly shifts to Scott's performance at the Best Buy Theater. At this point, we're in the dressing room, and Travis, who is now back in that #BEEN #TRILL tee, only this time accessorized with a matching camo bucket hat and a pair of burnt-red Balenciaga footwear, is embraced by his Grammy-award winning mentors Mike Dean and Anthony Kilhoffer. "Bro you made it, you're a soldier bro,” Scott quips to Kilhoffer.

By 9:15, Scott is onstage, pacing back and forth like a comfortable veteran. After some fitting, "What's up NYC!” chants, he glides into his set with an unmatched energy, so much so that he blows out his lungs within the first two minutes of his set. Before the set, Chase B gave me a disclaimer for what to expect: "He lives this.” In his 25-minute onstage performance, capturing the packed-out house's full attention, Scott works the stage like a true rockstar: jumping, crowd-surfing, turning the lights down for effect. In the end, he delivered the night's best set — and to think, he wasn't the headliner.

After closing out the performance with the apocalyptic "Quintana,” sans Wale, who later shows up backstage to show his support, Travis' long and eventful day comes to a close on a high note. John, another friend and member of the entourage, turns to me, admitting, "A lot of hard work went into this moment. This took years, bro.” But after releasing his first project, which took a year of perfecting and re-working, and conquering NYC with a stellar performance, what else could be on La Flame's mind? While he should be thinking about celebrating, he's still looking ahead, telling me afterwards, "After this project, I wanna tour. But right now, I'm just ready to chill.” Not a moment after those words exit his mouth, Scott is bombarded by his supporters, including industry bigwigs L.A. Reid, Sylvia Rhone and Julie Greenwald of Epic Records, who swarm the young gun with praise, before promptly leaving the venue. Their abrupt exit is no surprise, because after all, they got what they came for — a glimpse at the burning potential of their latest signee.

Where his hype will take him remains to be seen, but for now, Travis Scott is on a new high indeed. La Flame lives on.