Scott, Travis (1992-…), is an American rapper and music producer. Scott’s music combines elements of rap, hip-hop, and ambient music. Ambient music is a relaxed style of electronic dance music that emphasizes mood and tone over rhythm and structure. As a producer, Scott has worked with many famous musicians, including Kanye West, Rihanna, T.I., and Wiz Khalifa.
Jacques Bermon Webster II was born on April 30, 1992, in Houston, Texas. His stage name combines the first name of his favorite uncle, Travis, and Scott, which is both the uncle’s nickname and the first name of the rapper Kid Cudi. Scott cites Cudi as a major influence. Scott began rapping and recording music as a teenager. He briefly attended the University of Texas at San Antonio before moving to New York City and then Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. Scott was hired as a producer by West.
Scott released his first full length mixtape, titled Owl Pharoah, in 2013. In hip-hop culture, a mixtape is an independently produced recording, often distributed for free. A second mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, was released in 2014. Scott’s debut studio album was Rodeo, 2015. His second studio album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016), reached number one on Billboard magazine’s “Billboard 200” chart. His third studio album, Astroworld (2018), debuted on the chart at number one. Scott’s number-one singles include “Sicko Mode” (2018, featuring Drake); “Highest in the Room” (2019); and “The Scotts” (with Kid Cudi) and “Franchise” (featuring Young Thug and M.I.A., both 2020).
In 2017, Scott founded his own record label, Cactus Jack. JackBoys (2019), a compilation album from the label featuring Scott, reached number one on the “Billboard 200” chart.
In addition to his music, Scott has become known for big promotional spectacles. Promotions for Astroworld included giant, inflatable gold sculptures of Scott’s head displayed in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City’s Times Square. The album’s tour included a working onstage roller coaster that Scott rode as he performed. Later in 2018, Scott launched a music festival, also called Astroworld, in Houston. In 2020, Scott performed a concert in the online video game Fortnite that was seen by nearly 30 million fans.
On Nov. 5, 2021, tragedy struck during the Astroworld festival at the NRG Park in Houston. As Scott performed, a surge of concertgoers rushed toward the stage, causing the deaths of 10 people and injuries to hundreds of others.
