Travis Scott’s breakthrough mixtape Days Before Rodeo has arrived to DSPs ten years after its release, and fans have been delighted to traipse down Memory Lane with the star making project — or delve into it in full for the first time after projects like Astroworld and Utopia have made Scott into a household name.
So, how does this collection of songs stack up to each other after ten years? Let’s take a swing at ranking the 12 songs from Days Before Rodeo to find out which one is the best.
12. “Zombies”
Let’s get this out of the way up front: Travis Scott has always been a case of style over substance, and he’s never exactly been the greatest rapper. While usually, his production is enough to mask the relative lack of punch provided by his more clichéd lines, “Zombies” is the weakest track on Days Before… because it skimps on the strongest aspect of Scott’s whole thing, pairing uninspired boasts with an absolutely plodding beat that makes it a total slog.
11. “Basement Freestyle”
Like “Zombies,” “Basement Freestyle” makes the misstep of drawing focus to Scott’s raps (calling it a “freestyle” is the largest factor in this), only this time, it wastes (or makes use of, depending on where you stand) a compelling — if a bit repetitive — beat from Metro Boomin and Lex Luger.
10. “BACC”
Travis is at his least convincing when he’s trying to convince us he’s a tough guy. This disconnect between the posturing of the hook (“Cuzzo back on the block, he back servin’ birdies”) and the empty boasts of the only verse causes the bonus track to fall a bit flat.
9. “Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer”
Days Before Rodeo starts out pretty strong, all things considered, but its mostly inspired intro, which has a fun Wondagurl beat built around a slick breakbeat sample, quickly disintegrates toward the end. Meanwhile, some of its motifs get repeated throughout the album, to diminishing returns.
8. “Don’t Play” Feat. The 1975 & Big Sean
The only feature-heavy song in the bottom half of the ranking, there’s something discordant about the pairings here; perhaps the high-art indie-rock nod provided by The 1975 doesn’t live up to similar cross-genre collaborations of the time period, while Big Sean’s energized performance overshadows Travis’ efforts to match his fellow Kanye co-writer.
7. “Quintana Pt. 2”
An uncredited appearance from Travis’ early benefactor T.I. once again exposes the flaws in Scott’s fundamentals, proving more effective with a well-worn old-man game than the Houston rapper’s more contemporary melodic approach. The fact that it sounds like the Scarface theme can be a plus or a minus, depending on how you feel about that particular gangster epic. The fact that T.I.’s verse was removed from the streaming version somehow ends up hurting more than helps, leaving behind a void that makes the latter half of the song drag.
6. “Sloppy Toppy” Feat. Migos & Peeway Longway
The first 20 seconds of this song promise a departure that the rest of it never really pays off, but nods to the soulful intro sample throughout the beat offered by producers Southside, AudioKlique, and C Gutta provide enough interesting things in the background to keep this one from ever eating its tail, while Migos delivers one of the signature performances that made them such an in-demand feature artist at the time — especially Takeoff (RIP!).
5. “Grey”
You can hear the seeds of Travis’ future hit “Pick Up The Phone” in this one, while his pen game takes a step up — not a massive one, mind you, but enough to make the imagery feel a bit more vivid, believable, and compelling. The second verse offers the sort of autobiographical detailing that Travis’ music could stand to use a lot more of.
4. “Mamacita” Feat. Rich Homie Quan & Young Thug
Long live Rich Gang. Quan and Thug were on one hell of a run in 2013-14, and their presence brings out something in Travis — perhaps not his “best,” but certainly a bit of energy that the rest of his catalog could stand to include. Thugger’s verse stings especially hard when you consider how long and hard he worked to get to the point of So Much Fun and Punk, only for the state to justify his “I don’t f*ck with America” statement, albeit for a different reason than he meant back then.
3. “Backyard”
One of the few songs on Days Before Rodeo that tries something different, its placement toward the end of the tracklist provides a burst of optimism in an apocalyptic sonic wasteland. Lyrically, it finds Travis being vulnerable again (“Every summer felt so cold, my daddy ain’t comin’ home ’til fall / That’s why my pimp game’s so moist, had that du-rag and all”), which is the best version of him. He’s got an interesting story, it’d be nice if he told it more.
2. “Skyfall” Feat. Young Thug
Ignore the first 10 seconds, which sound like we’re about to set sail on the high seas with a hold full of rum and an eye on the horizon. In fact, skip the entire first minute. That’s how good the rest of this one actually is: it’s the second-best track on the project, despite the first fifth being entirely skippable. Scott’s cautionary warning to aging artists, who even then were decrying the changing sound of hip-hop, still resonates, and his chemistry with Young Thug begins to solidify here.
1. “Drugs You Should Try It”
The undisputed fan favorite from the project, “Drugs…” features Travis Scott at the height of his powers — higher, even. The fact that this exists makes one wonder why he doesn’t push himself like this all the time. “Drugs as a metaphor for romantic feelings” is a concept as old as songs, drugs, and romance, but Travis Scott’s hazy approach to songwriting lends itself especially well to the trope, which buoys the substance of his songwriting to actually match the style. He’s flashed great moments like this since, but this one certainly left the most outsized impact.