Travis Scott has, to date, entered the Billboard Hot 100 a total 20 times, but according to the 25-year-old artist-producer, crafting hit singles isn't really his bag.
“I don’t try to make music] for anybody else. I don’t really do singles,” he told Alex Gale in an interview with Billboard.
While Travis' declaration that he's an “album artist” might fly in the face his past charting success, as Gale points out in the Billboard feature, only seven his Hot 100 entries feature Travis as the lead artist. “Antidote,” the second single f Scott's 2015 album Rodeo, is his highest-charting solo entry to date, peaking at No. 16 in December 2015, and that song wasn't even supposed to appear on an album until its popularity as a loose release prompted its inclusion in the final tracklist.
Scott is currently signed to Epic Records—who has past been accused manipulating streaming service playlists specifically push singles—but based on Gale's conversation with label president and industry veteran Syl Rhone, it doesn't sound like the label is pushing Scott to be someone he's not.
“Unlike a lot artists who think it’s just about putting out commercial records, Travis was always true to himself,” Rhone explained to Gale. “He was always less concerned about radio hits. He embraced his core fans.”
Scott isn't the only major label artist who has recently spoken out against making music that only plays into the hands the playlist-driven singles culture that the industry has used to generate billions in new money. Vince Staples, who is signed to Def Jam, has been following this approach for several years, as has Aftermath signee Anderson .Paak.
Fresh f the joint release his Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho collaborative album with Migos member Quavo, Scott is preparing for the still-pending 2018 release his third solo studio album, Astroworld.
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