''Owl Pharaoh'' is the debut solo mixtape by American rapper Travis Scott (then stylized as Travi$ Scott). It was released on May 21, 2013, on the iTunes Store and available for free download by

Grand Hustle Records Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

and Epic Records. The mixtape features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s from T.I., Wale,

Toro y Moi Chaz Bear (born Chazwick Bradley Bundick; November 7, 1986), known professionally as Toro y Moi, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He is often recognized as a spearhead of the chillwave genre in the 2010s ...

A$AP Ferg Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collec ...

Theophilus London Theophilus Musa London (born February 23, 1987) is an American rapper and singer. A frequent collaborator of Kanye West, London was a producer on the 2022 album Donda 2 and was featured on West's 2015 single " All Day" which was nominated for sev ...

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...

James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...

and

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

Background

In 2011, Scott announced ''Owl Pharaoh'' as an 11-track

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, with 2

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

s. This version was to include songs such as "Lights (Love Sick)", "Analogue" and "That B!tch Crazy". However, this was before Scott was scouted by highly acclaimed rappers and record executives T.I. and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. After working with the two, respectively, and reconstructing the project, Scott then announced ''Owl Pharaoh'' would be released the same month as

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

's '' Cruel Summer'' (2012). However, that release did not occur. Scott then once again reworked on the project, and set a new date for February 22, 2013. Again, the project was not released. After creating moderate buzz being named as a part of ''XXL'' Magazine's Freshman Class of 2013, Scott set another date for May 21, 2013, while also announcing that it will be for sale on iTunes soon after. He also stated that he might also release it for free prior to that date. Travis Scott has credited Kanye West, T.I. and

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

frontman

Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...

for helping him shape the project. For the mixtape Scott collaborated with artists such as Kanye West, T.I.,

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...

, Justin Vernon, Wale, Common,

, and Gunplay. The final track listing also revealed features from

, ASAP Ferg,

and

. Common and Gunplay would not be featured. MTV revealed that Travis would be dropping the EP free of charge on May 21 and an iTunes release would be cancelled.

Release and promotion

Owl Pharaoh was set to be released as a free download in 2012. However, the project was delayed, and was announced to be slated for a later release. The project was later re-created by

and Mike Dean, and was then again delayed for sample clearance issues. In promotion Travis Scott released the track, "Blocka La Flame", a remix of fellow GOOD Music label-mate

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...

's single "Blocka" featuring Jamaican dancehall recording artist

Popcaan Andrae Hugh Sutherland (born 19 July 1988), known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican singer. In 2008, Popcaan joined Vybz Kartel's Gaza Music Empire. In 2010, he released his breakthrough international hit "Clarks" with Kartel, an ode ...

(which features production and vocals from Travis Scott). The song was produced by

Young Chop Tyree Lamar Pittman (born November 14, 1993), better known by his stage name Young Chop, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. In 2012, he gained widespread recognition within the American hip hop community for producing Chief K ...

, with additional production by Scott himself, alongside Mike Dean. The second song released from the mixtape was "Quintana" featuring fellow rapper Wale. It was released on March 22, 2013. The production was handled by Sak Pase, Anthony Kilhoffer and Scott himself. The song was also accompanied with a video, which features Scott burning in a raging fire, wearing a straitjacket. On March 29, 2013, following his interview with British disc jockey,

DJ Semtex DJ Semtex (born John Fairbanks; 1974) is an English DJ, author, radio DJ and presenter of Spotify's Who We Be podcast. Between 2002 and 2018, he was presenter for BBC Radio 1Xtra's weekly hip-hop show. Biography Due to complications from ly ...

, Scott premiered a snippet of his commercial debut single which serviced as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

"Upper Echelon" featuring

and Grand Hustle label-head T.I. (the mixtape version only included T.I.). The song was released on April 18, 2013 and was officially released on iTunes the next day. On June 16, 2013, the music video was released for "Upper Echelon" featuring T.I. and 2 Chainz. The production was handled by

Anthony Kilhoffer Anthony Kilhoffer is an American hip hop record producer, songwriter and engineer, best known for his collaborations with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Keyshia Cole and John Legend. Select discography Albums 2020s *'' Free The Beast(album)'' - B-Free 20 ...

, J Gramm and Travis Scott himself.

Critical reception

''Owl Pharaoh'' was met with critical acclaim from music critics. Ralph Bristout of '' XXL'' gave the album an XL, saying "While he’s still finding himself lyrically, his work behind the boards and eagerness to try new things keep this from becoming problematic. Perhaps Owl Pharaoh’s sole drawback is that it still doesn’t quite seem to answer the question 'Who exactly is Travi$ Scott?' Luckily for him, this incredibly cohesive debut is so mesmerizing that everyone should want to find out." ''Owl Pharaoh'' was nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and w ...

. '' Spin'' ranked it at number 21, on their list of the "40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2013." They commented saying, "The sneering attitude dripping through muffled Auto-Tune and dark streaks of "Uptown" and "Bad Mood / Shit On You" are a very distinct brand of dark and twisted, but certainly not a fantasy." ''XXL'' named it the fifth best mixtape of 2013. They elaborated saying, "Above all things, the 2013 XXL Freshman’s production skills is on full display, presenting his wide range of sound. ''Owl Pharaoh'' is an early sign that the potential for him is monumental."

Accolades

Track listing

Notes * signifies an additional producer * signifies a co-producer *Soundcloud released version contains the song 16 Chapels

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owl Pharaoh 2013 mixtape albums Grand Hustle Records albums Albums produced by Lex Luger Albums produced by Emile Haynie Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by Young Chop Albums produced by Travis Scott Albums free for download by copyright owner Albums produced by DJ Dahi Albums produced by WondaGurl Travis Scott albums