''Days Before Rodeo'' is the second mixtape by American rapper Travi$ Scott. It was released for free on August 18, 2014, 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 ...

. 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

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...

Rich Homie Quan Dequantes Lamar (born October 4, 1989), known professionally as Rich Homie Quan, is an American rapper. He was previously signed to labels T.I.G. Entertainment and Motown, and is an independent artist as of 2021. Quan experienced commercial succ ...

, Migos, T.I. and Peewee Longway.

Background and promotion

In August 2014, Scott announced on his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account that he would be releasing 10 new songs within a month. On the same day, he also tweeted the title of this project, ''Days Before Rodeo'', before marketing the countdown every day until it stopped on August 10, 2014. On August 17, 2014, Scott released the track list and artwork for this project. The first song released from ''Days Before Rodeo'' was "Don't Play" featuring American rapper

and English pop band

. The song was produced by Scott himself, along with

Vinylz Anderson Hernandez (born September 2, 1989),Rys, Dan (July 11, 2013)"‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ Behind The Scenes: Five Producers Who Helped Craft The Album". '' XXL''. Accessed on July 11, 2013. professionally known as Vinylz, is an American ...

and Allen Ritter. Justin Davis of ''Complex'' commented Scott and Sean "have great chemistry over the track," while continuing their "streak of songs together". The Western-themed video for "Don't Play" was released on August 18, 2014. Although ''Days Before Rodeo'' was a prelude to '' Rodeo'', Scott tweeted that the project was not supposed to be taken as a mixtape, but as an album.

Release

''Days Before Rodeo'' was released on August 18, 2014. Scott called it a "free album" via Twitter on the following day. Eric Diep of ''XXL'' commented the album "displays the Houston rapper's eclectic production style, as well as his boastful raps that are similar to his mentors Kanye West and T.I.", while calling it "some great new material that we've been missing from him since his excellent debut, ''Owl Pharaoh''." ''Days Before Rodeo'' is a prequel to Scott's

Grand Hustle 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 debut album '' Rodeo'', which was released on September 4, 2015.

Singles

On July 11, 2014, Scott released the mixtape's

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 ...

, titled "Don't Play", which features

s from

and

. On December 2, 2014, Scott released the mixtape's second single, titled "Mamacita", which features

s from

and

Critical reception

''Days Before Rodeo'' was met with acclaim from music critics and fans. The album has a user rating of 96% on HotNewHipHop. Jacob Roy from Thefourohfive' sums up critical response for this album "While some may feel he opts for style over substance, all the distorted baselines and 'straight up' ad-libs play a purpose and a role. Days Before Rodeo proves Travis does everything for a reason. When listening to the album each song plays a role and as a whole it makes for a incredibly engrossing experience. While his lyrical ability may be questioned, it doesn't really cross your mind when you are in awe of the piece that he has painted for you. He has a mission statement and he is going to stick by it. 'We will understand it if they don't, we don't want they bullshit no more.' It wouldn't be a stretch to say Travi$ Scott could be at the forefront for a new generation of hip-hop that have their eyes on the bigger picture."

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer. * "Quintana Pt. 2" features uncredited vocals from T.I. * "Grey" features background vocals from

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 ...

. Sample credits * "Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer" contains a sample of Philip Glass's original composition "Music Box (Opening Theme)". * "Don't Play" contains an interpolation of "M.O.N.E.Y.", written and performed by

. * "Mamacita" contains a sample of "

(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Lut ...

", written and performed by

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

. * "Sloppy Toppy" contains a sample of "Spend the Night With Me", written and performed by Edna Wright. * "Backyard" contains a sample of " Distant Lover (Live at Oakland Coliseum, CA, 1974)", written and performed by Marvin Gaye.

References

{{Authority control 2014 mixtape albums Albums produced by DJ Dahi Albums produced by Lex Luger Albums produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Grand Hustle Records albums Albums produced by Lil' C (record producer) Albums produced by Travis Scott Albums produced by Vinylz Albums produced by Metro Boomin Albums produced by Southside (record producer) Albums produced by FKi (production team) Albums produced by WondaGurl Travis Scott albums Albums produced by Allen Ritter