Song of the Day: Travis Scott “Coffee Bean”

Travis Scott has made a precipitous climb to the top of the contemporary popular rap world in a short span of years, culminating in a Super Bowl LIII halftime show performance and a Billboard number one debut for his third album Astroworld. Scott’s 2015 hit “Antidote” was inescapable as was his Kardashian adjacent personal life but I’ve never been in his target demographic so I maintained only a passing familiarity with his work.

I stumbled on to “Coffee Bean” via a remix from the mysterious HERINMIND and was pleased to discover this introspective coda to Astroworld delivered a side of the Houston superstar that vibrated on my frequency.

In “Coffee Bean”, Scott opens up about his relationship with Kylie Jenner without the bombast of tabloid headlines and reality TV. Drop the references to a mansion and sold out tours and this somber reflection over a poignant guitar groove becomes a relatable meditation on romantic woes and insecurity.