Travi$ Scott’s “Uptown” Video Is Mad Bizarre: Watch

At age 21, Travi$ Scott has developed an uncanny ability to create atmosphere and tension (no doubt that’s why he was enlisted to work on Yeezus). And if you’ve seen his “Upper Echelon” video, you know he’s got a penchant for bizarre imagery. But he’s upped the mindfuckery ante on his video for Owl Pharaoh standout “Uptown.”

Scott seems to have some sort of telepathic control over people, and the ability to ignite into flames. That’s about all there is in terms of a narrative. The rest is just one strange setpiece after another. There’s a robbery by a bunch of white-eyed goons, vomiting, facial morphing, a cackling butcher, a legit jump-scare when A$AP Ferg gets on the mic and a White Stripes sample. If that all sounds confusing, that’s probably the point: the video is eight minutes long, but it never seems to follow one trajectory for more than 30 seconds. This means it leads to a lot of cool shit, but also a lot of interruptions to an otherwise strong song. 

Scott is still learning to trim the fat, but he knows how to stand out from the crowd. Having too many cool/weird ideas is a good problem to have.

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