To those looking to debut new music during a concert set, Travis Scott has a solution: QR codes, delivered by a legion of gigantic overhead drones.
Scott, the music industry’s unofficial king of brand deals and promotional stunts, debuted upcoming single “Escape Plan” during his set at the Rolling Loud music festival this weekend, and to further hype the new track, he commissioned advertising platform MilkMoney for a too-big-to-miss QR code lining the festival sky, made possible by 250 flying drones. Concert-goers who scanned the code were taken to a pre-save link for the single, which doesn’t yet have an official release date. Scott’s reps tell Rolling Stone that the rapper is the first artist to tease new music through this type of technology, but did not share the cost of the project or the number of fans who actually scanned the QR code. The drones also came together to form a giant Cactus Jack logo during the set.
“Everyone knows Travis Scott is one of the best performers in the game, but on Saturday night he took it to another level. Dropping new music and giving fans direct access to the song through a drone installation is unheard of and MilkMoney and Travis made it happen,” Rolling Loud co-founder and co-CEO Tariq Cherif said in a statement.
The gimmick, to be clear, is just the latest in Scott’s ever-expanding empire of zany mad-lib track promotion. Last year, he debuted “Franchise” on the heels of his partnership with McDonald’s, which also saw the rapper selling merchandise including t-shirts and hoodies along with an immensely popular $90 McNugget body pillow. He also premiered “The Scotts” during his infamous Fortnite concert, Astronomical, slingshotting the single to a Number One debut and helping launch a trend of artists putting on concerts inside video games — a strategy that became paramount since touring revenue was sidelined for more than a year during the pandemic — and otherwise partnering with gaming companies on new initiatives.
Considering his own prior stunts, Scott’s “Escape Plan” promotion is comparably tame. It’s unclear how many artists will want to replicate such a spectacle in their own sets, but as the live music business comes roaring back, industry insiders expect more artists to try out more immersive experiences that can grab listeners’ attention in fresh ways. The best livestreams of the quarantine era found novel ways to rope audience members into the performances themselves, and more artists will be looking to bring that type of experimental tech to the in-person concert experience as well.
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There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
