Travi$ Scott is the stage name of Jacques Webster, a Houston-born hip-hop artist and producer affiliated with Kanye West's GOOD Music and T.I.'s Grand Hustle. Scott has a heavily Auto-Tuned half-sung/half-rapped vocal style, and refers to himself as a singer rather than a rapper. He's produced or co-produced tracks by Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, Wale, and Big Sean, and he's appeared on tracks by Jay-Z, Pusha T, T.I., Meek Mill, and numerous others.

Scott grew up in a suburb of Houston and began making music as a teenager. He formed a duo called the Graduates with his friend Chris Holloway, and they released an online EP in 2009. The following year, he formed another duo, the Classmates, with OG Chess. Scott produced the duo's two full-lengths, Buddy Rich and Cruis'n USA, and the duo broke up by the end of 2011. After dropping out of college, Scott moved to Los Angeles and began recording music on his own. He came in contact with T.I. and eventually Kanye West. West hired Scott as an in-house producer for GOOD Music, and appeared on the label's 2012 compilation Cruel Summer. Scott's debut, Owl Pharaoh, was originally scheduled to be released as a free mixtape in 2012, but as his profile grew (including a placement in XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2013), and due to sample clearance issues, the album wasn't released until May of 2013. Featuring guest appearances by T.I. and 2 Chainz (on single "Upper Echelon") as well as Toro y Moi, A$AP Ferg, Paul Wall, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, the mixtape was well-received, eventually receiving a nomination for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Scott announced his first proper studio album, Rodeo, in 2014, to be preceded by mixtape Days Before Rodeo. "Don't Play" (featuring Big Sean and the 1975) was released as a single from the mixtape, followed by "Mamacita" (featuring Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug). Scott spent March of 2015 headlining the Rodeo Tour along with Young Thug and Metro Boomin, hitting most of America's major cities and selling out several shows. During the same month, Rihanna's Scott-produced hit single "Bitch Better Have My Money" was released. Scott's single "3500 (For the Coat)," featuring Future and 2 Chainz, was released in June of 2015, while the Rodeo album was released by Grand Hustle/Epic in September. It debuted at number three on Billboard's album chart.

Paul Simpson
AllMusic.com