Scott, Quavo Collaboration Lacks Experimentation, Still Pleases Fans
January 25, 2018
Hip-Hop and Rap moguls Travis Scott and Quavo released the highly anticipated collaborative album “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho” Dec. 21. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200, which is Scott’s third album to reach the top 10, and Quavo’s first as a solo-artist.
The album’s 13 songs run 34 minutes, featuring Migos members Takeoff and Offset, as the only features on this album. However, the song “Dubai S**t” features vocals from rapper Yung Lean. Most of the album is comprised of back and forths between the two artists which is refreshing because one artist never takes over the song.
With melodic trap beats and frequent use of synth, Scott and Quavo stay true to their styles of catchy hooks and melodies. Mike Dean, the mastering engineer crafted the beats to perfection to fit the up-tempo club vibe with the first track “Modern Slavery,” followed by “Eye to Eye” which features Takeoff.
Once they move away from their hooks, there seems to be the constant mentioning of jewelry, cars and women which is common in the rap scene. In many cases, the two deliver clever bars, but overall there is a lack of risk and creativity that fans loved on their debut studio albums “Culture” and “Rodeo.”
Quavo seems to take over this album with a more dominant Atlanta sound as opposed to a balance with the Houston style. The trap drums and synth has emulated into the new Atlanta sound, which is evident on almost every song. It lacks the underground Houston production Scott brings on previous efforts. The issue with this is that the verses are almost repetitive and there isn’t much experimentation.
“Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho” was a solid collab album from Travis Scott and Quavo, but it had the potential to be one of the best collab albums of the year. Two superstar rappers from the south coming together to infuse the Houston and Atlanta hip-hop sound together was something fans were going crazy about. They should have waited another week if it meant that a couple more songs could’ve been added to strengthen the album.