In the Houston rapper’s second full-length album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, Travis Scott depicts his life with his friends, past relationships, and of course, partying. It’s now apparent that Scott is a rock star having been thrust into the spotlight with his debut album Rodeo and is no longer just an emerging artist. Now, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight serves to solidify Scott’s fame and credibility as a rap artist.

Although at times Birds can be just as dark and edgy as his last album, Birds features songs with touches of electric guitar, steel drum, and upbeat tempos, like the radio hit “Pick Up the Phone” and “Wonderful.” With an all-star lineup of featured artists like André 3000, Kid Cudi, Young Thug, Kendrick Lamar, Bryson Tiller, Quavo, and The Weeknd, Scott’s image of a midnight thrill-seeker is still left intact.

On the track “Through the Late Night” with Kid Cudi, who Scott describes as his greatest influence, the two artists rap about their typical days involving psychedelic influences, sleeping all day, and playing hard late at night. On this same track, Travis showcases his true artistic talent in which he adapts some of the lyrics off Cudi’s hit “Day ‘N’ Night” into his verse, which makes the track a beautiful combination of both artists’ sounds. As well, Travis Scott depicts past loves throughout the album, like in “First Take” with Bryson Tiller, which serves as an ode to a woman who doesn’t reciprocate his feelings for her. Amidst the haze of his rap lifestyle, Travis Scott depicts a universal feeling of being unloved at times in which he raps, “What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is yours” showing his dedication to a girl who would not do the same for him.

Although Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight has plenty to keep even the seasoned rap listener entertained and includes a handful of great hits, I felt myself being somewhat reminiscent of Travis’s previous album Rodeo with its raw sound and nearly horror-like beats. Contrasting Rodeo in which songs were long in duration and uneven in tempo, Birds is crafted for the mainstream audience and songs were made to be played on the radio. Despite the massive amount of talent featured on the album, I felt like some of these songs didn’t do the artists justice, like in “Goosebumps” featuring Kendrick Lamar. Although the chorus is catchy and listeners overall are able to bump to the track, I felt Kendrick’s verse was subpar and that his lyrics didn’t stand out, which is out-of-character for the lyrical genius that Kendrick is. There were also tracks that fell flat and didn’t add to the depth of Birds, like with “Sdp Interlude” and as a result were boring to listen to as a listener. Overall, I was impressed with Travis Scott’s work with Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight and I appreciate his talent as a rap artists solidifying his reputation, but I felt like I received a more authentic taste of Travis’s music with his debut album Rodeo.