On Monday (Aug. 7), Billboard revealed that Travis Scott’s latest body of work, UTOPIA, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 496,000 album-equivalent units earned in the United States. Of that figure, streaming was equal to 243,000 units or roughly half of the overall take, which would have placed the album at the top of the aforementioned chart without its physical sales, all of which were sold exclusively via Scott’s official store.
UTOPIA consists of 19 songs and assists from Drake, Young Thug, Teezo Touchdown, Playboi Carti, Beyoncé, 21 Savage, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, and more. The project was accompanied by a film titled CIRCUS MAXIMUS, a sonic visualization of standout cuts created alongside the likes of Gaspar Noé, Harmony Korine, and Kahlil Joseph. The iconic Roman venue that the movie was titled after became the site of Scott’s celebratory concert, one that saw a barefoot Kanye West as a surprise guest.
As previously reported by REVOLT, Scott explained the meaning behind the LP’s title in an interview with CR Men.
“Water is the most consumed thing. What if the bottle was at an inspirational level to all people?” he stated. “Medicine, nursing, being a better person, talking, language, communication, you know, a utopian state. You think utopia is a society where everything is good — health, buildings, architecture. Nah. It’s just about proper lines of communication. Because that’s the dystopian s**t we’re in right now. It’s all hate, hate, hate, and all of that is drawn from what? Miscommunication, non-communication, non-understandable communication, ignorance to communication.”
Today (Aug. 8), it’s been announced that Scott will be hitting the road for his “Circus Maximus Tour” in September. The excursion will stop in several North American cities before coming to an end in November. Presales are expected to begin on Wednesday (Aug. 9).