Hello, I’m MusiCommentator, and today we’re going to be looking at a song called “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM“, which Travis Scott has explicitly said is a song “not for decoding”, but I wouldn’t be MusiCommentator if I didn’t over-analyze every lyric of a song, so let’s do this!
But, before we do, some background: Travis Scott is a Houston-based rapper that has gained huge popularity over the years for his work with the G.O.O.D. Music label. His dark, psychedelic rap style has been praised over the years as being very inspirational to the current trap sound, and I can’t say I disagree. Personally, I love Travis Scott’s music. I consider his debut album “Rodeo” to be a 10/10, and his “ASTROWORLD” album took the 7th spot of my Top 10 BEST Albums Of 2018 list. I also gave a pretty glowing review to his popular track “SICKO MODE“. I have always found his music to be pretty experimental while still appealing to a wide audience, which makes a lot of his material very interesting to listen to. This newest single of his, “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”, debuted at #1 on the Hot 100, which is a first for Travis. I believe this is mostly due to this being his first song to come after his breakup with Kylie Jenner, so let’s see what Travis has for us.
“I got room in my fumes (Yeah)
She fill my mind up with ideas
I’m the highest in the room (It’s lit)
Hope I make it outta here (Let’s go)”
The song starts with the chorus, which apparently seems to be Travis talking about this breakup. Of course, it is cloaked in his usual drug raps of him being high. I’m not sure if I have much to say about these lyrics so far, but I can say that this hook is pretty catchy.
“She saw my eyes, she know I’m gone (Ah)
I see some things that you might fear
I’m doin’ a show, I’ll be back soon (Soon)
That ain’t what she wanna hear (Nah)”
Here, Travis goes deeper into the turmoils of the relationship, talking specifically about how his tour life is making the relationship harder. This is a topic I have seen covered in songs before, but I haven’t yet heard it in Travis Scott’s music, so I’m intrigued to hear what else he has to say about this.
“Now I got her in my room (Ah)”
But of course, this IS a rap song, so I guess he has to interject the emotional stuff with some implicit sex references.
“Legs wrapped around my beard”
Um, not sure if you’ve noticed Travis, but you don’t have a beard.
“Got the fastest car, it zoom (Skrrt)”
I feel like I’ve seen musical artists saying the word “zoom” a lot more recently (some examples being Lil Yachty and X Ambassadors), and honestly, this is a trend I hope will end soon. It just makes you sound like a little child, especially when you’re using it to describe a car. I don’t want to listen a rapper that sounds like “Look, mom, car go zoom zoom!”
“We ain’t stressin’ ’bout the loot (Yeah)
My block made of quesería
This not the molly, this the boot
Ain’t no comin’ back from here
Live the life of La Familia
It’s so much gang that I can’t see ya (Yeah)”
So I’m guessing we’re not talking about the relationship anymore, huh?
“Nah, nah, nah, they not back of the VIP”
Travis, you’re a grown, adult man, so I know you know that it is pronounced “V-I-P”, not “vip”.
“Gorgeous, baby, keep me hard as steel”
The last image I want to have in my mind is an erect Travis Scott, so I think we’re going to end the lyrical analysis here.
Overall, I wouldn’t say this is one of Travis’s best songs. First of all, I would like to talk about the whole idea of this being about his relationship with Kylie Jenner. I honestly could not care less about high-profile, celebrity relationships, but I think Travis is totally using the end of their relationship to boost this song’s popularity, because only about 25% of the lines in this song are about that. Plus, this song was previewed in a Kylie Jenner commercial long before their relationship ended, apparently, which makes all of this just seem like a cash-grab. But, back to the song itself. The best part is easily the beat. It encapsulates that trippy style that a lot of the songs on “ASTROWORLD” do, with some stylistic elements from “Birds In The Trap, Sings McKnight” dispersed throughout (especially in that beautiful outro consisting of Mike Dean’s lush synths). Travis’s flow helps exaggerate this drugged-out atmosphere, complete with autotune and reverb. The worst part is probably the lyrics, as they are very muddled all throughout the track. I know people will probably oppose me for focusing on his lyrics, as that is not really the point of the song, but that’s what I do here, so oh well. And, just in general, this song is just not as good as some of his others. When I first heard it, I did not think it was anything super special. As I kind of alluded a few sentences before, it kind of songs like a track that would be on “ASTROWORLD” on a lot of levels, all the way down to the all caps title. Still, the track is decent enough, so I’ll give it a 3 out of 5. Do you agree?
Thank you for reading my “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” song review. If you liked this review, make sure to follow my website, Twitter, and Instagram, like this post, and be sure to check in to read my future reviews. Also, if you have something you want to see me review, tell me in the comments. Until then, keep on listening to good music! I know I will.
MusiCommentator 