Josh Byrd

UWRT-1104-006
September 29, 2015
Assignment One
Figured World: A social structure with certain rules and conventions that pertain to the
communities that are involved in it.
His concerts consist of more activities than just singing along to performed songs.
Audience members tend to jump, dance, and crowd surf during the shows. It is usual for mosh pits
to form at these shows. Members tend to leave his shows drenched in sweat and sometimes bruised.
Some members of the the audience even take part in alcohol and recreational drug use to enhance
their experience at the show. Although this can be illegal in some areas, it is acceptable in this
figured world. Scott encourages audience members to prepare themselves before his shows in in
any way they need to so they are ready for the experience. While most rappers tend to rap their
songs word for word in the same pitch or voice tone as in their recorded versions, it is acceptable
to hear Travis Scott shout and scream his lyrics. Coming into this environment, one can expect it
to be very loud and even chaotic. One should not be surprised to see Scott jump on the stage or
even into the crowd. He tends to throw water into the crowds during certain songs. Even though
his shows are wild and untamed, there is some behavior that is not acceptable. For example,
recording or taking pictures throughout the entire show is inappropriate. Scott wants his audience
to be in the moment and enjoy the experience rather than trying to capture it. Another form of
inappropriate behavior is standing still. Scott encourages audience members to come to his shows
with an open mind. They should forget about all of their problems, and to just have fun. Members
of the audience should not worry about how they look in the eyes of others and should enjoy the
show. If one were to be still throughout the concert, he or she probably wouldnt survive The
Rodeo as Scott calls it. Scott refers to his shows as The Rodeo because of how crazy and wild
they are. Rodeo is also the title of his debut album, as it describes his journey through life and his
self discovery.
Actors: People in the figured world who have specific duties and roles. One of the actors is not
significant in the sense of Travis Scotts production but he does play a role in Scotts live
performances.
Travis Scott: His role is the entertainer. Besides performing songs, he excites the people
in the audience. His energy is infectious. By that I mean his on stage energy and flair
catches on to those in the audience and they too will want to jump and sing along. He
encourages audience members to have fun and get wild. He also tests their limits by
challenging them to rage even harder.
Mike Dean: He is an instrumentalist on stage with Scott. Although the songs are already
recorded and produced, Dean plays along to them as well as adds his own riffs on the piano
and guitar. His role is to enhance the experience of the show by providing live sounds to
the music.
Chase B: His role as the DJ to play the preselected songs as well as make certain transitions
when switching songs. Even though he is not the star of the show, his role is very important

Comment [BJ1]: Your rules and conventions of your

figured world describe perfectly the environment
expected of Travis Scott's concerts. Something I would
recommend including in the beginning is brief
background information on the artist's personal and or
music life and what genre of music he performs. This
will help the reader connect with the artist as a person
before connecting with his concerts. (Y.A)
Comment [BJ2]: I don't see where you mention that this
assignment is talking about Travis Scott. I would
suggest adding an introduction to him and who he is
especially for readers who don't know of him. Just
adding a small introduction will make a better
connection to the rest of your rules and conventions fro
your figured world. (J.P.F)
Comment [BJ3]: I am really looking forward to reading
your assignment since its different from the rest. I
would consider introducing the subject instead of
referring to Travis Scott as "His." This will help inform
the reader right off the bat. I like how you start
describing the concert from the audiences perspective.
(H.B)
Comment [BJ4]: I would encourage you to include a
brief intro to your rapper. At this point I feel it is
necessary as I was getting lost. Your description of the
activities in the audience was thorough. I also found it
refreshingly explicit while remaining appropriate. (H.B)
Comment [BJ5]: I like the engagement of his audience
and excitement during his concerts. Does Travis Scott
host concerts that are calm and collected for those fans
who don't like engaging in raging or marijuana? Are
there private areas during his concerts that can isolate
the calmer people? (Y.A)

Comment [BJ6]: Since Travis seems to be the main

"actor" in this figured world, I would recommend that
you add in more roles that he plays. You say that he's
an entertainer, and do well describing that aspect, but
there has to be more roles he plays in his career. But
overall your word choice sounds really intelligent and
and his role as an entertainer is understood. (J.P.F)

because he directs the audio. Chase B is also a hype man for Scott. He backs him up with
some of his verses and speaks during transitions to getting the audience excited.
Artifacts: Physical objects, emotions, and ideas that are important in a figured world. These items
must have a cultural significance to he figured world and/or impacted communities within it.
Music: The music is what gives Scott along with the audience the motivation and desire to
even attend the concert to begin with. The music itself at the concert is apart of the overall
experience because before attending, audience members already know many of his songs.
In addition, this is what Scott uses to share his messages and stories.
Energy: The concerts are electric and loud. There is energy throughout the whole show
and it is seen through Scott and the audience.
Rage: This is the idea of audience members going wild. This involves dancing, jumping,
crowd surfing, yelling, and shouting.
The Platform: This is Scotts stage to perform on. This is where Scott leaves all of his
energy. He jumps on the stage and off the stage at times.
Communities of Practice: This is a group of people with a common interest who gain knowledge
through activities and experiences surrounding the topic. The communitys members may not
always be together physically but they share the same goal, so even when they are on their own,
they are still striving towards the same thing. Members of the community also learn from each
other and this leads to their growth as a group.

The Audience: Their goal is to have fun and rage during the concert. They are together
throughout the concert and outside of it when it ends, members are connected by their
common interest in Travis Scotts music.
Domain: Domain is the communitys area of interest. All members are invested in the area of
interest as well as the communitys growth and development.
The Music: The music is what drives both Scott and the audience members to rage and
have fun.
Fun: Members of the audience are there to have fun. This could be through jumping,
dancing, raging, or using substances.
Practices of the Community: activities and habits of the community that pertain to their common
goal. These practices help build the community as a whole in a sense that each member is working
their way towards the same goal or idea.
Singing: Scott and the audience members recite the lyrics for each song. At times, it isnt
always word for word, but for the most part, the members know the lyrics to all of his
songs. Singing is a part f the overall goal of the show since it is a method for the audience
members to express their joy and excitement.
Raging: This includes jumping, dancing, crowd surfing, yelling, and much more. Raging
is what Scott and the audience members do to express themselves at the show.

Comment [BJ7]: I like how you incorporated that music

is the most important aspect of this figured world. It's
obvious throughout the assignment, but adding these
important details really brings across what the domain
of this community of practice really is. The fact that
music is listed in more than one definition really shows
how important it is.
(J.P.F)

Comment [BJ8]: I commend you for considering the

audience as community of practice because they are
the essence of the show itself and without them, there
wouldn't be a concert. I was hoping you'd consider
Travis Scott and his partners as a community as well.
Members of the group share the common love for
music, entertainment, and expression. (Y.A)
Comment [BJ9]: Using the audience as a community of
practice was very smart, I probably wouldn't have that
of that. I do recommend that you add more
communities practice such as Travis Scott himself, or
his artists that travel with him or perform with him.
Doing so would really represent the importance of that
specific community of practice to the reader.
(J.P.F)

Literacy Practices: These are ways of communicating that are written or spoken. These also
include nonverbal actions like body language.
Singing: Scott and the audience members recite the lyrics for each song. At times, it isnt
always word for word, but for the most part, the members know the lyrics to all of his
songs. Singing is a part f the overall goal of the show since it is a method for the audience
members to express their joy and excitement.
Raging: This includes jumping, dancing, crowd surfing, yelling, and much more. Raging
is what Scott and the audience members do to express themselves at the show.
Observation 1:
Travis Scott Summer Jam 2015
Observed on September 15, 2015
1 second: Travis Scott enters the stage with a bright yellow jacket and opens with the song 5
Mo.
1 minute 2 seconds: Scott urges his true fans to come closer to the front. He tells the security
staff not to touch them as they try to make their way to the front. Lastly, he shouts into the mic
Theres too many of you, lets go!
1 minute 54 seconds: Scott throws water into the crowd on the downbeat of one of his popular
songs, Quintana. He drags out certain words and yells some of the lyrics. He begins to jump
across the stage as he sings the song and the audience members jump and hold their hands up as
well.
5 minutes 12 seconds: Scott crowd surfs and audience members hold him up as he continues to
sing the ending of Quintana.
6 minutes 37 seconds: Scott takes a break from the music and introduces the audience to his
security team. He says that his security is there so the fans can rage how they want to. He then
points out how the Summer Jam security is there to make sure audience members dont rage. He
tells the Summer Jam security members to not touch him if he decides to go off stage and into
the crowd with the fans. Then he tells them that if people start fighting or doing something not
positive then to do their job accordingly. Lastly, he says that this is not regular concert that a
rapper would but this is a La Flame show and that the audience is there to have fun.
10 minutes 16 seconds: Scott throws water into the crowd o the downbeat of his song
Uptown. Chase B, backs Scott with lyrics every now and then as he jumps across the stage. He
serves as a hype man throughout the song and even prior to playing it when he asks the audience
Anybody from uptown NY? Mike Dean plays the melody on his guitar during the song.
Meanwhile, the crowd is very enthusiastic and is jumping up and down with their hands raised.
Later on during the chorus Scott takes a security guards hat and sun glasses.

Comment [BJ10]: I like the positive energy Travis Scott

imposes on his fans and the bond they create during
concerts. I would like to know more about the theme
and topics his songs discuss. In the introduction, I was
also wondering if he dedicates his songs to a particular
audience or if his songs require a specific mentality or
interest in order to better connect with him. (Y.A)

Comment [BJ11]: Your observations are very

descriptive and really show your understanding and
connection with this figured world. The observations
you made portray to the reader a detailed picture of
what is happening as you observe as if they are
actually there. Through your observations I was able to
clearly visualize the concerts and felt as if I was there
with the audience.
(J.P.F)
Comment [BJ12]: This is a good description of the
audience's interaction. I like how you describe their
action's. You could take it farther and mention certain
lyrics that the crowd connects. Or you could even
mention a specific action they do repeatedly. (H.B)

12 minutes 45 seconds: Scott hops off the stage and walks to another smaller platform that is
further down and near the center of the whole audience. He reaches out towards audience
members and gives them handshakes. Chase B plays a song Scott produced called All your
fault by Big Sean featuring Kanye West. As Scott is on the platform he tells the audience to
bounce as the beat drops. Then on Wests first verse he raps Thats that dont play. Chase B
then transitions right into Scotts hit single called Dont play. Scott heads back to the stage and
begins singing melodies as the chorus approaches. Mike Dean plays some riffs on the guitar. On
the downbeat when the chorus comes in Scott begins to jump on the stage and throw water into
the audience as they jump and dance. During the first verse Scott goes down into the crowd and
hands the mike to an audience member as he raps the words. Scott and this member go back and
forth throughout the first verse.
16 minutes 12 seconds: Chase B plays the song Quintana part 2 (not the same as the first
Quintana). As the melody builds to the first verse Scott calls out to the left side of the audience
and states I want to see yall over there jump. He then continues to shout jump as audience
members jump and then right on the downbeat to the first verse Scott shouts into the mike and
loses himself. He swings his arms and continues to jump. Throughout all of this the audience is
going wild and jumping with him. A member even crowd surfs for a little bit.
19 minutes: Travis takes a break from the music and calls out an audience member who had
went to a previous Rodeo concert and had injured his eye while there. He brings this member
on stage and Scott shows the camera a picture on his phone of what the members eye had
looked like when it was injured. As he is doing this the member is jumping up and down on the
stage out of excitement. Scott brings the member over to the side of the stage and tells the
audience to form a pit so the member who injured his eye can go jump in it on the downbeat of
the song. Scott then states, I love ragers that survive the Rodeo and hes back for round 2.
Then Scott tells Chase B to play something rowdy. Chase B plays one of Scotts hits, Upper
Echelon. As the intro of the song plays Scott tells people in the back that they need to get
acquainted since they are just standing. On the downbeat when the chorus comes in, the member
jumps out into audience and crowd surfs. Scott goes wild on stage. He swings his arms and
jumps around on stage as he yells the lyrics with so much energy. Mike Dean plays harmonizing
keys on the piano during this. Right before his first verse, Scott embraces the audience member
who injured his eye and he takes off his shirt and gives it to him as a souvenir.
22 minutes 30 seconds: a few small mosh pits are formed while Scott preforms Skyfall.
25 minutes 35 seconds: While performing Mamacita, Scott notices a camera man on stage
recording. He tells Chase B to stop the music and then tells the camera man to leave the stage.
He states I dont care if you work for Summer Jam, youre not working for Travis, bye. This is
a Travis Scott show.
26 minutes 30: Scott brings out a local rapper and his crew 2 Milly to perform their song called
Milly Rock. The group comes on stage and dances to the song and Scott joins them. Audience
members jump along with the song.

Comment [BJ13]: I think it would be helpful to describe

the mosh pit further. Why does this song excite them?
What are they doing? The explanations so far have
been very good. This one could use more detail. (H.B)

31 minutes: Travis puts back on his expensive yellow jacket as the crowd chants 3500. This
was the title of the single off of his unreleased album, Rodeo. (This was only a day after the track
was released on itunes) Chase B and Scott realize that the fans in the audience already know
about his new track. Chase B plays the song and Scott begins jumping across the stage singing
the chorus to the song. Mike Dean plays harmonies on the guitar. Audience members jump with
Scott. This is his last song he performs at his Summer Jam set. After he finishes his first verse
and sings the chorus one last time Chase B cuts the music and Scott heads off stage.
Observation 2:
Rolling Loud Festival 2015 Travis Scott Performance, Miami FL
Observed on September 27, 2015
1 second: Scott comes on stage to perform the song, Uptown, featuring ASAP Ferg, and
ASAP Ferg comes out on stage to perform the song with him.
58 Seconds: Right before the chorus of the song comes, Scott and Ferg throw water into the
audience as they jump up and down.
4 minutes 8 seconds: Scott goes down into audience and rages with some of the fans as the song
I Dont Like plays.
5 minutes 38 seconds: After performing Quintana, Scott says, I need to see more rage!
6 minutes 50 seconds: Scott begins to jump as he prepares to perform the song, Blocka. During
the chorus he slaps the hands of close audience members out of joy. Throughout all of this the
audience members are jumping and singing along to the song. Later on during the song he takes
off his jacket and goes down into the audience again and embraces some of the fans.
8 minutes 24 seconds: After performing Blocka, Scott states, If yall want to stay in this pit,
yall need to mosh!
9 minutes 6 seconds: Right before the chorus of Dont Play, Travis tells Chase B to stop the
music and tells the sound crew to turn up the music louder. Soon enough the crowd begins to chant,
Louder, louder, louder. The intro of the song plays again and a mosh pit forms. When the chorus
comes, Scott and the audience go wild; people begin to jump, scream, and just rage. Towards the
end of the first verse of the song, he climbs up a post as he sings the song.
13 minutes 33 seconds: Scott performs Sloppy Toppy and the crowd begins to jump and scream.
It is rare for Scott to perform this song so Scott and the fans really enjoy the moment.
15 minutes 24 seconds: Scott performs Drugs you should try it. This song is one of his slower
songs but the crowd still vibes with it. He jumps across stage and the audience members sing the
lyrics along with him.

16 minutes 45 seconds: Right on the downbeat of the chorus of, Upper Echelon, Scott throws
water into the crowd and audience members begin to rage. Travis waves his hands wildly on stage
as he sings the lyrics to the song. Mosh pits form and people are raging everywhere.
18 minutes 56 seconds: Scott says, This is my favorite song, right before he performs his hit
song Skyfall. Right into the first verse, members of the audience begin to jump and scream. People
start raging as well. Scott takes off his shirt and goes wild on stage as he performs the song while
smoking a joint.
22 minutes 27 seconds: On Young Thugs verse of Skyfall, the audience members continue to
rage even harder.
24 minutes 45 seconds: On the downbeat of Mamacita, a fan jumps off of the stage and into the
crowd and begins crowd surfing. The audience members continue to jump and scream. Scott sings
the lyrics and jumps across the stage.
29 minutes 45 seconds: Scott performs his verse of the song Company by Drake. The crowd
jumps and rages. Scott embraces the audience member who are close to the stage.
32 minutes 3 seconds: Scott performs the song Bacc. The audience members go wild and
everyone in the crowd begins to jump. Scott yells his lyrics through the mic and jumps across the
stage.
Observation 3
Rodeo LA 9/15/15
Observed on September 28, 2015
Video 1
15 seconds: Travis Scott comes onto the stage with a bottle of alcohol in his hand as the intro of
his song Pornography is playing. On the screen a GIF of a topless women plays to go along with
the theme of the song. Right during his first verse, Scott throws water into the crowd and screams
his lyrics with so much energy and passion. During the second verse when the song intensifies, the
audience members begin to jump even more.
3 minutes 30 seconds: After performing Pornography, Scott says, I have a feeling that tonight
might b the best night ever Im letting all of you sissy motherfuckers know its not safe for
you motherfuckers ... I want you to watch these niggas in the pit get down. Right after he says
this the chorus of Quintana plays and Scott throws water into the crowd and he screams his
lyrics. The crowd goes wild and everyone rages. He brings an audience member on stage and then
on the downbeat of the chorus he jumps into the audience and starts crowd surfing.
Video 2
1 second: Scott brings out the rapper Big Sean and they perform their song Dont Play. During
Big Seans verse, Scott Sings it along with him. The audience members rage throughout the entire
song.

Video 3
19 seconds: Scott begins singing his song 90201. During the chorus of the song he screams I
fucking love you! The audience members scream back out of joy and wave their hands across the
air. On the screen a video of palm trees plays while Scott performs the song.
3 minutes 30 seconds: The second half of the song comes and the instrumental changes. There is
a slight change in the tempo of the song. The audience members wave their hands and sing the
lyrics along with Scott.
Video 4
14 seconds: Scott performs one of his slower songs, Impossible. The audience members still
jump and wave their hands to the beat of the song.
1 minute 55 seconds: Scott performs Oh my/Dis side. On the downbeat of the Oh my part of
the song, Scott jumps as he sings the lyrics. The audience members rage. On the screen, videos of
horses run across fields.
4 minutes 18 seconds: During the Dis side part of the song, the instrumental and tempo slows
down but the audience members still wave their hands and jump to the song. Scott sings the lyrics
passionately and holds the microphone tight with two hands.
Video 5
55 seconds: Scott performs Skyfall, and on the downbeat of the first verse, a fan jumps off a
pole into the audience and crowd surfs. The crowd rages and Scott jumps across the stage.
2 minutes 30 seconds: Scott begins to sing Mamacita. Chase B plays the intro of the song and
right on the downbeat of the first verse, the audience members begin to jump wildly and wave their
hands in the air.
Video 6
8 seconds: Scott screams the lyrics as he performs 3500. Scott and the audience members rage.
2 minutes 50 seconds: Scott performs the song Piss on your grave. Scott goes wild on stage and
screams the lyrics. The audience members rage and yell the lyrics with them. Scott stands on top
of a three-foot box on stage which is close to the front row of the audience and jumps on it as he
sings the lyrics to the song.
Video 7
37 seconds: Scott begins to perform Apple Pie. The audience members jump along with the beat
of the song.
1 minute 37 seconds: After the first verse Scott passionately sings the chorus and repeats it a few
times and just skips his second verse. The songs melody continues and he hums along to it. He
makes shout outs to different groups and people with the songs melody. He then sings the chorus
one last time and thanks the audience members for attending the Rodeo.

Comment [BJ14]: I think it would be a good idea to go

into detail about what exactly the audience connects
with. Is it the lyrics? Are the beats that contagious? So
far you have described the concerts very well. I can
see it happening but i would really enjoy your
description of what the people are feeling or thinking.
(H.B)

Interview
1.Considering how wild his concerts are, were you ever concerned that your life was in danger,
and if so why?
Yes, I was concerned because during the first half of the concert I was sweating, but after a while
I realized I stopped sweating, and I hadnt drunken any water. Also, there was a lot of weed in the
air. So being dehydrated, and all of the weed in the air, and me being extremely tired to the point
where I feel like I cant even walk; like I might not make it, but then I got a bottle of water, and
I was like no Im good.
2.Describe your experience as a member in the audience, specifically the raging.
Its more extreme than you think it would be. Youd think everyone would just be jumping
around in one spot, but thats not how it is. Youre jumping forward and everyone moves
forward and it gets to the point when nobody else can move forward so people just start falling. I
was at a 45-degree angel. There was some crowd surfing and I passed the guy along. During the
show there was a crazy guy going wild and Travis stopped the show for a second to acknowledge
him.
3.Describe Travis Scotts on stage energy.
He brings life to any song. Even if you think its a calm song on the album, hell turn it into the
best song hat he performs. Like Skyfall, that used to be a chill song but now after going to the
concert its (Skyfall) crazy.
4.During what song or point during the show was it the most fun and exciting and describe that
moment.
When he performed Nothing but Net. I somehow got to the first row and I was about 3 feet
away from the speakers. Everyone in the audience was asking for Travis to perform that song
and it was really exciting.
5. What could have Travis Scott done differently as he engaged with the audience members?
Were there some things that he did or said towards the crowd that you didnt like?
The crowd was good. Overall I was satisfied with the show overall. Travis put all of his energy
into the show and I have no complaints.

Comment [BJ15]: I'm thrilled to see that you have

interviewed someone who appreciates Travis Scott like
you do. I would like to know more about the continent
of Travis Scott's songs and if they go hand in hand with
his concert's environment. Also, I was wondering is
there variations in his songs that allow calmer fans to
enjoy the concert as well? (Y.A)