Travis Scott Bio
Jacques Bermon Webster II, known professionally as Travis Scott, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Houston, Texas, on April 30, 1991, he rose from Houston’s underground scene to become one of the most influential figures in contemporary hip-hop. Scott signed his first major-label deal with Epic Records and a publishing deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music, later founding his own imprint, Cactus Jack Records, in 2017. Across his career, he has earned a Latin Grammy Award, a Billboard Music Award, an MTV Video Music Award, multiple BET Hip Hop Awards, and ten Grammy Award nominations.
Early Life and Background
Jacques Bermon Webster II was born on April 30, 1991, in Houston, Texas, the son of Wanda, who worked in the telecommunications industry, and Jacques Bermon Webster, an entrepreneur and musician. From ages one through six, he lived with his grandmother in South Park, Houston, a neighborhood he has described as shaping his edge and artistic perspective. Webster later moved to Missouri City, a middle-class suburban area bordering southwest Houston, where his mother worked for Apple and his father ran his own business. His father was also a soul musician, and his grandfather was a jazz composer, giving Webster early exposure to a wide range of musical styles.
Webster attended Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas, and graduated at seventeen. During high school, he participated in musical theater, which helped him develop a sense of stagecraft and performance. He then enrolled at the University of Texas at San Antonio, but dropped out during his second year to focus fully on his music career. Webster has said that his stage name combines the name of a favorite uncle, Travis, with the first name of one of his biggest inspirations, Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.
Path to Music
Webster formed a duo with his longtime friend Chris Holloway known as The Graduates. In 2008, the duo released their untitled first EP on the social networking website Myspace. The following year, Scott and OG Chess, one of his schoolmates, formed the group The Classmates, releasing two projects, Buddy Rich in 2009 and Cruis’n USA in 2010. After leaving college, Webster moved from Houston to New York, working with his friend Mike Waxx at the music website Illroots, and later relocated to Los Angeles, where he faced significant financial hardship while pursuing his craft.
Atlanta-based rapper and Grand Hustle Records owner T.I. heard one of Webster’s productions, titled “Lights (Love Sick)”, and brought him in for a meeting where T.I. freestyled over another Scott production called “Animal”. In 2012, Scott signed his first major-label recording contract with Epic Records, as well as a publishing deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music as an in-house producer. In April 2013, he entered a joint-venture record deal with Grand Hustle Records. He was also named to the XXL Freshman Class of 2013.
Travis Scott Career
Early Career (2008-2014)
Webster’s first solo full-length project, the mixtape Owl Pharaoh, was repeatedly delayed before its release, with portions reworked by Kanye West and Mike Dean. The project was officially released on May 21, 2013, after Scott signed with Epic Records and Grand Hustle Records. He followed Owl Pharaoh with his second mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, in 2014, and toured to support it via The Rodeo Tour, which began on March 1, 2015, in Santa Ana, California, and ended on April 1, 2015, in Portland, Oregon.
During this early period, Scott built his reputation as both a producer and performer. The single “Upper Echelon” featuring 2 Chainz and T.I. was sent to urban contemporary radio on April 23, 2013. The success of Days Before Rodeo positioned him for his major-label debut, and he used the momentum to launch The Rodeo Tour, which featured special guest appearances by artists including Kanye West, Chris Brown, Wale, and Birdman in select cities.
Breakthrough (2015-2018)
Travis Scott released his debut studio album, Rodeo, on September 4, 2015, via Grand Hustle and Epic Records. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 85,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, and featured collaborations with Quavo, Juicy J, Kanye West, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, and Young Thug, among others. The single “Antidote” peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified septuple Platinum by the RIAA.
His second studio album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, was released on September 11, 2016, and became Scott’s first number-one album on the Billboard 200. In December 2017, Scott and Quavo released their collaborative studio album, Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. His third studio album, Astroworld, was released on August 3, 2018, to widespread critical acclaim, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 537,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. The album yielded his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, “Sicko Mode” featuring Drake.
Notable Works and Milestones
Travis Scott has earned a Latin Grammy Award, a Billboard Music Award, an MTV Video Music Award, multiple BET Hip Hop Awards, and ten Grammy Award nominations across his career. His album Astroworld became a cultural phenomenon, and his 2018 single “Sicko Mode” featuring Drake reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned 15x Platinum certification. He founded Cactus Jack Records in 2017, signing artists including Don Toliver, Chase B, Sheck Wes, SoFaygo, and WondaGurl, and has organized events such as CactusCon, blending music, fashion, and art.
Travis Scott Award Nominations
Throughout his career, Travis Scott has accumulated ten Grammy Award nominations across multiple categories, including Rap Album of the Year for Utopia at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024. His collaboration “Sicko Mode” featuring Drake earned two Grammy nominations, and his consistent chart presence has brought him additional industry recognition through the BET Hip Hop Awards and Billboard Music Awards ceremonies.
Travis Scott Awards Won
Travis Scott has won a Latin Grammy Award, a Billboard Music Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and several BET Hip Hop Awards. In October 2024, Scott won the I Am Hip Hop Award at the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards, further cementing his influence in hip-hop culture. His signature track “Sicko Mode” and his album Astroworld are among the most celebrated works in modern hip-hop.
Travis Scott Family
Travis Scott was born to Wanda, who worked for AT&T and later Apple, and Jacques Bermon Webster, an entrepreneur and soul musician. His grandfather was a jazz composer, giving him a multigenerational musical lineage. Scott has credited his grandmother, with whom he lived in South Park, Houston, for instilling in him the drive and edge that shaped his artistic identity.
Personal Life
Travis Scott began dating media personality and businesswoman Kylie Jenner in April 2017. In February 2018, Jenner gave birth to their daughter, and Jenner appeared in the music video for “Stop Trying to Be God” from Scott’s third studio album Astroworld. The couple briefly separated in September 2019 before rekindling their relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 7, 2021, Jenner revealed the couple were expecting their second child, and she gave birth to their son in February 2022. The couple separated for a second time by January 2023.