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Rodeo poses an interesting listening experience, at times compelling, but ultimately alienating. The album’s production is solid, but as a whole, somewhat muddled. The autotune is thick as syrup throughout. A prologue voiced by Atlanta veteran T.I. outlines the manifesto of the album as, “the story of the young rebel against the system.” The tracks’ lack of cohesive direction seems to defy this as soon as T.I.’s voiceover drops into the cringe-worthy number Pornography, in which Scott compares himself and his world to a depraved sexual fantasy. Again, T.I.’s velvet drawl bookends the project, explaining that Rodeo is an allegory for the turbulent rise of this new icon, yet begs the question of whether Scott is worthy of that status.

Scott is unquestionably of the new-school: hyper-aggressive, self-obsessed, and nihilistic. Fresh talent like Young Thug and Chief Keef join Scott on the album, as do some high-profile names such as Kanye, Juicy J, and Justin Bieber. Wasted is a well-produced and contemplative instrumental track, and Juicy’s verse is delivered with due Southern finesse, but Travis’ autotuned flairs quickly become irritating. Bieber sounds refreshingly mature on his feature, and the production on Maria (I’m Drunk) is a melancholic groove. The lyrical content of the album is generally devoid of intelligent wordplay or coherent themes, with a few exceptions like Apple Pies, a coming-of-age song which ends the album with a genuinely sentimental counterpoint to Pornography, containing more interesting lyrics such as “I’m everything but a rapper”.

Scott’s oversized ego, evident in his various press controversies, does not seem to match his talent as a musician. Rodeo bumps hard at times, but is still full of recycled hooks and unnecessary waved-out profanity.

Rodeo is out now.