If you like Travis Scott, try these 6 artists

Travis Scott records sound like a room with the lights turned down: slowed voices, huge bass, a beat that drops out from under you. You already know the Spotify "fans also like" row. This list goes a step or two further, back to where the sound was made and out to people carrying it somewhere new, including one rapper from India.

Here is where Travis Scott fans should go next.

1. DJ Screw

Start at the source. Robert Earl Davis Jr. slowed records down in a South Houston bedroom in the early 1990s, and "chopped and screwed" was born. He died on 16 November 2000, aged 29, and Travis paid tribute with "R.I.P. Screw" on Astroworld in 2018. If the woozy, syrupy drag in Travis's voice has ever hooked you, the Screw tapes are the original. Search "DJ Screw" on any streaming service and begin with the early Screwed Up Click tapes.

2. UGK

Port Arthur, Texas duo Bun B and Pimp C made Gulf Coast rap the sound of long drives and heavy bass. Their Outkast-assisted "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is the song to press play on first. Listen for the patience: nothing rushes, and that is the Houston school Travis grew up inside. Read more on the duo's ADMC artist page.

3. Kid Cudi

Before Travis turned moody into stadium-sized, Cudi made it a mainstream sound. "Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)" with MGMT and Ratatat, from Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), is a hip-hop song built like a synth-rock anthem. Cudi later appeared on Travis's Rodeo track "Through the Late Night". This is the older record your favourite dark-mood playlist grew out of. See his artist page.

4. Sheck Wes

A Travis fan's shortcut. Sheck Wes signed to Cactus Jack and GOOD Music through Interscope in early 2018 and released his debut Mudboy on 5 October 2018. "Mo Bamba", named for his childhood friend, the NBA player Mohamed Bamba, peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It is two minutes of shouted energy, made for a mosh pit. More on Sheck Wes.

5. Bladee

Stockholm's Bladee and the Drain Gang collective turn trap into something floatier, with pitch-bent vocals, icy synths and a sadness you can dance to. Start with "The Void", from the 2019 project Trash Island, made with Ecco2k and Thaiboy Digital. If you love the far-out, hazy side of Travis, this is the next door to open. His artist page has more.

6. Hanumankind

The home pick. Sooraj Cherukat, a Kerala-born rapper working as Hanumankind, put out "Big Dawgs" with producer Kalmi on 9 July 2024. The video was shot inside a Well of Death, the fairground stunt arena where motorcyclists ride the walls. The song has the swagger and low-end weight Travis fans love, and it travelled far beyond India. Def Jam India is among his labels. Check his artist page.

Where to go next

Work backwards with Screw and UGK, forwards with Bladee, and home with Hanumankind. Then see our spotlights on Ken Carson and Lil Yachty for two more routes in from the Travis side of rap.