# Days Before Rodeo
*Days Before Rodeo* is the second mixtape by the American rapper and producer [Travis Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/travis-scott), released for free on [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) on August 18, 2014 as a teaser for his official debut album, *[Rodeo](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodeo-travis-scott-album)* (2015).[1](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-days-before-rodeo/) Made a year after his first mixtape *Owl Pharaoh*, it captured the dark, Auto-Tuned trap sound he was developing and became one of the defining free releases of the 2014 mixtape era.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/days-before-rodeo/1763919907) Ten years later, in August 2024, Scott re-released it to streaming services and commercial formats for the first time, and the reissue reached number 1 on the Billboard 200.[3](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/travis-scotts-days-before-rodeo-rises-to-no-1-on-billboard-200)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Travis Scott (then styled Travi$ Scott), his second mixtape after *Owl Pharaoh* (2013)[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/days-before-rodeo/1763919907) |
| Original release | August 18, 2014, free on SoundCloud[1](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-days-before-rodeo/) |
| Standard edition | 12 songs, about 47 minutes[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/days-before-rodeo/1763919907) |
| Featured guests | Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, Migos, Peewee Longway, Big Sean, The 1975[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/days-before-rodeo/1763919907) |
| Notable producers | Mike Dean, Metro Boomin, Lex Luger, Southside, WondaGurl, FKi 1st[4](https://www.thefader.com/2024/09/04/10-years-later-days-before-rodeo-is-still-travis-scotts-best) |
| 2024 reissue | Streaming and vinyl for the first time, with five previously unreleased bonus tracks[1](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-days-before-rodeo/) |
| Chart performance | Debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with over 361,000 equivalent album units, then rose to No. 1 after vinyl shipped[5](https://digital.abcaudio.com/news/travis-scotts-days-rodeo-lands-2-billboard-200) • [3](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/travis-scotts-days-before-rodeo-rises-to-no-1-on-billboard-200) |
## Release and role before Rodeo
Scott released the mixtape free of charge in August 2014, a year before *Rodeo*, his debut album on a major label. The title was deliberately forward-looking: the concept of *Rodeo* already existed, and the mixtape served as a buzz-building preview of the album to come.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21016-rodeo/) Pitchfork described it at the time as "a solid buzz-building free studio album" and later, in its 2024 review, called the tape Scott's breakout mixtape.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21016-rodeo/) • [1](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-days-before-rodeo/)
At release, the tape lived exclusively on SoundCloud, with two exceptions that had already reached digital platforms: "Mamacita" with [Rich Homie Quan](https://www.edgepedia.org/rich-homie-quan) and [Young Thug](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-thug), and "Don't Play" with [Big Sean](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-sean) and The 1975.[7](https://www.sonymusic.es/actualidad/travis-scott-publica-days-before-rodeo/) Scott himself framed it as a standalone project rather than only a setup for the album.[8](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/25604-review-travis-scott-s-days-before-rodeo-news)
## Sound and material
The mixtape's production drew on Atlanta trap and Scott's Houston roots, with dark, hard-snapping beats in a post-*Yeezus* style.[9](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9565-overlooked-mixtapes-2014/) Standouts identified across reviews include the WondaGurl-produced opener "The Prayer," the sparse "Quintana, Pt. 2" with an uncredited T.I. verse, the circus-like synths of "Skyfall" with Young Thug, the Auto-Tuned "Drugs You Should Try It," and the closing run of "Backyard" and "Grey."[8](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/25604-review-travis-scott-s-days-before-rodeo-news) • [10](https://www.allmusic.com/album/days-before-rodeo-mw0004362512)
Reception at the time was split. [Anthony Fantano](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-fantano) scored it 3/10, criticizing Scott's rapping as trend-chasing, while other outlets praised the high production value and the cohesive mood of the tape.[11](https://flannelfy.net/album/travis-scott/days-before-rodeo) • [8](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/25604-review-travis-scott-s-days-before-rodeo-news) Pitchfork's 2014 roundup noted the dark beats and a flow drawing on [Kid Cudi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kid-cudi) and [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west).[9](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9565-overlooked-mixtapes-2014/)
## The 2024 tenth-anniversary reissue
In August 2024, Scott re-released *Days Before Rodeo* to streaming services and, for the first time, as a commercial release on vinyl and CD, marking the mixtape's tenth anniversary.[5](https://digital.abcaudio.com/news/travis-scotts-days-rodeo-lands-2-billboard-200) The deluxe edition added five previously unreleased tracks from the era, including the completed Young Thug collaboration "Yeah Yeah" and "Mo City Flexologist," a demo long passed around fan circles online.[10](https://www.allmusic.com/album/days-before-rodeo-mw0004362512)
Released to streaming on August 23, the reissue earned more than 361,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 331,000 album sales, and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 behind [Sabrina Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/sabrina-carpenter)'s *Short N' Sweet*, which had been released the same day.[5](https://digital.abcaudio.com/news/travis-scotts-days-rodeo-lands-2-billboard-200) Scott released multiple digital variants of the mixtape during the chart week, and after the vinyl editions shipped to customers the following month it rose from number 106 to number 1 on the chart dated September 28, 2024.[3](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/travis-scotts-days-before-rodeo-rises-to-no-1-on-billboard-200) • [12](https://los40.com/2024/08/30/que-esta-pasando-con-sabrina-carpenter-travis-scott-y-nicki-minaj/)
The anniversary coverage treated the tape as a document of Scott before he became a superstar. Pitchfork called it "a time capsule of Scott's chameleonic production prowess and his budding curatorial skill," while noting that his solo stretches already showed limits as a rapper.[1](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-days-before-rodeo/) [The FADER](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-fader) argued in 2024 that, ten years on, it remained his best project, crediting the studied production and the roster of co-producers and guests around him.[4](https://www.thefader.com/2024/09/04/10-years-later-days-before-rodeo-is-still-travis-scotts-best)
## References
1. [Travis Scott: Days Before Rodeo Album Review, Pitchfork (September 14, 2024)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-days-before-rodeo/)
2. [DAYS BEFORE RODEO - Album by Travis Scott, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/days-before-rodeo/1763919907)
3. [Travis Scott's 'Days Before Rodeo' Rises to No. 1 on Billboard 200, Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/travis-scotts-days-before-rodeo-rises-to-no-1-on-billboard-200)
4. [10 years later, Days Before Rodeo is still Travis Scott's best, The FADER (September 4, 2024)](https://www.thefader.com/2024/09/04/10-years-later-days-before-rodeo-is-still-travis-scotts-best)
5. [Travis Scott's 'Days Before Rodeo' lands at #2 on Billboard 200, ABC Audio (September 3, 2024)](https://digital.abcaudio.com/news/travis-scotts-days-rodeo-lands-2-billboard-200)
6. [Travis Scott: Rodeo Album Review, Pitchfork (September 16, 2015)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21016-rodeo/)
7. [TRAVIS SCOTT publica DAYS BEFORE RODEO, Sony Music España (August 28, 2024)](https://www.sonymusic.es/actualidad/travis-scott-publica-days-before-rodeo/)
8. [Review: Travi$ Scott's "Days Before Rodeo", HotNewHipHop](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/25604-review-travis-scott-s-days-before-rodeo-news)
9. [Overlooked Mixtapes 2014, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9565-overlooked-mixtapes-2014/)
10. [DAYS BEFORE RODEO Review by David Crone, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/days-before-rodeo-mw0004362512)
11. [days before rodeo by travis scott: Fantano gave it a 3/10, Flannelfy](https://flannelfy.net/album/travis-scott/days-before-rodeo)
12. [¿Qué está pasando con Sabrina Carpenter, Travis Scott y Nicki Minaj?, LOS40 (August 30, 2024)](https://los40.com/2024/08/30/que-esta-pasando-con-sabrina-carpenter-travis-scott-y-nicki-minaj/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › EPs, mixtapes, and short-form releases › Hip-hop mixtapes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license