Travis Scott Concert Tickets Are Selling For $7 On The Secondary Market Providing The Nail In The Coffin For The "Old Rap" vs. "New Rap" Debate

Complex - Tickets for Scott’s Utopia – Circus Maximus Tour, his first official run since the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021, initially sold out after going on sale in August and led La Flame to add more dates to the trek. Despite the buzz surrounding his return to the touring circuit, it seems like demand has plummeted significantly, leading to prices as low as $7 on the secondary resale market in some cities.

...a drastic difference between the asking price of $109.50 in a similar section when purchasing from the official Ticketmaster site.

So it's a blood bath for Travis Scott's "Utopia - Circus Maximus" tour. No pun intended but totally intended. And it's not just because you run the risk of losing your life by attending one of the shows. 

You can get into one of his concerts for about as much as you can get into an Oakland A's game.

That's cheaper than a movie nowadays mind you.

Rap fans who keep up with the social media shit know this has been a hot-button issue this year- "New Age Rap Tours vs. Old School Rap Tours", mainly because the old school rappers have been absolutely fucking crushing it out on the road the last few years.

It pains me to say this, but guys like 50 Cent, Nas, and Wu-Tang Clan are now considered "Old School", so that's who the hip-hop media heads are referring to. 

And the numbers don't lie. 

50 just wrapped his Get Rich Or Die Trying anniversary tour with Busta Rhymes, and they sold out every arena they did.

Nas and Wu-Tang just came through Chicago this weekend and played a sold-out United Center. (one of the country's largest arenas). 

Lil Wayne, even for playing smaller-sized cap venues, which he wanted to do purposely, sold out everywhere and had tickets going on the secondary market for $500+. 

Meanwhile, you had guys like Da Baby, Lil Baby, and Lil Durk all canceling shows and even tours this past year because of horrendous ticket sales. 

Even Drake canceled a number of his shows on this past tour (Columbus, OH, multiple times), and he's arguably the biggest name in rap right now.

And when they cancel, it's never "due to ticket sales". It's always some bullshit excuse. 

The only rapper to speak on this, and call it out, was T-Pain a few years ago.

OkayPlayer- There are rare cases of honesty; T-Pain admitted that was the reason he called off a tour back in 2019. Though he admitted in an Instagram post, “I was advised to lie about this and say that I needed some alone time or some time to spend with my family." Sometimes things come out in the context of a legal battle, as when Chance the Rapper’s former manager Pat Corcoran claimed in a lawsuit that the Coloring Book rapper’s 2019 tour was canceled due to “low ticket sales and poor attendance projections.” Chance said at the time that he called it off “to be with family, make some new music and develop my best show to date.” His representatives did not respond to a request to comment for this story.

“Most artists lie,” T-Pain said in his cancellation announcement. “Whenever concerts get canceled or tours get canceled, it’s for low ticket sales. It ain’t really about whatever the fuck reason they say.”

The Source this week did an article on the exact topic and gave their breakdown on why they think the issue has occurred. Which I only half agree with.

The Source  There’s no denying that hip-hop has always celebrated its pioneers. The likes of Jay-Z, Nas, and Eminem have been instrumental in shaping the genre, and their legacies continue to thrive. Old and new fans are flocking to arenas and stadiums to catch a glimpse of these living legends in action. The question is, what is it about these seasoned performers that keep them in such high demand?

1. A Time-Tested Catalog: One of the key factors contributing to the success of older rappers is their extensive and diverse discographies. Years of experience have allowed them to create an arsenal of timeless classics, ensuring that their concerts are packed with hits that resonate with multiple generations of fans.
2. Seasoned Stage Presence: Seasoned performers like Jay-Z and Nas have honed their stagecraft over decades. Their performances are a masterclass in crowd engagement, showmanship, and lyrical prowess. This level of expertise can only come from years of live experience.
3. Established Fan Base: Older rappers have built a loyal and dedicated fan base over the years. These fans continue to support their favorite artists, attending concerts and purchasing merchandise, helping to sustain their careers well into their 40s and 50s.
4. Nostalgia Factor: Hip-hop fans often cherish the nostalgia of the genre’s golden era. Seeing the icons of yesteryear perform live evokes a sense of nostalgia that many find irresistible, making them eager to relive their youth through these concerts.

On the flip side, younger rappers face several challenges when it comes to selling out tours:

1. Oversaturation: The hip-hop landscape is flooded with new talent, making it harder for emerging artists to stand out. The sheer volume of newcomers often dilutes the attention and fan base that could propel them to tour success.
2. Lack of Catalog Depth: Many younger rappers have fewer discographies than their older counterparts. This can make it challenging to fill a concert with enough hit songs to satisfy an audience, leading to shorter and less compelling performances.
3. Inexperience: While young rappers may have raw talent, they often lack the stage presence and live performance skills that come with years of practice. Captivating an audience requires more than just a good flow; it demands charisma and an understanding of how to work a crowd.
4. Evolving Fan Base: The fan base of younger rappers is generally younger and more fickle. Trends change rapidly in the world of hip-hop, and maintaining a dedicated following can be challenging when your audience is constantly seeking the next big thing.

I don't think you can argue about catalogs, and stage presence and all of that. It goes a loooooong way in terms of the overall concert experience. But that's moreso a thing you take into account once you've already purchased your ticket and you walked in the door. That's not something the average concertgoer takes into account before deciding whether or not to spend their hard-earned money on going to a show. 

I think it more or less boils down to the overall product. And the fact is today's product just sucks. The rap music of today is just objectively terrible. Not even comparing it to the stuff we grew up with, just judging it by itself. You can't understand the words, there's no storytelling, and the beats are all in the low 80 BPM range or (worse) below. There's rarely a danceable song anymore. It's just not fun. As lame as that may that sound. Hip hop in the 90's and 2000's was. It was filled with party anthems. Rappers were competing for whose song could be played in the club the most, not to be the soundtrack on the latest drive-by. 

Not to mention, the younger generations today seem more fixated and concerned with going to a concert so that they can tell everybody on social media they went to the concert, and posting videos of the concert, than they do actually enjoying the artist and the music. Cost plays a bigger factor when that's all you care about.

The best argument I have found that nobody seems to be mentioning, believe it or not, came from our very own Nate Dawg last year right here on this very site.

Barstool SPORTS - I was perusing Twitter yesterday when I saw a tweet that stopped me in my tracks- the Tweet was promoting a new summer tour consisting of All American Rejects, New Found Glory, Motion City Soundtrack, The Starting Line, and Get Up Kids. And then it dawned- I'm that age. We're officially, officially, OFFICIALLY THAT AGE. What age? The age when the bands we liked as kids, as teens, come back around into style because we can now afford to buy tickets to their shows. It's amazing. I never thought about it like that, but it makes so much sense why so many bands/singers have so much longevity. You get super popular and tour. For some, or I guess for most, popularity dwindles. You keep your core fanbase, but man, it's HARD to bands to stay popular and relevant for a sustainable amount of time. There's only so many RCHPs or Green Days or Foo Fighters. They are very few and far between. But then, as I've come to realize, it's cyclical. I'm 34, soon to turn 35. And everyone my age has a job and supplemental income now and wants to see the bands we loved as kids but our parents wouldn't take us to (or let us see). 

Hard agree with the Nate Dawg here. We finally have disposable income so getting to see the artists we grew up loving is a lot easier for us. No brainer. We also don't know if this will be the last chance we get to see an act due to old age, or the fact they just may never tour again.

It's also just the fact that we grew up in the golden age of hip-hop. There will sadly never be a time period (1995-2010) with better artists and better music for the genre. It's no argument. There's a reason it still stands up today and has had such great lasting power. Go to any club or house party and it's the same songs from 15-20 years ago getting the party started- Jay-Z, Lil Jon, DMX, T.I., etc. Not this shit today.

The BET Hip Hop awards were the other night and out of all the acts who performed, the biggest response from the crowd, and the thing that blew up on social media the most was the Jermaine Dupri/So So Def tribute where he brought out Ludicrous, Lil Jon, Bone Crusher, Nelly, Tyrese, Lil Bow Wow, and Da Brat. All rappers from that time period. Not the garbage today.