Travis Scott’s Drake-assisted 2018 “Sicko Mode” single is undoubtedly his biggest record as an artist. With Grammy nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, Collaboration and Best Beat wins from HipHopDX, the song marked Scott’s first entry atop the Billboard 100 and earned a 7x-platinum plaque from the RIAA.
But apparently, it was created with more help than most fans initially realized.
On Sunday (August 16), Twitter stumbled upon CyHi The Prynce’s government name (Cydel Young) amongst the laundry list of songwriters and contributors for the hit record (A Tribe Called Quest and Onyx members are credited for their attachment to samples) and went crazy.
The G.O.O.D. Music lyricist’s name shot straight to the top of Twitter’s trending topics, spawning a wave of conspiracy theories, memes and opinions.
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In a 2018 Complex interview, CyHi was explicitly asked how he contributed to Travis’ Astroworld, and he alluded to being a member of the inside council.
“Once you put out a rap album and you’re getting 50, 60, 100 grand a show and you’re this household name, the only next level to go is to compete with Adele and Sam Smith and whatever gospel choir or alternative rock group is up for Album of the Year,” he explained. “Those guys aren’t in there by theyself. It’s 30, 40 people–you got trumpet players, lyricists, writers.
“We’re starting to treat rap like that, like it has to be that important. But [knowing] what minds to put into the room is what makes you a great producer. Instead of just having your homeboys from the crib that’s just in there smoking weed, chilling, playing video games, you’d rather put up a flight for a guy like me, that’s going to make sure the shit sounds dope.”
Although long associated with Kanye West’s musical rollouts, CyHi has played a low-key role most of his career. His 2017 critically acclaimed debut album, No Dope On Sundays, peaked at just No. 65 on the Billboard 200 and fans accused Ye of ignoring the promotional process.
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However, as Twitter users began to bleed the Travis and CyHi conversation into ghostwriting allegations for the Astroworld closer “Coffee Bean,” renowned Drake producer Nineteen85 entered the chat to clarify his first-hand experience.
“Lies,” the Canadian artist stated on Twitter. “He wrote Coffee Bean as soon as I played the beat. Wrote it in front of me.” He later co-signed a tweet that explained how easy it is to obtain a writing credit.
Neither Travis nor CyHi have responded to the ghostwriting claims as of press time. See below for more reactions.
