Travis Scott: “Cacti” release proves Scott’s genius branding style

When I was first introduced to Travis Scott, I was in my mom’s living room, watching MTV Jams. Scott’s “Quintana” blared through the raspy speakers on my old box TV, but the message was clear. This kid was saying something in a way I had never heard anyone communicate through music.

Travis Scott was setting the tone for what would be a career rooted in creativity and evolution. His Cacti brand, in partnership with Anheuser-Busch, is on pace to continue that unique trend, pushing Scott’s Cactus Jack to a different level of business and giving the alcohol industry what it has been missing.

So, what is Cacti? It is an agave-spiked seltzer framed after Scott’s palette. The hard seltzer comes in several flavors such as strawberry, lime, and pineapple and marvelously uses the rapper’s representation which can only amount to dividends at the finish line. Just ask McDonald’s.

The most interesting detail about Travis Scott’s Cacti is the framework of the partnerships he continues to blossom in both music and business. The Houston producer turned businessman is not just the face of a cup, but in seemingly equal footing with Anheuser-Busch with a lofty amount of creative control over the product that is eventually disseminated to the masses.

As it becomes more important for African American entertainers to find themselves a seat at the industry’s illustrious table, Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack brand is the umbrella for multiple ventures such as music and fashion labels. His goals appear to aim higher than just a seat at the table.

Travis Scott is building a table of his own.

Scott’s kerfuffle with L.A.’s Department of Public Works last month proves the buying power that he has formed around any endeavor attached to his name. The release of the first edition of Utopia magazine, another Travis Scott brainchild, attracted dozens of people to a newsstand in the middle of a pandemic.

Setting aside the obvious concerns for the lack of social distancing that took place, the Cactus Jack founder almost created a flash mob in a grocery store while promoting his Cacti seltzer – and buying a pack of gum.

At 28 years old, Jacques Webster (Travis Scott’s birth name) consistently blazes trails that have been rarely, if ever, traveled. Between the release of Cacti with Anheuser Busch, a McDonald’s meal that often sells out and a genius series of virtual concerts held in 2020, Travis Scott looks to leave no rock unturned.

The alcohol industry is just another step in his journey of wealth and most importantly in creating a lane all his own. And we should come to expect nothing less.