Over the years, we've witnessed the birth of stars, watching them evolve into their true form. While hip-hop will always be home to such figures as Kanye West, Jay-Z, and others, some have grown to become their direct peers. We're talking Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Travis Scott. Just a few years ago, Travis had unmistakeable potential and while we all knew just how far he could go, his rise to prominence happened relatively quickly. Before Owl Pharaoh, almost nobody knew who La Flame was. With Astroworld now out, his name is all over the place. Mike Dean has been with him for a long time, helping him out with production, mixing, mastering and general genius duties as he grew. The producer chose to document the changes a few years makes by juxtaposing videos from the beginning of Cactus Jack's rise to now.
These days, Travis is performing at arenas on his headlining tour and attracting large crowds to whichever festival he's slated to sing at. But five years ago, all of this was simply a dream for the Houston kid. Mike Dean shared some footage from an early performance in his career, where just a few dozens of audience members bobbed their heads. Sharing the video on Instagram, he decided to make a gallery with the next footage being a recent "Sicko Mode" show.
Obviously, a lot has changed since 2013. Dean wrote that he hopes Travis' rise to prominence gives hope to young artists around the world hoping they will one day achieve the same success. Relive some of the early memories below.