Travis Scott, The Plan | Track Review 🎵

Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott shines on “The Plan,” which appears on the 2020 Christopher Nolan film (and soundtrack), TENET.

Christopher Nolan definitely excels in the film department – understatement.  The gifted, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker has another big-time movie on hand – Tenet.  Amidst a hellish pandemic, perhaps the film can at least put a smile on folks’ faces during one of the crappiest years to date.  A big film needs a big song by a big artist, right? Right! That’s where Travis Scott comes in.  He definitely brings the heat on “The Plan,” a record tailor-made for a soundtrack, particularly one for a Nolan film.

“The Plan” features an enigmatic intro. It’s intense, rhythmic, and unsettling, set in a minor key.  Honestly, first hearing, I had to ask myself, what in the hell is happening? After the intro sets the tone, the listener is even further off-put, with those wild, pitched vocals by Travis Scott.  Without listening closely, or cheating by checking out the lyrics, initially, he sounds unintelligible. Of course, said ‘unintelligible lyrics’ are actually the chorus, with the clearest words being the titular lyric: “You don’t know where we stand / It’s true / Know the plan.”

After things settle in, the magic of “The Plan” is, well, pretty magical. Travis Scott starts dropping some bars that are easily discern and certainly entertaining. While I wouldn’t call “The Plan” deep, there are definitely some noteworthy moments:

“Close the opera
Hear the red and blue outside, I think our option’s up
I recrossed it ‘round the map, I had to line it up...”

Final Thoughts 

A Travis Scott song for a Christopher Nolan film? Yes please.  “The Plan” is definitely pretty awesome. There’s something hypnotic about the rhythm.  It’s definitely a vibe, and I simply can’t end this review without praising the production work by WondaGurl and Ludwig Göransson – genius!

Travis Scott • “The Plan” – from the Motion Picture TENET • Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. • Release: 8.24.20

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.