After a chaotic period in which Travis Scott's Egyptian show was cancelled last minute this week, he finally released his highly anticipated fourth album, Utopia.
The release marks another step forward in terms of dramatic production and a guest list including Beyonce, Drake and The Weeknd.
However, does that star power translate into a career best effort? Here, we rank his albums from worst to best.
4. Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016)
If debut album Rodeo announced Scott as a star-to-be, this follow-up showed he has the sonic swag and the connections to fulfil his potential.
Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight is stacked with star-studded artists, from The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar to Andre 3000 and Kid Cudi.
While all delivered in their respective ways, the album sounds bloated as a result and Scott plays second fiddle on too many occasions.
That said, many of the club-ready tracks are undeniably thrilling, such as Co-ordinate with Black Youngsta and Goosebumps with Lamar.
The sheer energy of Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight put the controversial seeds of the mosh pits central to Scott’s live shows.
3. Rodeo (2015)
Scott’s debut album becomes more influential as the years go by.
At the time of its release, the hip-hop sub-genre Trap was in a creative cul-de-sac.
While Rodeo didn't reinvent the wheel, tracks such as Antidote and 90210, with their brilliant cinematic production and Scott's unorthodox cadences, showed Trap’s mainstream appeal.
The album's guest artists also made mainstream listeners take notice- with appearances by The Weeknd and a sly-sounding Justin Bieber.
2. Utopia (2023)
It's easy to hear why Scott wanted to launch his latest album with a show at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.
Everything about Utopia screams epic, from its 17 tracks running for nearly 80 minutes to its widescreen soundscapes.
However, does Utopia succeed in topping Astroworld?
The answer is it falls short, albeit slightly, from that game-changing effort due to the few throwaway tracks and lack of surprises.
Utopia displays many of Scott’s sonic signatures, such as the woozy keyboards, dramatic synths and those thrilling “beat-switching” moments where the song flips direction suddenly.
Even Drake returns for Meltdown, a sure-fire hit, as it’s basically a sequel to their now classic 2018 collaboration Sicko Mode.
While impressive, and with Scott rapping better than ever, Utopia is more excellent than classic. This is what happens when your previous album is considered a game changer.
1. Astroworld (2018)
Not since 2010's Kanye West opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has a hip-hop album arrived so fully realised.
With Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight’s success, Scott could have continued with a pop-centric approach.
However, he bravely takes a left turn to create an album more obsessed with detail and nuances than anthems.
Tracks such as the aforementioned Sicko Mode and Butterfly Effect are meant to be luxuriated in with good headphones.
Scott’s heavily modified voice also acts as its own instrument with his yelps, screams and undulating rhyme patterns.
That single mindedness and sheer creativity of Astroworld makes the album a modern-day hip-hop classic.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
AWARDS
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RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
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The specs
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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Company%20Profile
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
