Released: 2023 • Features: SZA, Future
Yo, “TELEKINESIS” by Travis Scott featuring SZA and Future is a track that paints a vivid picture of the lavish yet empty lifestyle that often accompanies fame and fortune in the rap game. It touches on themes of material success, personal struggles, and the pursuit of happiness. Through the verses, we get a glance at the internal conflicts and external pressures they face as artists.
Travis Scott opens up with some real talk, flexing about once craving to be with an R&B shorty and getting rich—a dream he’s since manifested. But peep this, despite reaching that level, he’s still battling with hollow feelings (‘Thought it’d make me happy’). He talks about coming up without his pops, dealing with imitators jacking his style (‘Niggas tryna clone me, run off with my swag’), and hints at a lavish life that’s not all it seems (‘For sellin’ coco, got Chanel on my jacket’). There’s an undercurrent of loneliness and risk (‘Takin’ more drugs all alone in a mansion’ and ‘Walkin’ around tweakin’ with the yop in my hands’).
He then pivots to a more metaphysical vibe, talking about seeing the future and living in glory ‘in eternal lastin’ life.’ The ‘trumpets’ and ‘He gon’ pop up unannounced’ could be a reference to biblical themes of the second coming, mingling with the immediate need to turn up because life is unpredictable (‘Might as well turn up now’). This introspection is combined with a cosmic flex, feeling untouchable like he’s ‘Sky walkin’ ’round like I’m Luke-uh’ and avoiding negative energy ‘Duckin’ all these convos like I’m Bruce-uh, super.’
Future comes in with his iconic Pluto reference, ‘Flyest on the Earth, so I had to name myself a planet,’ signifying his otherworldly presence and success. He’s boasting but also illustrating the trappings of a life filled with easy money and fast living (‘Count so much money ’til my skin peel,’ ‘My bro cook up dope, it take real skill’). Yet, even though he may sound boastful, Future shows a side that’s very aware of the toxicity (‘Bitch knew I was toxic, when she met me, I was a savage’) and the escapism (‘Private on the Lear, this just like we imagined’). He addresses the struggles of maintaining relationships in the limelight, dealing with fame (‘Bitch said she ashamed to love me in public, rather go private’), and the dichotomy of life’s choices (‘You either gettin’ to money or you’re gossipin’).
SZA concludes by reflecting on a relationship’s complexities, dealing with infidelity (‘You fucked that girl that you met at the party’), and the search for genuine connection amidst fame’s chaos. Her verse signals a conflicted sense of wanting to be with someone who’s just as flawed as she is (‘I still wanna be with you, trust me, I know that’s insane’). Her lines deliver a raw, honest emotion that many can relate to (‘I did some shit in Berlin, I’m OD / We both ain’t shit and it’s workin’ for me’).
Throughout “TELEKINESIS,” we get a glimpse of the artists’ minds as they grapple with the highs and lows of their chosen paths, seeking a sense of peace in a world that’s cold and unforgiving, yet precariously balanced with the potential for spiritual transcendence and self-realization (‘I can see the future, it’s lookin’ like we leveled through the sky’).
