Travis Scott’s “I Know” Symbolic Music Video
Travis Scott’s single “I Know,” featured on his latest album, UTOPIA, premiered its music video on January 23rd, featuring models such as Emily Ratajkowski and Anok Yai.
The Video: Part 1
Co-directed by Dave Meyers and Scott himself, the video showcases an image of Scott’s romantic journey when he indulges in alcohol and drugs.
For example, Scott and Ratajkowski are on opposite sides of the house, indicating that they argued. At the beginning of the video, they are emulating one another.
For instance, Ratajkowski and Scott ate the same McDonald’s Scott meal, play video games, and exercised the same way. So far, the pair is a couple.
One of Scott’s notable lyrics in the video is:
I’m lookin’ at her, when her startin’ to turn into you (Her)
Now you startin’ to up my mind, is it you, is it her?
The Video: Part 2
During the chorus’s second round, Scott talks to Ratajkowski, but Anok Yai enters the picture at a party. It is an illusion. The pair are cozy with one another as Scott smokes a cigar. At this point, Yai is Scott’s casual partner.
Another scene representing the illusion aspect is when Scott celebrates his birthday and Yai presents his cake. In reality, Ratajkowski holds the cake, representing the cloudy effect of how substances can alter his reality. But the question remains: Does Scott want Ratajkowski or Yai?
The answer is still blurry as the video progresses.
In a montage sequence, Scott has romantic late-night encounters with both models. A key feature in this sequence is Scott’s face. As he tries to engage with Ratajkowski, he doesn’t seem as interested but wants to go that extra mile with her. When he is with Yai, he lies on her body but still has the same facial expressions. It correlates with the chorus again:
One of one, I’m in the zone right now
Tell me, am I still?
It implies that he is still under the influence when he is with both women. Later, Scott is driving his way back to his house, where it is perceived that Ratajkowski is there. But this is an illusion. She is at the house during the afternoon, but he arrives during the evening. Lastly, Yai walks down the stairs and hugs Scott while looking at the audience. So, the audience still determines if Scott is with Yai or Ratajkowski.
Travis Scott’s “I Know” & UTOPIA
Scott’s “UTOPIA” album was released in July 2023 and debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200. Scott was originally planning for UTOPIA to be a potential play. “I was trying to bring the idea of Broadway to bigger venues,” he said, according to NME Magazine. The song “I Know” reached No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Scott is now nominated for “Best Rap Album” for the 66th Grammy Awards, premiering February 4th at 8 p.m. EST.
Featured Image captured by Joel Muniz