4X4

Album: single release only (2025)
Charted: 23 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "4X4" is a high-octane braggadocio anthem where luxury meets chaos in the most Travis Scott way possible. The song opens with a chorus that doubles as a flex: Scott gleefully boasts about his four-wheel-drive vehicle and a wardrobe stocked with ultra-rare designer threads.
  • Scott begins the chorus by offering an oddly specific yet entirely fitting flex: his truck's windows are tinted, shielding him from the prying eyes of the outside world. He declares:

    Four-by-four, I tint my windows up, yeah

    This isn't, as it happens, Scott's first foray into the world of tinted window braggadocio. On his AstroWorld track "5% Tint," he leans into the theme with a sly nod:

    Who that creepin'? Know the tint is dark (five percent)
  • The verses dive deeper into La Flame's hedonistic side. In the first, he's unwinding with a little chemical help, a theme that carries over into the second verse, where recreational indulgences continue to take center stage.
  • The track's production is the handiwork of Tay Keith and FNZ, the latter being the dynamic Australian duo of Michael "Finatik" Mulé and Isaac "Zac" Deboni. Together, they crafted a trap beat that samples a 2016 Tennessee State University marching band performance of Migos' "Say Sum" layered with Tay Keith's signature drum patterns.
  • Scott gave "4X4" its unofficial debut in true La Flame fashion: blasting through nightclub speakers at the Joy Room in Mexico City on September 22, 2024. By the time Scott performed it live for the first time at the final show of his Circus Maximus Tour in Auckland, New Zealand, on October 30, 2024, anticipation for the track was already simmering. The hype reached a boiling point when Scott performed a 90-second snippet during the halftime show of the College Football Playoff National Championship at a freezing Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025. He finally dropped the track four days later.
  • Directed by British photographer Gabriel Moses, the video finds Scott in a series of dramatic and adrenaline-fueled scenarios: riding in a military vehicle, performing alongside a marching band, and stepping into a wrestling ring.
  • Adding a philanthropic twist to the chaos, Scott announced that 100% of proceeds from CD bundles and a special LAFD merchandise collection would benefit Direct Relief's California Wildfire Response Fund.
  • "4X4" also served as the official theme song for WWE's Raw, with Scott appearing at the show's Netflix debut in Los Angeles on January 6, 2025.
  • "4X4" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Scott's fifth chart-topping single. He previously topped the chart with "Sicko Mode" in 2018, "Highest In The Room" in 2019, his Kid Cudi collaboration "The Scotts" in 2020 and "Franchise" (featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.) also in 2020. All of his #1 hits debuted in the top spot except for "Sicko Mode," which initially entered the chart at #4.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."