Meltdown (Travis Scott song)

"Meltdown" is a song by American rapper Travis Scott featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on August 15, 2023, as the seventh track and third single from the former's fourth studio album Utopia. The artists wrote the song with producers Coleman, Boi-1da, Vinylz, Tay Keith, Bnyx.

"Meltdown"
Single by Travis Scott featuring Drake
from the album Utopia
Released	August 15, 2023 (2023-08-15)[1]
Genre	Hip hop
Length	4:06
Label	Cactus Jack Epic
Songwriter(s)	Jacques Webster II Aubrey Graham Matthew Samuels Anderson Hernandez Brytavious Chambers Benjamin Saint-Fort Coleman
Producer(s)	Boi-1da Vinylz Tay Keith Bnyx Coleman
Travis Scott singles chronology
"Delresto (Echoes)" (2023) "Meltdown" (2023) "I Know ?" (2023)
Drake singles chronology
"On the Radar Freestyle" (2023) "Meltdown" (2023) "Slime You Out" (2023)
Visualizer
"Meltdown" on YouTube

Composition and lyrics

The song starts out with Drake whispering over a "build-up of a squally string sample" and transitions into an "airy and raspy flow" with several disses against producer Pharrell Williams and rapper Pusha T.^[2] Williams was targeted due to his newly assumed position as creative director for Louis Vuitton, previously held by the late Virgil Abloh, a friend of Drake.^[3] He also addressed Pusha T's close connection to Williams. The latter had previously been mocked by Drake in the video for "Jumbotron Shit Poppin" (2022).^[4] Another slight sees Drake calling out Pusha T for performing a diss track against Jim Jones, a close Drake supporter, at a fashion show held by Williams in June 2023.^[5] The diss was also noted for appearing on the same album where Williams contains a production credit ("Looove").^[6] Another reference includes a lawsuit initiated by Vogue after Drake and 21 Savage released a fake Vogue cover to promote their 2022 album Her Loss.^[7] Scott "finds himself similarly getting petty and flamboyant across his verses"^[2] and references fictional character Willy Wonka during one of his verses.^[8] The lyrics are assumed to be aimed at actor Timothée Chalamet, who portrayed Wonka in Wonka (2023); the film was later released on December 15.^[9] Chalamet was reportedly dating Scott's ex-girlfriend, American model and media personality Kylie Jenner, at the time of the release.^[10] Similar to one of their earlier collaborations, Scott's single, "Sicko Mode", from his third studio album, Astroworld, the track makes use of three beat switches in the song.^[2]

Critical reception

Aron A. of HotNewHipHop praised the artists for their "exceptional performance", describing their verses as an "impressive lyrical putting" with "plenty of quotable bars". Another offering within their "incredible track record", A. opines that their collaborations work best when "unexpected".^[2] In a negative review, Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of Billboard placed "Meltdown" among the worst three tracks of the album, calling it "disappointingly one-dimensional" and particularly criticized Drake's verses for containing "hollow flexes" and "cheap digs".^[11]

Commercial performance

In the United States "Meltdown" debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Scott's 13th top-ten single, simultaneously with Utopia's track "Fe!n".^[12] The song also debuted at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Scott's 6th number one and Drake's 28th.^[13] In Canada the song debuted at number one of the Canadian Hot 100, becoming Scott's fourth song to debut directly at no. 1 on the chart and Drake's 12th in his career.

In the United Kingdom "Meltdown" debuted at number ten on the Official Singles Chart, becoming highest new entry of the week and Scott's fifth top-ten song in the country.^[14]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Meltdown" Chart (2023) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[15] 8 Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[16] 3 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 8 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 1 Croatia (Billboard)[19] 24 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[20] 17 Denmark (Tracklisten)[21] 17 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] 37 France (SNEP)[23] 21 Germany (GfK)[24] 61 Global 200 (Billboard)[25] 2 Greece International (IFPI)[26] 6 Hungary (Single Top 40)[27] 17 Iceland (Tónlistinn)[28] 4 Ireland (IRMA)[29] 10 Italy (FIMI)[30] 30 Latvia (LAIPA)[31] 2 Lithuania (AGATA)[32] 13 Luxembourg (Billboard)[33] 4 MENA (IFPI)[34] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[35] 30 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[36] 4 Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100)[37] 63 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[36] 13 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[38] 13 Portugal (AFP)[39] 12 Romania (Billboard)[40] 12 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[41] 4 South Africa (TOSAC)[42] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 45 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 2 UK Singles (OCC)[45] 10 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[46] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[47] 3 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[48] 1 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[49] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Meltdown" Chart (2023) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[50] 69 US Billboard Hot 100[51] 97 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[52] 32

Certifications

Certifications for "Meltdown"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[53]	Platinum	40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[54]	Platinum	80,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[55]	Gold	50,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[56]	Gold	25,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[57]	Gold	10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[58]	Silver	200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[59]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "A RECAP OF RADIO ADD RECAPS". Hits. August 15, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
2. A., Aron (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott & Drake Serve A Chillingly Vengeful Banger On "Meltdown"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
3. Darville, Jordan (July 28, 2023). "Drake disses Pharrell-era Louis Vuitton, targets Pusha T on Travis Scott's "Meltdown"". The Fader. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
4. Bustard, Andy (July 28, 2023). "Drake Takes Aim at Pusha T & Pharrell on Travis Scott 'Meltdown' Collab". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
5. Lamarre, Carl (July 28, 2023). "Drake Takes Aim at Pharrell & Pusha T on Travis Scott's 'Meltdown'". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
6. Dionne, Zach (July 28, 2023). "Drake Drags Pharrell Into His Pusha T Feud on Travis Scott's "Meltdown"". Complex. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
7. Espinoza, Joshua (February 16, 2023). "Drake and 21 Savage Reportedly Settle 'Vogue' Lawsuit Over 'Her Loss' Promo". Complex. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
8. Duran, Anagricel (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott appears to diss Timothée Chalamet over Kylie Jenner on 'Utopia' track 'Meltdown'". NME. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
9. Fear, David (December 14, 2023). "'Wonka': Timothée Chalamet Bites Off More Than He Can Chew in This Dizzying Musical". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
10. McRady, Rachel (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott Seemingly Disses Kylie Jenner's Rumored Boyfriend Timothée Chalamet in New Song 'Meltdown'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
11. Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (July 28, 2023). "Travis Scott's 'Utopia' Album: All 19 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
12. Trust, Gary (August 7, 2023). "Morgan Wallen's 'Last Night' Notches 15th Week Atop Hot 100, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
13. "Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of August 12, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
14. Griffiths, George (August 4, 2023). "Dave & Central Cee have record-setting ninth week at Number 1 with Sprinter". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
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39. "Travis Scott feat. Drake – Meltdown". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
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42. "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 10 Week 31-2023". The Official South African Charts. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
43. "Travis Scott feat. Drake – Meltdown". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
44. "Travis Scott feat. Drake – Meltdown". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
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49. "Travis Scott Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
50. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
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54. "Canadian single certifications – Travis Scott – Meltdown". Music Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
55. "Italian single certifications – Travis Scott feat. Drake – Meltdown" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
56. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 5, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Meltdown in the search box.
57. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Meltdown')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
58. "British single certifications – Travis Scott – Meltdown". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
59. "American single certifications – Travis Scott – Meltdown". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 13, 2024.