Travis Scott is putting the spotlight on HBCUs through his latest single, “4×4,” released last week. The 33-year-old rapper debuted performed the track at the College Football National Championship game on Monday.

Directed by Gabriel Moses, the music video features Scott performing in front of the HBCU band and portrays him successively as professional wrestler, in a rodeo and in a police chase. 

“The Marching Storm” from Prairie View A&M appears in the video while the track itself reportedly samples the Aristocrat of Bands at Tennessee State University’s 2016 performance of Migos’ “Say Sum,” according to HBCU Gameday.

“You might want to head on over to TravisScott.com right now and check this out! You may see somebody you know….” “The Marching Storm” from Prairie View A&M wrote on Instagram.

“4×4” marks the rapper’s first solo song released since his 2023 album Utopia. Scott also recently hinted at a new album during an interview with Cultured in 2024. As Blavity reported, he said he was in “album mode.” The father of two also teased new music during his Coachella 2025 headlining performance.

At the end of Scott’s “4×4” video, a monkey is shown listening to music through headphones. Scott is referencing a monkey named Choromatsu, which was featured in a Sony Walkman commercial circa the late ’80s. In the clip, the monkey is listening to Michael Guinn’s “The Wind.” Many years later, the commercial evolved into its own meme as folks began editing different songs over it.

Aristocrat of BandsHBCUPrairie View A&M UniversityTennesse State UniversityTRAVIS SCOTT