Before Monday’s National Championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State on ESPN, renowned rap artist Travis Scott announced via social media that he would debut his new song “4X4” during the halftime show. Sadly, viewers who tuned in to catch his performance were left unimpressed by its production quality. When the time came, ESPN transitioned from the studio to a poorly lit shot of Scott standing atop Mercedes-Benz Stadium, making it challenging to see him.
Most fans speculated that Scott would perform several songs, but he only appeared for just under two minutes to showcase “4X4” before ESPN returned to game coverage. The full performance did not make it to ESPN’s social media channels, though it was shared by various hip-hop accounts, including Rap Alert on X.
Travis Scott debuts his new song “4×4” at the College Football #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/SMMxJoF88y
— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) January 21, 2025
Unsurprisingly, social media buzzed with complaints about Scott’s performance, particularly regarding its brevity and his positioning atop the stadium. Big Ten Network producer McKenna Keil questioned, “So did the people who paid an absolute premium for tickets to the game just watch Travis Scott on the Jumbotron inside Mercedes Benz Stadium??”
So did the people who paid an absolute premium for tickets to the game just watch Travis Scott on the Jumbotron inside Mercedes Benz Stadium??
— McKenna Keil (@mckenna_keil) January 21, 2025
Another fan expressed their disappointment, stating, “That’s it? That’s all? Travis Scott was only on for about 60 seconds,” while another inquired if the song was meant to be so short or if poor audio quality prompted ESPN to cut it short.
Was Travis Scott song supposed to be that short or was the audio so bad ESPN cut it lol
— JC (@773JC) January 21, 2025
In addition to the backlash over Scott’s performance, ESPN faced criticism for airing a message from President Donald Trump during halftime, which resulted in significant negative feedback on social media.
