Astroworld was a music festival organized by rapper Travis Scott in Houston, Texas.
It was launched in November 2018.
On November 5, 2021, disaster struck at Astroworld when ten people died after being crushed by the crowd. Three of the victims were children: Ezra Blount, 9; John Hilgert, 14; and Brianna Rodriguez, 16.
Eleven other people went into cardiac arrest. Additionally, 4,900 attendees were also injured.
Travis did not stop his performance despite allegedly noticing ambulances entering the crowd.
Many called out the artist for his apparent insensitivity towards the mass casualty.
The day after the tragedy, Travis broke his silence with a statement shared on social media.
It read, “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.”
However, Travis caused more controversy while doing an interview weeks later with Charlamagne the God.
He claimed he did not noticed that the concertgoers experienced safety risks and said the responsibility to protect them should’ve fallen on “professionals.”
Families of the victims filed lawsuits against Travis and the festival organizers. Additionally, 17 attendees also sued the rapper after sustaining injuries at Astroworld.
In June 2023, it was decided that Travis would not face criminal charges.
Two years after the Astroworld tragedy, Travis Scott is reflecting on the situation.
“That moment for families, for the city, you know, it was devastating,” he said in a new interview with GQ.
“When it came to making, like even finishing the album… I got back into it probably like, I don’t know, months and months and months after,” he said, referencing the making of his 2023 album UTOPIA.
Travis added, “And the idea of just even getting back into music, working on music and just even getting into that, was therapeutic of being able to channel some of the energy into production and sounds and finishing it.”
As for how he feels about Astroworld now, Travis said, “It has its moments where it gets rough. You just feel for those people. And their families.”
The rapper addressed the tragedy in his song “My Eyes.”
In the track, he raps: “I replay them nights, and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride wit’ me/ If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child.”
Travis said that the song touches on “the things I deal with on a day-to-day basis and the fact of how it could be misunderstood and the struggles of life and all aspects of life. The constant weight that’s put on. That you carry, you know. And just a vision through my eyes.”
He hopes the song will show how much guilt and pain he carries over what transpired at Astroworld.
Travis told GQ, “I have concerns, things that I think about, and the things I see on a day-to-day basis I think about them. And every day I want to find change in the things, to make things better, make myself better. It’s just like: I go through things like everyone else. And even recently through something like I never could imagine.”