Because of the tragedy at his concert, Travis Scott's career hangs in the balance

The fatal concert was allegedly not interrupted even when there was a commotion in the audience, screams were heard and an ambulance was seen. One injured person has already sued him for security breaches at an event that featured 50,000 fans.

American rapper  Travis Scott  (30) would prefer, if possible, to turn back time. One of the most famous musicians of the new generation is only now aware of the consequences of the stampede at the Astroworld music festival held on Friday in his hometown of Houston, of which he is the most famous, but not the only organizer and main star.

Not two days after the fatal event during which eight young people were killed while about 300 people sought medical help due to heart problems, bruised ribs, cuts, and bruises (they were run over by a crowd pushing towards the stage) the musician is facing the first lawsuit.

It’s about a  fan called Manuel Souza. He is seeking substantial damages, at least $ 1 million, for injuries sustained in Houston's NRG Park. In addition to the rapper, he also sued the promoters of the event, Live Nation and Scoremore Holdings LLC, because they neglected security measures for as many as 50,000 people present at the festival due to their earnings.

"Defendants did not organize or conduct the concert in a safe manner," Souza's attorneys said in documents filed Saturday before Harris County Houston District Court, the contents of which were broadcast by Billboard and The New York Post. Lawyers say the tragedy is the result of "a focus solely on profit at the expense of the health and safety of concert goers. The organizers knowingly ignored the extreme risks of harm to visitors and in some cases actively encouraged dangerous behaviors."

Ignoring the injured

The document appears to be targeting Travis Scott’s old sin of 2017, when, People magazine recalls, he was arrested for allegedly inciting violence during his concert in Arkansas. The reason why this case is brought to light is horrible: the rapper, visitors claim, continued to perform in Houston even after seeing the upset and injured in the audience. Among them is David McGilver, whose testimony is relayed by People.

- I am shocked that he did not stop the concert immediately. That scene is still spinning in my head. I remember the music pausing for a moment. I heard Travis say, 'You all know why you came here.' And people around me were screaming and asking for help. However, a source close to the musician told People that the rapper was not aware of the seriousness of the situation.

The lights flashed in his eyes and he couldn't see what was happening. He thought that someone had just fainted, which sometimes happens - the source claims.

A musician whose real name is Jacques Berman Webster II in the meantime, addressed the public several times, claiming that he was devastated by the tragedy and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims: among them a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, two 21-year-olds, two 23-year-olds, and a 27-year-old. 

Recklessness or oversight?

- I send prayers to those who were lost last night. We do our best to identify families and help them in this difficult time. My fans are really everything in the world to me - he says.

His life partner, model, and influencer  Kylie Jenner  (24), the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, who was at the concert with their three-year-old daughter Stormi, also came forward. The couple has renewed their relationship this year, and Kylie is expecting their second child. The model must have felt the need to stand up for her boyfriend, although it might have been better if she hadn’t. Namely, in her first video from the fatal concert she released on Saturday, the day after the tragedy, the ambulance in the crowd is clearly visible, but the rapper's performance does not stop. The footage, meanwhile, has been deleted, and Kylie has since faced an avalanche of criticism on social media. In the meantime, she has repeatedly expressed regret over the tragic loss of young lives. She also referred to the serious accusations.

- I want to make it clear that we were not aware of any deaths until the news went public. I doubt anyone in the world would perform in such circumstances. I send my deepest condolences to all families in this difficult time and I will pray for the recovery of all those who were injured - Kylie claims about the event that was broadcast live on the Apple Music platform.

What actually happened? It is known that part of the visitors half an hour after the start of the concert, broke through the protective fences to enter the secured area without the control of security guards and metal detectors. Police and security guards tried to stop them but the crowd moved unstoppably forward and pushed the stampede toward the stage. As many as eleven fans were transported to the hospital for cardiac arrest and crushing for pushing and trampling: eight, unfortunately, paid with their lives for their love of Travis Scott's music.

A thorny path

On the other hand, the interest of young people is understandable because the musician, with his third and latest album 'Astroworld', released this year, has strengthened his position as one of the most popular rappers of today. He also promoted the album at the fatal festival: it bears the same name as the album.

A clear signal that he entered the elite music league was the single from that album 'Sicko Mode': he broke through to the first place of Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and he performed the same song at the halftime of the 2019 Superbowl.

Namely, the rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer became famous for his fashion style, a combination of street and high fashion. In partnership with Nike, he created sneakers that sold out online within seconds this spring. His path to success began in 2017 when it was revealed that his girlfriend was Kylie Jenner. They met through mutual friends, and already in February 2018, they became the parents of little Stormi.

As the rapper is allegedly prone to cheating, they broke up in 2020, but this year they gave their love another chance. In August, they announced that they would become parents again and everything seemed idyllic until the concert in Houston. Given the scale of the tragedy also voiced by Mayor Sylvester Turner, this could have serious consequences for the career of the musician who grew up in Houston’s South Park neighborhood, known for crime.

Despite his resounding name, he spent his earliest childhood with his grandmother in very modest financial circumstances: his parents, due to poverty, handed him over to her until they got a job. He later moved to the suburbs of Missouri City to be with his mother, who worked for Apple, and his father was earning a living as a soul musician. He had come a long and thorny way from the slums to the stars, and now it could all go away because of a wave of lawsuits awaiting him.

By: Amber V.