Travis Scott says he did not know Astroworld fans were in danger at fatal concert

It has been over a month since 10 people died after sustaining injuries during a crowd rush at rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival.

In his first interview since the tragedy, Scott spoke with radio host Charlamagne Tha God and said he did not know a deadly incident was taking place as he performed.

“I didn’t even know the exact detail until minutes before the press conference,” said Scott. “At that moment, you’re kinda just like, what? You went through something and it’s like, what? The thing is – people pass out. Things happen at concerts. But something like that?”

Scott added that festival organizers told him through his earpiece that the show would be stopped after the guest performer finished his set, but they did not let him know why. “They just told me that right after the guest gets off stage, you know, we’re gonna end the show,” he said. “And that’s what we did. Now, other than that, there was no communication.”

Even though Scott said he was only in charge of creative aspects of the festival, leaving all other aspects “to the professionals” – referring to the event organizer LiveNation – he said he does feel responsible to ensure fans’ safety at future performances.

“I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here,” he said. “I have a responsibility to find a solution. Hopefully this takes a first step into us as artists having more insight as to what’s going on.” 

Scott pledged to cover the funeral expenses for every person who lost their life at Astroworld, but many families rejected the offer, which was “understandable” to Scott.

“They’re grieving and they’re trying to find understanding. They want answers and it’s not about that. I’m always going to be here to want to help them,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure they knew I was there.” Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Scott and LiveNation since the tragedy.