Scott denies knowing fans were in danger

In his first interview since 10 concertgoers were killed and hundreds more were injured at his Astroworld Festival, rapper Travis Scott on Thursday denied knowing that fans were hurt and in danger from a massive crowd surge until after last month’s Houston concert.

Speaking to Charlamagne tha God, Scott, who faces lawsuits totaling billions of dollars but has denied legal liability, said he’s been on an “emotional roller coaster” in the weeks since the Astroworld tragedy. The 30-year-old rapper said that he “didn’t know the exact details until minutes before the press conference” after he performed at NRG Park on Nov. 5.

“And even at that moment you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ ” he said in the nearly hourlong interview released Thursday. “People pass out, things happen at concerts, but something like that ...”

Scott trailed off, not completing the thought.

The Houston native later added: “It really hurts. It hurts the community, it hurts the city. It’s a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving.”

Scott’s first public comments come as more than 300 lawsuits have been filed by Astroworld attendees. Many of the lawsuits accuse the defendants, including the rapper, of negligence. A Houston firm representing more than 1,500 attendees announced this week that it was filing a $10 billion lawsuit against Scott and other defendants. In addition to Scott, concert promoter Live Nation and other companies associated with the event are among those being sued.

Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, has denied the allegations of negligence in at least 11 of the lawsuits and requested that the litigation be dismissed, according to court documents obtained by KRIV, a Fox affiliate in Houston. The documents renewed backlash against Scott from family members of victims, some of whom have rejected his offer to pay funeral costs.