Gig crush rapper has history of inciting crowds
Travis Scott to be asked why he did not stop show during stampede that left eight young people dead
TRAVIS SCOTT, the American rapper who was headlining a concert in Houston where eight people died in a crush, has twice been convicted for encouraging fans to jump security barriers and rush the stage at previous shows, it has emerged.
The 30-year-old is likely to face questions as to why he continued performing for 37 minutes after police and firefighters were called to a “mass casualty event” on Friday, despite screams of “stop the show” being heard.
Although he briefly stopped the concert to alert security guards to a man who appeared to have passed out, he completed his 75 minute set at the Astroworld Festival.
Scott, whose real name is Jacques Berman Webster II, insisted in a video posted on social media that he “could not imagine the severity of the situation” and promised to help the families of those who had died.
While it does not appear that Scott encouraged anyone to surge forward, critics have pointed to his previous behaviour in inciting crowds.
In 2017, he was arrested after he encouraged fans to bypass security and rush the stage, leaving a security guard, a police officer and several others injured during a concert in Arkansas.
In a separate incident, he was sen- tenced to one year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges stemming from a 2015 incident in Chicago at the Lollapalooza music festival.
At the time, officials said Scott encouraged fans to vault security barricades. However, no one was injured.
It is not yet known if he has been questioned by police over Friday’s
show. Hundreds of people were injured and the dead include two teenagers, aged 14 and 16.
Lina Hildago, a Harris County judge has said she will be asking “tough questions” of everyone involved.
One of the investigations will look at reports that somebody in the audience had been injecting people with drugs in a syringe. Several people at the concert had to be revived with the anti-drug overdose medicine Narcan, according to Samuel Pena, Houston’s fire chief.
They included a security officer “who felt a prick in his neck” as he was trying to grab someone and then fell unconscious.
Scott described himself as “absolutely devastated” by the incident, adding: “I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.”
Scott’s pregnant girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, 24, was at the concert with their three-year-old daughter.
She also issued a statement yesterday, saying: “I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show and in no world would have continued filming or performing.”
People who were in the crowd have shared stories of terrifying scenes as medics tried to force their way into the crowd while the music was still blaring.
Niaara Goods, 28, of New York, said the crowd surged as a timer counted down to the start of the performance.
“As soon as [Scott] jumped out on the stage, it was like an energy took over and everything went haywire. All of a sudden, your ribs are being crushed.
“I literally thought I was going to die trying to get out.”