In a video posted Thursday, Travis Scott gave his first interview since the November 5 Astroworld tragedy in Houston that left ten fans dead. Sitting down for a nearly hourlong conversation with Charlamagne tha God, Scott says the past month has been an “emotional rollercoaster.†“I went through something, and I feel like fans went through something and people’s parents went through something,†he says. “It really, you know, it hurts. It hurts a community. It hurts a city.†He addresses the families of the victims, saying he wishes to “hold everyone, talk to them, have conversations,†and he expresses grief over the incident, albeit vaguely. “Something happened, and I I feel like it’s just — I needed a way to communicate,†he says. “When families are grieving, fans that experienced something, fans that came to a show, you know, and I feel like I just have, like, a — I’ve always been that person to always see things through with people that shared experiences with me. … Things happen, and I just kind of — it’s been such a time. And I’ve just been really trying to figure things out.†Scan this quote for meaning, and it’s difficult to find. Charlamagne notes that with litigation underway, Scott might be speaking in platitudes as a way of legally protecting himself.
Later in the interview, Scott chokes up as he addresses the victims and their families again. “These people that came to the show, they are my family … and that’s why it’s really hard on me to even … They lost their loved ones, you know?†he says. “It’s tough. I just want to always be there for them and always be able to know that I’m gonna fix this for future people and find a solution to making sure that this doesn’t happen in the future.â€
Scott claims he did not know about the extent of the events or that anyone had died until the police press conference following the concert. He also suggests tragedies like this can be prevented with wearable tech like smart bands. “People come into these festivals with these bands that only scan you in,†he says. “You have all types of tech that can track your heart, can track your oxygen levels, can track when you’re sick … The band that only gets you access to entry or the food trucks can now be solvable to help save lives.â€
Charlamagne asks Scott to address conspiracy theories that his music prompted the violence as part of a “satanic ritual,†to which Scott replies: “One, I’m a man of God, so that’s the first thing first. Yeah. That’s that.†He says if anything, the violence in his lyrics are “talking about what I see at the shows.†In other words, he’s not to blame for provoking violence; his audience members are to blame, and he’s just describing their behavior.
