The fallout from Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival catastrophe has been brutal. The 30-year-old artist, once virtually unblemished, is teetering on cancel territory.
It all started on Friday when, during Scott's set at the festival, named after his most recent album, “Astroworld”, at least eight people, including teenagers, died during a frenetic crowd surge toward the stage.
Videos of the chaotic scene in Houston have flooded social media, causing many to question how such a catastrophe could have unfolded – all while the “Sicko Mode” rapper continued to perform as mayhem unfolded in front of him.
Travis Scott eerily watches on (could he not see?) as unconscious fan is carried out in front of him at Astroworld festival in Houston. The concert continued. pic.twitter.com/baci78QVVb
— Jenn Dize 👩🏻💻Flint CORRUPTION | see pinned 🐦 (@jennelizabethj) November 7, 2021
The Washington Post did a video reconstruction, which showed the concert continuing despite desperate pleas for help from the crowd.
Scott and his partner Kylie Jenner claim they were unaware of the severity of the situation.
Officials are currently investigating how the festival turned deadly.
Since news emerged of the disaster, social media users have been lambasting the rapper for his perceived carelessness and negligence.
This weekend, a video showing Scott hastily and rudely kicking a camera man off the stage, while he was performing a few years ago, emerged on social media, prompting fans to criticise his attitude.
His strange apology video on his Instagram Stories has done little to appease critics.
After scoring massively lucrative brand deals with the likes of PlayStation 5, Fortnight and McDonald's over the past few years, Scott has been an endorsement juggernaut.
Now, where to for the rapper, who's been one of, if not the, most bankable artists in hip hop over the past few years?
Having been to a Travis Scott concert in Johannesburg a few years ago, I know just how manic those shows can be.
The high octane energy he brings to his shows is a massive part of what makes him so popular.
But, now, with the chaos of Friday's festival, he may need to reconsider his approach. Something's gotta give.
Despite not having released an album in three years, Scott's music is still in high demand.
On Spotify, his 45 million monthly listeners ranks 25th in the world. It's unlikely that the demand for his music will decline after this. Scott has some of the most fanatical fans in the world.
It was just last week when, ahead of the festival, thousands of his fans lined up for hours to try and get their hands on Astroworld merchandise, before it was inevitably sold out.
After the fallout of this incident, he will need to dig deep and show real remorse to regain the trust and support of the wider public.