After Travis Scott sat down for his first interview since the Astroworld tragedy, the rapper immediately faced backlash for his comments on liability.
“It gets so hard because, you know, I always feel connected with my fans,” the “Sicko Mode” artist said in his conversation with Charlamagne Tha God on Thursday, December 9. “It hurts the community, it hurts the city.”
Online users soon weighed in upon watching the interview.
“This was difficult to watch,” one YouTube user commented. “He really said protecting his brand and sponsorships isn’t a priority but refuses to take any responsibility or denounce any of the other parties involved.”
“I feel like he’s not taking any of the responsibility for what happened,” another YouTube user wrote.
Scott emphasized in the interview that he wasn’t aware of the casualties “until the press conference,” after his performance ended. “I didn’t know the exact details,” he added.
He was then asked whether he thought people were “forcing” him to take responsibility, to which he replied, “Well yeah, you know, I’m the face of the festival, I’m the artist. So yeah, the media is … they wanna put it on me.”
Overall, the “Goosebumps” rapper clarified that he wants to ensure this tragedy doesn’t happen again. “I definitely wanna step in to figure out how can we fix in this the future. What can we do to change these things?” Scott said.
Scott has continuously faced criticism for the festival’s outcome, including after he offered to cover the funeral costs for the youngest victim, 9-year-old Ezra Blount.
“Your client’s offer is declined,” the Blount family’s attorney, Bob Hilliard, responded to Scott’s offer, according to a letter obtained by Rolling Stone. “I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy.”
Scott’s girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, attended the festival and came to the rapper’s defense two days after the incident, supporting the claim that he was not aware of the deaths during his concert set.
“Travis and I are broken and devastated,” Jenner, 24, wrote in a statement via Instagram Stories on November 7. “My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in anyway by yesterday’s events … 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.”