Travis Scott denies knowing about Astroworld injuries in interview with Charlamagne tha God
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
Travis Scott told radio and talk show host Charlamagne tha God that he’s been on an “emotional rollercoaster” since 10 people died and many more were injured at his Astroworld Festival.
The rapper, who has denied legal liability, sat down with Charlamagne for an almost hour-long interview that was posted on YouTube Thursday.
It was Scott’s first extensive interview since the tragedy, and he started out saying how hard it’s all been because he has “felt so connected” to his fans.
“It really hurts,” he said. “It hurts the community, it hurts the city [Houston where he is from and where the annual festival was held]. It’s a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving.”
Scott denied initially knowing concertgoers had been hurt, saying he “didn’t know the exact details until minutes before the press conference,” after he performed.
“People pass out, things happen at concerts, but something like that,” he said, trailing off.
According to Scott, his visibility from the stage while he was performing was limited, but what he did see he acted upon.
“Anytime I could see anything like that, I did,” Scott said. “I stopped it a couple times to just make sure everybody was OK.”
He also addressed the “raging” culture his concerts have been known for and that some have blamed for the deaths and injuries.
Scott said “raging” is “about letting go and having fun.”
“As artists, you trust professionals for when things happen that people can leave safely,” Scott added.
“And this night was just like a regular show, it felt like to me, as far as the energy,” he said. “People didn’t show up there just to be harmful. People just showed up to have a good time and something unfortunate happened and we just need to figure out what that was.”
More than 140 lawsuits have been filed since the Astroworld tragedy.
Attorneys representing some of the victims spoke out against some of Scott’s remarks.
“It is clear from carefully watching Mr. Scott’s interview that he and others were clearly aware of the potential safety dangers of this concert and of the catastrophic deficiencies that led to these terrible deaths and injuries,” said Robert C. Hilliard, attorney representing the family of Ezra Blount.
Blount, who died at age 9, was the youngest victim at the event.
“Axel Acosta’s family doesn’t want to hear Travis Scott’s excuses; excuses do not assuage their grief and pain,” said Tony Buzbee, attorney representing the family of Axel Acosta, who died the night festival, CNN previously reported.
Hilliard added, “We need to get to the full unvarnished truth as quickly as possible so healing can begin.”
The-CNN-Wire
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Carma Hassan, Jennifer Henderson and Rosa Flores contributed to this story.
