Travis Scott's most controversial moments from the Astroworld tragedy to riot at concert
Travis Scott has been at the centre of a number of controversies over the years, from being sued after his security allegedly assaulted a fan to the tragic Astroworld festival
Fans of Travis Scott are eagerly awaiting his second performance at Coachella tonight. The 33-year-old father of two, who previously wowed a crowd in the Colorado Desert last Saturday, is set to take the stage again at the Californian festival.
With five number one hits on the US Billboard chart and an impressive 10 Grammy nominations under his belt, Travis, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II - is also known for his relationship with Kylie Jenner, with whom he shares daughter Stormi and son Aire.
However, his reputation has been marred by controversy, including the devastating Astroworld tragedy....
Astroworld Tragedy
In 2021, the music world was left reeling when 10 people tragically lost their lives and hundreds were injured at Travis' Astroworld festival.
The rapper, who founded the annual festival in his hometown of Houston, Texas in 2018 and had headlined every year since, faced severe backlash after a crowd surge during his performance resulted in the deaths of 10 people, ranging in age from 14 to 27, reports the Mirror.
A criminal investigation was subsequently launched, with Travis and the festival organisers coming under fire for their lack of stringent security measures.
In the aftermath of the catastrophic event, the rapper took to Twitter to express his sorrow but stopped short of issuing an apology. "I am absolutely devastated by what took place last night," he posted, offering his condolences: "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life."
Attends Astroworld after-party
Despite the somber mood, it was disclosed that Travis went to an afterparty following the Astroworld festival. Defending his actions, the "Nightcrawler" artist insisted he couldn't see the crowd's distress from the stage and was unaware of the severity of the situation until he had already arrived at the glitzy bash.
Arrested at Lollapalooza fe
Travis Scott is no stranger to controversy at music events. Back in 2015, during Lollapalooza, he allegedly urged fans to bypass security barriers.
According to Billboard, he "fled the scene" right after the performance but was apprehended shortly thereafter. He faced charges of disorderly conduct for the incident.
After pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges from an incident in Chicago at the Lollapalooza music festival, he was sentenced to one year of court supervision. At that time, Chicago officials alleged Travis encouraged fans to vault over security barricades, but, fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Creating chaos at a show
Back in May 2017, pandemonium ensued at a concert when Travis reportedly sparked a wild ruckus while on stage in Rogers, Arkansas. A riot unfolded, leaving several attendees hurt in the fray.
Held accountable for inciting madness, authorities claimed Travis spurred on the bedlam by urging the crowd to overcome security and take over the stage, thrusting him into legal troubles.
He faced three counts "of inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a minor after he invited fans to overpower security and rush the stage."
A number of individuals sustained injuries during this chaotic event, including a security guard and a cop. Travis eventually entered a guilty plea for disorderly conduct and was directed to compensate two victims with court fees.
Sued after Travis' security allegedly assaulted fan outside his concert
Earlier, as reported by the Mirror, there was a man suing Travis, alleging that one of the rapper's bodyguards had violently harmed him outside of one of his performances.
Legal papers obtained by the Mirror US reveal that a man named Omar Muhanna alleges he was outside a "concert venue" where Travis was performing when he was allegedly assaulted by one of the rapper's security guards.
In the lawsuit, Omar claims he was attacked "without cause, provocation, or justification."
The court documents state that Omar alleges the assault, which he says left him "seriously and permanently injured," occurred on Aug. 17, 2024 in Manhattan.
The Sicko Mode rapper was performing at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in Manhattan on that day. Omar alleges that the supposed assault took place a few blocks away from the venue.
Omar's lawsuit does not accuse Travis of personally doing anything wrong to him. Instead, he argues that since Travis hired the company, he is the one "liable" for the alleged conduct - accusing the security guard of "violently contacting [Omar] without cause, provocation, or justification while in the course of his employment as those acts were committed within the scope of the employee's employment," according to court documents.