Deadly Texas concert crush: Who is Travis Scott and what is Astroworld?

Left photo shows ambulance lights in the crowd during the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, U.S., Nov. 5, 2021. Right photo shows a man jumping on an ambulance standing in the crowd. Images: Twitter @ONACASELLA via Reuters

Travis Scott is a 30-year-old American rapper, singer and record producer from Houston, Texas, where at least eight people were killed and many others injured in a crush at the opening night of his Astroworld music festival on Friday.

Here are some details about Scott and Astroworld:

• Scott is best known for his third studio album, “Astroworld,” released in 2018 which produced his first Billboard Hot 100 number one single “Sicko Mode,” which featured vocals from Canadian rapper Drake.
• Astroworld is a music festival founded by Scott in 2018 and named after his hit album. This was the third Astroworld festival as it was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Astroworld festival is located at Houston’s former Six Flags amusement park, which closed in 2005.
• Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards, and has won a Billboard Music Award and a Latin Grammy Award.
• Since its inception in 2018, the Astroworld festival has grown in scope and the range of artists performing. The 2019 concert included genres such as reggaeton and hard rock and included artists such as Pharrell Williams and Megan Thee Stallion.
• This year’s two day festival, which has now been canceled, was to feature artists including Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Baby Keem, 21 Savage, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
• In 2020 Scott worked with Epic Games to produce an Astroworld-themed event in the video game Fortnite.
• A portion of the proceeds from this year’s festival were due to be given to the Cactus Jack Foundation, a charity founded by Scott to help young people.
• Scott has a daughter with model and businesswoman Kylie Jenner, and they are expecting a second child. JB

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