Over a month after a deadly crowd surge at his hometown Astroworld music festival in Houston on Nov. 5 left 10 people dead and hundreds injured, rapper Travis Scott set down with radio and television personality Charlamagne Tha God Thursday to talk about the mass casualty incident.
In his first interview since the tragic events unfolded the 30-year-old, born Jacques Bermon Webster II, said he had no idea of the carnage that ensued while he was on stage.
“I didn’t know the exact details until minutes before the press conference [after my set],” he said. “And even at that moment, you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’
Scott went on to say that he would have stopped the show if he had heard signs of distress in the crowd.
“It’s so crazy because I’m that artist too — anytime you can hear something like that, you want to stop the show,” he said. “You want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need. Anytime I could see anything like that, I did. I stopped it a couple of times to just make sure everybody was OK. And I really just go off the fans’ energy as a collective — call and response. I just didn’t hear that.”
The "Sicko Mode" artist, who is currently facing more than 140 lawsuits and a mass litigation suit by 1,500 show attendees against himself, Live Nation, Apple Music, and Drake amongst others —added that the band, lights, pyrotechnics and other elements of the performance obscured his vantage point from the stage.
“You can only help what you can see and whatever you’re told, whenever they tell you to stop, you stop,” he said," noting how difficult it would be to perceive the difference between fans in danger versus enjoying the show.
Asked by Charlamagne if he did all he could to make the event safe Scott, choking back his emotions, said, “Everything I physically [could], sure, yes. And, if knowing what was going on … you just wish you could have done something better. But, standing there, 1,000 percent.”
Watch the entire interview below:
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Travis Scott Finally Opens up About Astroworld Festival Tragedy
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Kanye West and Drake Team With Amazon to Stream Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert
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| Photo Credit @Ye Instagram |
Christmas is coming early for hip-hop fans, at least those with an Amazon Prime account.
The news was applauded by fans of both rap icons, as ticket prices for the Dec. 9 concert, which will take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, have soared since its announcement — with some going as high as $7,500, not including taxes and fees, on Ticketmaster.
Ye and Drake are joining forces and we’ve got your exclusive access. The monumental #FreeLarryHoover show will be free to stream globally on Prime Video, on the @AmazonMusic app, and on the Amazon Music Twitch channel. pic.twitter.com/SPItOoRRG8
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) December 8, 2021
In fact, the long-running beef between Drake and West, which the latter first called for an end to in an interview with N.O.R.E. on Drink Champs early in November, following the Astroworld disaster, will be “put to rest” at the concert according to West.
The concert will stream live Thursday (Dec. 8) at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST on Amazon Prime Video, Twitch and the Amazon Music app in more than 240 countries and territories across the world. In addition to being available through Amazon’s services, the concert will be live-streamed in IMAX theaters across the U.S. for a one-night-only event. Tickets are now available for purchase on IMAX’s official website. The concert will also be available to view on-demand through Prime Video following the live event.
“We’re extremely proud to be working with Kanye and Drake on this historic concert in support of a cause they are both so passionate about and to collaborate across Amazon for this epic entertainment event,” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said of the collaboration in a statement.
“Kanye and Drake have spent their careers pushing boundaries and defining culture, and we’re excited to give fans around the world a front-row seat to this concert,” added Tim Hinshaw, head of hip-hop and R&B for Amazon Music. “We have made Amazon Music and Prime Video destinations where artists can make their most ambitious ideas a reality — his concert is just the latest example.”
The concert is intended to raise awareness of Larry Hoover’s incarceration and fight for freedom after decades behind bars. The co-founder of the Gangster Disciples, Hoover was found guilty of murder, extortion and money laundering among other charges in 1997 and is currently serving six life sentences. Additionally, it will benefit advocacy groups including Hustle 2.0, Ex-Cons For Community And Social Change and Uptown People’s Law Center.
West has been working to free Hoover, whose sentencing has sparked controversy and calls for sentence reform, for several years. In 2018 he asked Donald Trump, whom he avidly supported during his presidency, to grant him clemency, but the request was not granted.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Nick Cannon Mourns Loss of 5-Month-Old Son to Cancer
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| Photo Credit @NickCannonShow Twitter |
A day after his alleged leaked nudes created a firestorm of thirst on social media, Nick Cannon returned to the spotlight Tuesday for a much more somber reason.
The 41-year-old television host and father of seven shared that his youngest, five-month-old Zen, had passed away from brain cancer while speaking with the studio audience of "The Nick Cannon Show."
“Over the weekend, I lost my youngest son to a condition called hydrocephalus that was pretty much a malignant, invasive midline brain tumor, brain cancer,” an emotional Cannon said. “It’s tough.”
According to Cannon, the family first suspected there might be a problem with Zen, his child with model and partner Alyssa Scott, when they observed the toddler having breathing difficulties.
“I always noticed he had a cough and so I wanted to check it out,” Cannon said. “He had this interesting breathing and by the time he was two months, I noticed he had this nice sized head too — a Cannon head. We didn’t think anything of it. But I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing. We thought it would be routine.”
Unfortunately, the diagnosis proved to be bleak.
“Ultimately, it was cancer in the brain and the tumor began to grow a lot faster,” Cannon said, before sharing that he spent this past weekend with his son in California and, "not only did we get to see the sunrise, we got to see the sunset."
He brought out fellow television host and therapist Dr. Laura Berman — who lost her son Samuel to an accidental drug overdose in February at the age of 16 — to discuss the grief of losing a child. Cannon who said, "I didn't know how I was going to handle today, but I wanted to grieve with my family," dedicated the show to Zen.
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