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| Frank Schwichtenberg via Wikimedia Commons |
Embattled rapper Travis Scott, has kept a low profile since 10 attendees were killed and hundreds injured at his annual Astroworld Festival concert last November.
Facing more than 140 lawsuits and a mass litigation suit by 1,500 show attendees against himself, Live Nation, Apple Music, and Drake, among others — the "Sicko Mode" artist has been dropped from Coachella and other festivals.
He also lost lucrative deals with McDonald's and Dior for his Cactus Jack Brand.
Scott, who has offered to pay for the funerals of the dead and provide other assistance, has maintained his stance that he would have stopped the show if he had heard signs of distress in the crowd.
Tuesday he stepped out of the shadows to announce a $5 million investment in community-focused initiatives through his newly launched Project HEAL.
According to a statement released by the Cactus Jack Foundation, which will administer the charitable project, it is a "multi-tiered initiative dedicated to addressing challenges facing today's youth, especially those from marginalized and at-risk communities."
"My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life. He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big," said Travis, of his motivation for creating Project HEAL in the press release. "It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.”
The first phase of the program kicks off today with $1 million in scholarships for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Waymon Webster Scholarship, bankrolled by Scott, will provide $10,000 grants to seniors with GPAs of at least 3.5 who risk not graduating due to financial adversity.
In the future, Project HEAL plans to address the mental health crisis through digital counseling and telephone hotlines, expand Scott’s CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston — a nonprofit makerspace for aspiring artists, designers and tech innovators — and fund the previously announced U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety and a tech-driven device that will address safety at large-scale live events.
