Travis Scott's Road to Redemption Goes Through Las Vegas

Frank Schwichtenberg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rapper Announces ‘Road to Utopia’ Residency at Las Vegas

The Travis Scott comeback tour gained significant momentum on Monday when the much-maligned rapper announced he had secured a Las Vegas residency.

"Road to Utopia" is touted as a "mind-bending, first-of-its-kind nightclub residency experience" by Resorts World Las Vegas. Housed at the resort's Zouk Nightclub, it kicks off on Sept. 17 and will span seven shows.

Got Goosebumps yet? Experience @travisscott like you never have before as he takes over the stage at #ZoukNightclub on September 17 and October 15 for live performances you won’t forget 🔥https://t.co/NkvbkZ6RlO pic.twitter.com/uX9tNg411i

— ZoukGroupLV (@ZoukGroupLV) August 1, 2022

Resort World Las Vegas' chief marketing officer, Ronn Nicolli called Scott a "one-of-a-kind, multi-talented artist" in a statement and added, "His residency will bring a new level of energy to Resorts World Las Vegas and add to the property's diverse list of entertainment and nightlife offerings."

For the 31-year-old musician, the gig is a major milestone in his continued return to the limelight following the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival less than a year ago.

Scott's signature annual hometown concert ended in a crowd stampede that left ten people dead and hundreds more injured last November.

In the wake of the disaster, the multi-platinum artist was dropped as a headliner from several major music festivals. Ultimately, he took a six-month break from performing.

He returned to the stage at the Billboard Music Awards in May. Since then, he has done a guest set at Rolling Loud, a nightclub appearance, and performances at parties during Coachella and the Oscars.

The shows at Zouk will be all about Scott, featuring the "Sicko Mode" singer performing his hits in a state-of-the-art facility. A possibility of Scott previewing upcoming tracks during the residency was also teased in the announcement.

"His electric performances will pair perfectly with our immersive atmosphere, bringing our guests an unmatched show unlike anything else they can find in Las Vegas," Andrew Li, CEO of Zouk Group, said. "We can't wait to kick off his residency and continue to amplify our talent lineup."

Mystikal Arrested on Rape, Domestic Abuse Charges in Louisiana

Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office

Mystikal, a New Orleans-born rapper who was once a prominent part of Master P’s No Limit Records roster during its heyday, was arrested in Louisiana over the weekend and faces several charges including rape.

A spokesperson for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said the 51-year-old musician was arrested just before midnight on Saturday, July 30, after deputies responded to a local hospital in reference to a sexual assault.

The victim, who sustained minor injuries during the attack, identified Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, as the suspect and he was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. He is facing multiple charges including first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery, strangulation, false imprisonment and simple criminal damage to property.

This is just the latest legal trouble for the former star who exploded onto the hip-hop scene in the 1990s with the song “It Ain’t My Fault” and had his biggest hit in 2000 with “Shake Ya A***," which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2004 after pleading guilty to sexual battery. In 2010, he was released and registered as a sex offender in Louisiana. Just two years later, however, a domestic battery charge against his then-partner put him back in prison, where he served three months for violating his probation.

That was not the end of his legal troubles. He turned himself into the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Department in 2017 after a warrant was issued for his arrest for charges of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping arising from a 2016 allegation. The rapper spent 18 months in jail before being released on a $3 million bond. Eventually, the Caddo Parish District Attorney closed the investigation, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.

Will Smith Addresses Oscar's Slap in Emotional Apology Video

Screengrab: Will Smith/YouTube

Less than a week after Chris Rock finally addressed the incident, and four months after delivering the slap that shocked the cinema world, Will Smith posted a video to YouTube Friday to apologize again for striking the comedian during the live TV broadcast of the Academy Awards ceremony.

“I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the complexities and nuances of what happened in that moment,” Smith, who earned his first Oscar for "King Richard" moments after striding onto the stage and delivering a backhand to Rock, following a G. I. Jane joke at the expense of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith who has been candid over the years about her struggles with the hair-loss triggering condition alopecia.

He continued, “I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect of insults.”

Smith had previously posted an apology on Instagram hours after the incident. The video message, however, strove to answer questions about his motivations for his bad behavior as well as extend apologies to the comedian's family.

See the UNCENSORED version of now Oscar winner Will Smith slap to Chris Rock#Oscars #WillSmith #ChrisRock #Academy #Awards #Winners #Movies #Film #News pic.twitter.com/DUYJGT4VNW

— Que Onda Magazine (@queondamagazine) March 28, 2022

"It's been a minute," the opening credits of the video read. "Over the last few months, I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work. You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer."

Among those answers were two that fans, television talking heads and entertainment rags had been speculating on for some time. Did his wife have anything to do with the attack, and why did he not apologize on stage when he accepted his award?

“I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it," Smith said, making it clear that he was to blame for any actions he took that night. As for why he didn't immediately apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for best actor, the Grammy winner said, "I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy."

Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle surprised fellow comedian Chris Rock with a live goat—which they jokingly named ‘Will Smith’— during a recent comedy performance at Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/n7AmRXbcQG

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 28, 2022

Seemingly holding back tears, Smith went on to offer apologies to Rock's mother, Rose, and brother Tony, as well as musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, who picked up his best documentary Oscar for Summer of Soul in the awkward moments following the slap.

The star also acknowledged that his apology, though sincere, might be too late.

"I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out," he said. "So, I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

Rock has been tight-lipped concerning the subject in public. His first comments came over the weekend while headlining stand-up shows in New York and New Jersey.

“Yeah, that s—t hurt, motherf—ker, but I shook that s—t off and went to work the next day,” Rock said.

He added, “I’m not a victim, motherf—ker. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”

Watch the full apology video embedded below.