It’s been about a week since tragedy afflicted people attending multi-platinum rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas. The overcrowded concert that has so far resulted in the deaths of 11 people and the injury of over 300 has already been declared a “mass casualty incident” by authorities and a federal investigation is well underway. 

Of course, none of this is believed to have been intentional. However, critics argue that Travis Scott played a major role in encouraging this tragedy because he did not put a stop or pause his performance while people were struggling to survive. Having been arrested twice for inciting a riot and encouraging his fans to partake in the practice of “raging,” people believe that the rapper is, in fact, at fault. 

Personally, I consider myself a pretty big Travis Scott fan. Considering how important reputation is to public figures, I don’t believe that Travis realized the severity and seriousness of the situation at hand. Nonetheless, the recklessness exhibited by him in this scenario cannot be ignored either. Mainly, the event was understaffed and even the staff that was present did not have the proper training to save lives. 

While the cause of death is yet to be determined, reports show that people, essentially, were trampled to death. Known as one of the deadliest concert events in U.S. history, AstroFest will definitely live in our hearts forever. May all the victims rest in peace!