Travis Scott is known the world over for his rap anthems, which include “Goosebumps” and “Butterfly Effect.” It should come as no surprise that 50,000 fans locked to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas for the AstroWorld Festival.

Created by Scott and promoted by Live Nation Entertainment, the AstroWorld Festival was scheduled to run from Nov. 5 to Nov. 6. Artists on the bill included SZA and Drake, among many others.

What was supposed to be a weekend of good music and fun soon turned deadly when Travis Scott took the stage on Nov. 5, 2021. Some said it was part of a Satanic ritual and others said it was due to poor organization on management’s end.

Nine people died as a result of the crowd surge. Many others were injured and hospitalized.

Jax Aube, a student in the Louisiana Scholars’ College, believes that the blame rests equally on both Scott and Live Nation, the organizer of the event responsible for selling tickets.

“I know a lot of people want to put blame on Travis for this tragedy. And because of his fame, he does bear a certain burden of responsibility,” Aube said. “However, LiveNation are responsible for packing the place out as much as they did, despite previous knowledge of Travis’s direct encouragement of fans to break into his shows.”

Cindy Pinkerton, sophomore vet tech major, stated that the show should have been stopped at the first sign of trouble.

“I honestly do not think that there is a way security did not hear the people screaming out about getting pushed across and crushed,” Pinkerton said. “There has been multiple situations of Travis Scott encouraging this type of behavior.”

Many have stated that Scott built his brand on rage and anarchy. Fans were dancing on top of the medics’ golf carts and using them to get a better view of the concert. People have testified that they felt crushed in the crowd surge. Many are still receiving treatment for their injuries.

Diamond White, a freshman biology major, stated that the senseless tragedy could have been avoided.

“It’s everyone’s fault including Travis’s. I love him as an artist but he’s been arrested for inciting rage,” said White. “Also the capacity of people that was there was not intended initially to be there. But he tweeted and posted for fans that did not have tickets, to rage in. There’s evidence for that.”