The tragedy that unfolded at the Astroworld Festival in Houston Friday has rocked the nation.
Eight people died — ranging in age from 14 to 27 — and as many as 300 were injured in what is being called a violent “crowd surge” on the first day of Travis Scott‘s sold-out, two-day music event.
Rapper Roddy Ricch, who was one of the opening acts at the festival at NRG Park, announced this weekend that he intends to donate his net earnings from the event to the families of those who died.
“Please have the families of those who we lost yesterday reach out,” he wrote. “I’ll b donating my net compensation to the families of this incident,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. He ended the post with the hashtag #Pray4Houston.
The 23-year-old rapper rose to prominence in 2018 with his hit single, “Die Young.”
Ricch was one of the performers on the event’s “Thrills” stage, a roster of acts that also included SZA, Lil Baby, and Master P. Only Scott himself — who organized and headlined the Astroworld Festival — performed on its “Chills” stage, where the tragedy took place.
Some reports allege that the crowd began to surge about 30 minutes before Scott’s set as a countdown clock helped build anticipation for his headlining show.
Ricch is not the only rapper sending condolences out to those lost and injured at the music fest. Ye dedicated his Sunday Service “to the loved ones at Astroworld.” The service airs live on YouTube, Triller and Revolt, and just returned last week.
At least two lawsuits have already been filed against Scott for “negligence” in the deadly catastrophe. Scott took to Instagram Live on Saturday, where he looked exhausted as he said that he “never imagined” a tragedy of that magnitude.
On Twitter Saturday, the morning after the chaos, he wrote, “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
Scott’s first Astroworld Festival launched in 2018, and was named after his first album, also released that year. In 2019, there was a crowd-surge incident that resulted in nearly a dozen injuries and several lawsuits. The fest was put on hold in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and this year marked the return of the annual event in Scott’s hometown of Houston.
“I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need,” he tweeted. “Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.”
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