![[ phenomenon ]](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60d22e9c4e41f9430593015a/c2867ed0-da46-4dc4-b6f9-84f7c93fb63c/logo+thing.png?format=1500w)
“It Ain’t A Moshpit If Ain’t No Injuries” - how Travis Scott’s signature aesthetic became his biggest failure.
The second day of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival was cancelled early last Saturday morning due to multiple deaths and injuries during the rap star’s set.
There’s a science to crowds and how they move in a restricted space. Reddit user “hourworkisneverover” writes the following, in response to the 2015 Mina Stampede during the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
“Basically, when people start to move in very high density crowds, each individual physically doesn't have enough space around them to behave like a normal person who acts based on decisions anymore, but rather the entire crowd starts moving like a fluid, forced forward by the pressure of the people walking forwards behind them. We're talking densities of 5+ people per square meter (you can roughly equate 4 people per square meter to being in a tightly packed crowd but still being able to move 360 degrees, just brushing up on people on all 4 sides. At about 5-6 people/meter^2 you start to lose that freedom of movement). The crowd starts to literally behave by the laws of fluid dynamics, and can experience shockwaves that ripple up and back through the mass of people when a push comes from any given direction... anyone who's been in a moshpit knows what I'm talking about”.
That is what is assumed to have happened during last Friday’s Astroworld Festival, where at least eight fans died and 300 were injured in a massive crowd crush at Houston’s NRG Park. It was a freak accident, created by the unfortunate amalgamation of poor event planning and a rowdy crowd.
Multiple lawsuits have already been filed by concert attendees who believe Houston-born trap artist — and creator of the festival — Travis Scott is to blame. Scott (as of one week later) has already released a statement, promised to cover funeral costs, cancelled his next festival appearance, issued refunds for all ticket holders, and partnered with BetterHelp to offer free therapy for those affected by the event. While it’s hard to quantify who should receive how much of the blame — whether it’s Scott, LiveNation (the festival organizers), or lackluster and unprepared security — one thing is for certain: the aesthetic that Scott’s career thrives on, especially during his live shows, should not go unnoticed as a cause for last weekend’s tragedy.
Trap music has always been about attitude. While the years-old misconception that hip hop only consists of music about “women and drugs” is obviously wrong and — if we’re being completely honest — slightly racist, there is no doubt that hip hop music revolving around the glorification of party culture exists today. It’s also popular. Travis Scott is the third most streamed rapper of all time, only behind Drake and Eminem. His last album, titled “Astroworld” — after the defunct Houston Six Flags park — released to enormous commercial success, garnering half a million album sales in the first week and, at the time, becoming the fifth largest streaming week in history.
While Travis Scott’s musicality, creativity, and branding is something that will separate him from the wider pack of trap stars, it isn’t wrong to say that his lyrical content is shallow. Scott’s popularity can be attributed to the way he sells his personal aesthetic. Musically, this may mean his pulsing synths and huge bass sounds creating a soundscape that encapsulates listeners Scott’s signature warm, drugged out headspace. In his merchandise, it may mean grimy and trippy visuals, inspired by Scott’s love for rock music, and earth tone colors, reminiscent of the workwear fashion he wears on his own.
However, his biggest identifier before his massive commercial success were his live shows and his onstage persona.
An example of one of Scott’s festival sets.
Since the advent of his career, Scott has made a name for himself by creating an insane live atmosphere, encouraging moshpits, stagediving, and even injuries to some extent, especially in smaller venues. Scott calls this high energy “rage”, and he ceremoniously calls his fans “ragers” for taking part in the chaos. It’s an aesthetic taken from the height of rock music in the 90s, an era which Scott has admitted in taking inspiration from.
Moshing specifically, is something that has moved from punk rock into hip hop, as the years go on. The form of dance dates back to the early 80s, and it entered mainstream culture due to the success of grunge bands in the 90s, before becoming a common occurrence at concerts of nearly any genre. With the explosion of lyrically-shallow-but-sonically-energetic hip hop, moshing was adopted by trap music and is now commonplace at modern rap festivals like Rolling Loud.
Scott’s “appropriation” of rock culture is exciting, especially as rap and rock become more interconnected both sonically and culturally. His shows are stimulating, adrenaline pumping, and many call a Travis Scott show one of the best they’ve ever seen. It also fosters the rebellious nature that rock pioneered. Last Friday’s incident was the first time it went awry.
One big part of the failure of Scott’s rock/rap/rebel aesthetic is that moshpit etiquette hasn’t quite translated over genre, leading to safety issues. The number one rule of the moshpit is: if someone falls, you pick them back up. There are countless accounts of fans within rock who have fallen during a moshpit and are brought back up in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, rap fans — perhaps due to their more recent adoption of the trend — do not seem to be as considerate of those around them. Rock music is just as high energy as trap music, but the fans of the genres act differently, something that can be rectified by Scott simply telling his audience to be aware.
One theory regarding this is that the lack of etiquette can be accredited to age and experience. In a 2013 poll by New York Magazine, a survey found that the demographics of age in punk rock fans are surprisingly even. While the biggest chunk of the pie chart comes from those who are 20-25, there is greatly even number of fans who lie between 26-30 and 31-35.
A chart breaking down the age demographics of modern punk rock.
There are very few demographics regarding specifically trap music, the sub-genre that Scott adheres to, but according to one Italian survey, an overwhelming 53% of trap music fans are between the ages of 16 and 24. We can also use data from a survey regarding certain age groups’ favorite genre of music, with 48% of respondents aged 16-19 claiming rap/hip hop as their favorite genre of music. Rock and rap, despite its cultural similarities, are different demographically. Rock is an older crowd, with an arguably better sense of right and wrong. To veteran rock fans, leaving a fallen concert attendee on the ground in the moshpit is wrong. For younger rap fans, where Travis Scott may have been their first ever concert, it’s effectively every man for himself.
The point of this data is that young hip hop fans — which are prevalent — can be considered impressionable, especially by someone they consider a role model, and inexperienced in concert etiquette, leading to angry crowds and aggressive behavior, especially in a situation like a massive festival.
This is where Travis Scott failed his audience.
Some context: Scott has roughly 44 million Instagram followers, landing him just outside the 100 most followed accounts on the platform, and his influence is huge. During his run with McDonald’s, the fast food mega giant reported ingredient shortages. His nine minute virtual Fortnite concert earned him $20 million, nearly half of what his real “Astroworld” tour made in 56 stops across North America. Even Scott’s personal fashion is influential, as he’s sometimes credited with revitalizing the less popular Nike Dunk model.
However, Scott’s influence has a darker side. Scott’s onstage persona fuels animalistic behavior in his crowds, promotes sneaking into shows, and overall sacrifices human decency for “the rage”. Scott is not the only artist who does this, but his promotion of the “rager lifestyle” is constant. From his social media, music videos, and even his merch (one hoodie at last Friday’s festival had the words “see you on the other side” printed on it, a now haunting phrase), Scott creates a “universe”, if you will, where compassion for fellow human beings is second to the “rage” in the crowd. Maybe it’s a hot take, but that’s completely fine, so long as your fans understand that it is simply an act. Metal shows have imagery that would never be considered “safe”, but the fans of said metal bands understand that no one there wants to get hurt or wants to hurt other people.
It seems to almost be the opposite for Scott’s fanbase. His Netflix “documentary”, which really is just a collection of behind the scenes footage from his concerts, glorifies the injuries that Scott’s crowd sometimes endures. The opening scene involves a production team member explaining to security how dangerous the show might get. While this seems out of the ordinary and even weird, the fans glorify it themselves. Scott’s fans love the rage.
For many, the rough crowd is what they expect — even what they want — when they enter the show. It’s understandable to some extent. It’s the same reason why people jump out of helicopters. Adrenaline junkies love the exhilaration of being in a crowd and adding to that chaotic energy. Passing out is a normal occurrence and should be treated as such in the eyes of “ragers” (note that Scott has in fact paused shows throughout his entire career to make sure those who passed out or are in danger can get out safely. He even did it during last Friday’s festival set). If you make it out of the crowd without an injury, Scott’s fans will claim you “survived the rage”, a catchphrase that surely has to be shelved for the remainder of Scott’s career.
Scott feeds on this and incorporates it into his brand. Scott’s marketing campaign for his collaborative Nike Dunk shines a light on the gritty side of skate culture, showing off falls and injuries. During his 2019 Astroworld Festival, Travis posted a video of young fans storming the gates, with the caption “DA YOUTH DEM CONTROL THE FREQUENCY. EVERYONE HAVE FUN. RAGERS SET TONE WHEN I COME OUT TONIGHT. BE SAFE RAGE HARD. AHHHHHHHHHHH”. This quote is especially damning, as he recognizes that his fanbase is based in the youth. Scott himself claims he is “for the kids”, but he seems unaware of how the promotion of these ideas can affect the safety of said fans.
Some hardcore fans buy into this aesthetic way more than they should, endangering those around them. Levelheaded fans who understand the fact that Scott’s aesthetic is just intense showmanship will no doubt feel in danger when the angry, white, drunk and/or high frat boy throws elbows in the middle of a song. “It’s the rage,” he’ll say, without understanding that moshpit culture is about enjoying music together (albeit aggressively), not assaulting people. This isn’t even a hypothetical. During a 2017 show in New York, the crowd reportedly pushed one fan over the edge of a balcony, where he fell and broke both his legs. The fan ended up paralyzed on the left side due to his injuries. Scott never denounced the crowd, but rather rewarded the fan who fell with a ring off his finger. There is more negativity towards security at a Travis Scott show, than there is towards the hectic fans who are there to let their anger out instead of enjoying the music.
The writing was on the wall.
Choosing who to blame in this absolute tragedy is practically impossible, especially with the little information that has been confirmed and the way social media has played into the public’s perception of the incident. Until the investigation — which has now even garnered the attention of the FBI — comes up with something significant, there isn’t concrete evidence that Scott is responsible, and the same goes for festival organizer LiveNation. Did Scott know what was happening and continued to perform? Did LiveNation refuse to end the show because of its Apple Music streaming deal? It’s a multifaceted situation.
Scott, however, does hold responsibility in the portrayal of his brand. His consistent promotion of “rager” culture and “screw authority” attitude while understanding his demographic is no doubt a cause in this tragedy. His glorified recklessness is passed onto his impressionable fans, who enter his live shows with little regard for the people around them. To these fans, the “rage” is an individual issue, not a group mentality, and if you don’t partake, you’re not supposed to be there.
These are the types of people that Scott must denounce from now on. Injuries, no matter how “cool” the person who endured one may think it is, are not indicative of a good time. Scott’s shows are inaccessible to the thousands of fans he has created, especially when his age demographic reaches as low as it does. While it’s not up to Scott to dictate what every single person in a crowd of 100 thousand does during his shows, it is up to him to promote a safer concert space.
Instead of sending out a tweet promoting fans to sneak into the festival — a tweet which was deleted after the festival — Scott needs to promote safety. It may be “uncool” or “off brand”, but he knows exactly what his fanbase consists of. Scott’s half a decade long promotion of the “rage” normalized unsafe concert behavior, and while there isn’t anything wrong with demanding energy from your crowd, there is a massive difference between getting people hurt and having a good time. No matter what happens regarding the investigation into the festival, that will always be on Scott and his team.
When Scott puts on a performance in the future, which he no doubt will, all eyes will be on him to create the safest space possible for the people who paid money to see him. Will the “rager aesthetic” die off? Unlikely. It’s Scott’s brand at this point, and many rap shows after this will continue to get rowdy. But it will be heavily modified, and hopefully Scott understands that he needs to be much more hands on in regard to his crowd. There were ways to stop last week’s incident, whether it’s telling the crowd to take five steps back or pausing the show until everyone felt better or medical emergencies were resolved. While the failures of this festival may not all fall on him — it’s unlikely he took part in any of the failed logistical issues around the event — it will fall on him to foster a better environment, even if it means sacrificing his artistic vision.
