Travis Scott has said he did not know fans were injured during the Astroworld crush that killed 10 people.
In his first sit down interview since the music festival surge, the rapper told Charlamagne Tha God on his YouTube channel that he had been on an “emotional rollercoaster”.
When asked at what point he thought were fans were injured, Scott said: “It was not until minutes until the press conference (after the show) until I figured out exactly what happened.
“Even after the show you are just hearing things but I did not know the exact details.
“And even at that moment you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ People pass out, things happen at concerts, but something like that…”
The events unfolded at Astroworld, a two-day music festival in Houston, Texas, when fans surged toward the stage during a performance by headliner Scott on November 5.
Nine-year-old Ezra Blount was youngest person to die from injuries suffered during the crush at Scott’s concert, the others who died ranged in age from 14 to 27.
Travis Scott Sits Down for Astroworld Interview With Charlamagne, Denies He Knew Fans Were Injured Until After Concert https://t.co/cdXqDnaS1a
— Variety (@Variety) December 9, 2021
Some 300 people were treated at the festival site and 13 were admitted to hospital.
Charlamagne Tha God asked Scott if he heard the fans who were “collectively screaming for help every time you stopped a song”.
Scott said: “It’s so crazy, any time you can hear that you want to stop the show, you want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need.
“I stopped a couple of times to make sure everyone was ok, I just go off the fans’ energy, I just didn’t hear that.
“At the end of the day you just hear music.”
Talking about the sold-out festival that was attended by 50,000 people, Scott added: “I have been doing this a long time and nothing like this has ever happened…You do these shows for people to have the best experience.”
The 30-year-old has said he has a “responsibility” to find out what happened at the music festival.
He added: “Fans come to the show to have a good experience and I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution.
“Hopefully this takes a first step for us as artists, having more insight about what’s going on…to make sure this never happens again.”
The interview comes after several families of the 10 people who died from injuries in the crowd surge turned down an offer by Scott to pay for their loved ones’ funeral costs.
Scott and the event organisers are the focus of a criminal investigation by Houston police.