Astroworld Anniversary: How Travis Scott Has Fared One Year After Tragedy

Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly Astroworld Festival tragedy, which claimed the lives of 10 attendees and injured hundreds more. Headliner Travis Scott's reputation may have taken a hit at first, but one expert says that the rapper's image has all but bounced back.

The crowd crush occurred on November 5, 2021, during the Astroworld music fest in Houston. Afterward, the rapper created the event-safety-focused Project HEAL, described as "a multi-tier initiative dedicated to addressing challenges facing today's youth, especially those from marginalized and at-risk communities."

Underscoring the first anniversary of the Astroworld disaster was last weekend's deadly stampede in South Korea. At least 154 festivalgoers died on Saturday during a Halloween celebration in Seoul, with many others reporting injuries.

Scott has entered into legal battles with some of the Astroworld victims' families, recently settling one lawsuit, but it seems that the "Sicko Mode" rapper's overall public image hasn't sustained permanent damage.

Holly Baird, a crisis management consultant, told Newsweek that in Astroworld's immediate aftermath, Scott received backlash. There was also "lots of chatter about his shows being 'demonic' and unsafe environments," she said.

"However, once additional claims appeared around Live Nation's business practices around concert productions," Baird continued, "the narrative shifted blame to the concert promoters and Scott's team was able to adjust messaging and pursue lucrative deals across multiple industries (fashion, cannabis, beauty, food, music)."

Baird noted that the star has been busy in recent days, between collaborations with Nike and French luxury fashion house Dior.

"Fans still support him and the music industry has surrounded him with love," she said.

Scott has since played to sold-out arenas and continued raising children with girlfriend Kylie Jenner. He's also set to perform at a festival in Mexico next April and will soon release Utopia, his fourth studio album.

"With Kylie Jenner by his side and entertainment media daily reporting about their lives, his image was maintained, and the conversation shifted back to his artistry," Baird said. "In fact, this tragedy in a way allowed him to become the 'king of collaborations' and he is dominating headlines with new launches monthly—it's only been a year since 10 lives were taken."

Astroworld's one-year anniversary also highlights other dangerous concerts, Baird said; it's by no means "an isolated event." South Los Angeles rapper Drakeo the Ruler was stabbed to death last year during another Live Nation festival, for instance.

"It's important for artist teams to inquire about safety guards to ensure their fans are kept safe and that at no time, corners are cut to keep a festival or show from being cancelled," Baird said. "You can always book another gig but losing a fan's life impacts your brand forever."

Newsweek reached out to a representative for Scott for comment.