Travis Scottis slowly wading back into the world of music with the release of a new song titled “Hold That Heat,” which marks his first official single since theAstroworld Festival tragedy.
The rapper, 30, put out the track — which is a collaboration with Future and producer Southside — on Friday, more than five months after 10 concertgoers, including a 9-year-old boy, were killed in a crowd surge at his Houston music festival on Nov. 5.
“Hold That Heat” comes after Scott was featured on theKanye Westsong “Pablo” from his albumDonda 2. Though the album came out in February, it was not widely released, and wasavailable for streamingonly on West’s Stem Player.
“Your client’s offer is declined,” Ezra Blount’s family lawyer Bob Hilliard wrote in a letter to Scott’s lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, perRolling Stone. “I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy.” (Blount was the youngest victim.)
Months later, Scott launched a series of community-based philanthropy efforts, including an event safety task, calledProject HEAL.
Upon announcing the initiative in March, the rapper, whowelcomed his second childwithKylie Jennerin February, said he’s taken time to “grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community.”
Travis Scott.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty
“Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family.”
The four-tiered Project HEAL includes scholarships for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), mental health resources for young people in lower-income communities of color, a seven-figure expansion of the CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston and an event safety task force.
In hisfirst post-Astroworld interviewin December, Scott — who has alawsuit against him that represents nearly 2,800 victims— said he was unable to hear any screams for help when the crowd surge began, and claimed he did stop the show several times in order to ensure his fans were safe.
source: people.com
