Travis Scott has appeared on a widely-available single for the first time since last year’s Astroworld festival, where a tragic crowd crush led to the death of 10 people and many more injuries.
‘Hold That Heat’ is a collaboration between 808 Mafia producer Southside, rapper Future and Scott, and arrives alongside a Philip Andelman-directed video that features Scott holding an alligator on a chain.
It marks Scott’s second appearance since the events of Astroworld back in November. The rapper featured on Kanye West‘s ‘Donda 2’ track ‘Pablo’, also alongside Future. As with the rest of ‘Donda 2’, the song is only officially available for listening through West’s Donda Stem Player device.
Watch the video for ‘Hold That Heat’ below:
10 people were killed – with hundreds more injured – as a result of a crowd surge that took place during Scott’s headline set at Astroworld in Houston on November 5, 2021. The following month, the cause of death for all 10 victims was ruled as accidental compressive asphyxiation.
In December, Scott gave his first interview since the Astroworld tragedy, telling Charlamage Tha God he had a “responsibility to figure out what happened” during the incident. Scott’s response was criticised by family members of some of the victims of the tragedy, saying the rapper should have been more proactive about stopping the set.
Last month, he announced the launch of his multi-million dollar Project HEAL initiative, and said he would “always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy”. The rapper was accused of violating a gag order by announcing the initiative. Scott is currently facing hundreds of combined lawsuits over the events that unfolded at Astroworld.
The rapper has slowly been reappearing in public life since the tragedy took place. He reportedly performed a short set at a private pre-Oscars party late last month in Bel Air, and a brief DJ set at a Coachella afterparty over the weekend.
A day prior to Astroworld, Scott released two singles, ‘Escape Plan’ and ‘Mafia’. It’s unclear if either song will feature on the rapper’s forthcoming album ‘Utopia’, details of which have not been revealed. Earlier this month, billboards teasing the album appeared in California, reading: “PSST……. Looking for UTOPIA? WRONG WAY!” along with the logo of Scott’s Cactus Jack label.
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