UTOPIA

Last year, things went sideways for Houston rapper Travis Scott when his signature festival, Astroworld, was the site of mass casualties. Now facing a class action lawsuit, not just from the families of the nine people who died, but plenty more who were injured or traumatized, Scott has been laying low while multiple collaborations were put on hold. He’s was initially slated to headline Coachella next weekend, though, but along with returning to the stage for that massive event, plans for his next project, Utopia, were also delayed.

That became even more clear this weekend when billboards promoting the album popped up near the Coachella grounds. Since local attendees tend to make up the bulk of the crowd at Coachella, the marketing definitely makes sense, but it’s notable because it’s one of the first public acts Scott has taken since the tragedy in Texas. It seems like the billboards were planned in conjunction with his performance, which isn’t happening now, but they’ve been put up anyway. Obviously, Scott alone isn’t responsible for what happened at Astroworld, and at some point he will have to move forward, but it remains to be seen how his next album will fare with the public.

So far, four different billboards have popped up, “PSST….” and “WRONG WAY!” are the most oblique, while “Looking for UTOPIA?” and one with the Cactus Jack insignia are more obvious. Check out photos of the billboards below.