The music community is still recovering from the horrific tragedy that occurred a few weeks ago at Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, during which a crowd surge caused a mass casualty situation, resulting in ten deaths and hundreds of injuries. As Travis Scott and the organizers of the festival face hundreds of lawsuits, which have totalled over $10 billion thus far, families continue to mourn the lives lost at the festival, marking a truly tragic moment for everybody involved.
Hip-hop icon Dame Dash was especially “triggered” when he heard about what happened at the festival, despite not knowing Travis personally, because he had witnessed something similar in his own life. He recalled witnessing a stampede during an interview with podcast host Allison Kugel.
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“This stuff happens. It happened with Puff [Daddy] at the 1991 City College Basketball Game stampede. I was there and seven people died,” remembered Dame Dash. “They got smothered. I saw that happen. I actually lost friends in situations like that. I would hope that it’s not intentional. I feel sorry, it’s a tragedy and a terrible thing. I don’t know the homeboy [Travis Scott], but those things have happened, yes, and I’ve been a part of those kinds of tragedies. I’ve seen what it looks like to see people get smothered in the confusion and the chaos that comes with it, so I actually know what it feels like to be in that situation, but at Puff’s event I was in the stands and I got in early, but they all got stuck in the staircase and shit. I lost my friend from school. Her name was Dawn and she died at that basketball game.”
He went on to say that he personally would not have brought his kids to Astroworld Festival if they had asked, explaining: “That is why you have to be conscious of things. I would not have brought my kids to that festival, that is one thing I would not have done. So when I hear about children dying, I think, ‘Why was a nine-year-old there in the first place?’ I have nothing but compassion, but at the end of the day, please don’t take your little children, during Covid, to a concert where there are a bunch of adults who you know are going to be high. I’m telling you that happened 30 years ago still sticks with me. Whether I got affected or not, I got affected. I lost people and I saw people lose their life. Please do not take your children to a concert or a festival unless it is for children. If you know there is going to be drugs, do not take them. When my daughter says she wants to go to a music festival, the answer is ‘no’ right now. And if it’s during Covid, do not go.”
What do you think about Dame Dash’s comments on Astroworld Festival? Do you agree?