He built a career on controlled chaos, and when it stopped being controlled, his commercial momentum barely flinched.
At a glance
- Known for
- Astroworld, Sicko Mode, Cactus Jack Records, Nike Jordan collaborations
- Before fame
- Named himself after his favorite uncle and Kid Cudi's first name
- Off-screen
- Two children with Kylie Jenner, co-parents across California and Texas
Rise to Fame
A publishing deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2012 got him inside the building as a producer. He worked on Yeezus and Cruel Summer, credits that would've been career highlights for most beatmakers. He moved to the other side of the booth.
The mixtapes built buzz, but Astroworld in 2018 was the moment everything locked in. It debuted with 537,000 units, and 'Sicko Mode' with Drake became the first hip-hop track to hold the Hot 100's top ten for 30 straight weeks. That kind of commercial velocity doesn't come from craft alone. He turned every show into a spectacle intense enough to feel dangerous, and his audience loved him for it.
In the Spotlight
Ten people died at his Astroworld Festival in November 2021. A nine-year-old was among them. The concert continued for roughly an hour after the crowd crush began, and nobody stopped it. Live Nation spent $280 million on litigation. A Texas grand jury declined to indict.
The commercial fallout was temporary. His Circus Maximus Tour grossed $209.3 million across 76 shows, the highest-grossing solo rap tour on record. Utopia debuted at number one with 496,000 units, his fourth consecutive chart-topper. The audience stayed. Nike didn't drop him. The McDonald's deal had already reportedly paid him $20 million. The market decided the tragedy was a Live Nation problem, not a Travis Scott problem.
Side Notes
Lollapalooza, 2015: arrested for encouraging fans to rush security. Arkansas, 2017: charged with inciting a riot at a concert. Both happened years before anyone died at Astroworld. The chaos wasn't a malfunction. It was the format.
After the festival tragedy, the incidents moved off-stage. He reportedly punched a sound technician at a New York nightclub in 2023, racking up $12,000 in equipment damage. Miami, June 2024: disorderly intoxication. Paris, about six weeks later: a fight with his own bodyguard at the George V hotel. The music stopped being the wildest part of the story a while ago.