Update: Travis Scott’s representatives denied that the Utopia concert at the Pyramids of Giza has been cancelled in an email to Hypebeast. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.
Original Story: Travis Scott will have to find another venue to debut his long-awaited Utopia LP. While the rapper was initially scheduled to perform the album at Egypt’s historic Pyramids of Giza on July 28, the concert has been canceled by The Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions, the authorities responsible for issuing permits for musical events.
In a statement, the Syndicate says that Scott’s music goes against the values and traditions of Egyptian culture.
“Since the General Syndicate is part of the fabric of this beloved country, it is keen on its stability and security and refuses to tamper with societal values, and Egyptian and Arab customs and traditions,” the statement reads.
“Based on research and documented information about strange rituals at Travis’s concerts that are inconsistent with our authentic societal values and traditions, the Board of Directors has decided to cancel the license issued to hold this type of concert that contradicts the cultural identity of the Egyptian people.”
Although the Syndicate doesn’t outrightly describe the “strange rituals” going on at Scott’s concerts, it seems to be implying a reference to the deathly crowd surge at 2021’s Astroworld music festival.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a TikTok trend of “satanic panic”-style conspiracy theories targeted Scott, with some social media users going so far as to say the fatal event was part of a “satanic ritual.”
In other music news, Noname announced the release date of Sundial.
