Is Cancel Culture Dead?

Those who were on the internet in November of 2021 remember the tragedy that occurred in Houston at the Astroworld Festival. Travis Scott headlined at NRG Park. During his performance, 10 people died from a crowd surge. Many fans in attendance were pleading for the Houston rapper to halt the show, but it did not end. The disturbing scene of an ambulance rushing through the crowd to aid the fans who were injured while Scott continued to sing was enough for everyone to pass judgment. The general consensus was that the “ASTROWORLD” artist and the venue managers were responsible for the deaths and injuries.

While the 30-year old rapper denied accountability, many concert promoters and artists were distancing themselves from the Texas artist. Within days, various shows including Scott dropped his appearance and replaced him with other notable artists. The rollout of his newly announced “UTOPIA” album was abruptly stopped. It was clear that Scott was no longer an artist with a platform.

Fast forward to last month, the mind behind “Sicko Mode” was seen in Salt Lake City performing at an NBA-sponsored “Cactus Jack Concert.” 

The event was received well, and most importantly, fans were attending in mass. It was as if the Astroworld Festival incident nearly two years prior never happened. People are looking forward to Travis Scott’s new album and very few people are remembering Scott’s history with concerts.

It begs the question: Is cancel culture dead?

There was never a point in time where the Cactus Jack founder addressed a return to performing since the crowd crush incident in Houston. There was a sudden surge of Scott’s tour dates and features being announced. Not only has “La Flame" come back to headlining concerts, but he has also been featured on various music projects in the last few months. Metro Boomin’s latest album “HEROES AND VILLAINS” features four songs with Travis Scott. SZA’s latest album “SOS” also has a Scott feature. Drake and 21 Savage’s duo album “Her Loss” has a track in which Scott is present. All of these albums were released in the last three months.

It is clear that the trap artist is no longer surrounded by controversy. That being said, it shows the general public that all it takes for someone to come back to their respective platforms after mass scrutiny is some time away from the limelight. Cancel culture has become something that very specific people suffer from.