Egypt settles Travis Scott 'satanic' concert matter for good

After much speculation, Travis Scott's Utopia concert in Egypt was cancelled, and the permit money was returned to the sponsorship company.

The Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions spokesman Mohamed Abdullah clarified to the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm to clear the air after confusion surrounding the matter.

The speculations were spurred after the Butterfly Effect rapper's concert was cancelled by the authorities set on July 28 at the Giza Pyramids.

The decision was taken after the reports emerged that the Texas rap star's Travis Scott Astroworld Festival in 2021 boasted Satanism symbols, including inverted crosses, circles, and the all-seeing eye, "reinforce the representation of symbols and shapes at this concert," a research report in Daengku: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Innovation noted.

On July 18, the syndicate chief Mostafa Kamel released a statement explaining the reason for the concert cancellation.

"The syndicate has welcomed all kinds of cultural events over the past few months, but all have fallen in line with set conditions to ensure that the customs and traditions of the Egyptian society are not violated, the statement reads.

"Based on research and documented information about strange rituals at Travis' concerts that are 'inconsistent' with our authentic societal values and traditions," the announcement added.

Soon after the statement, Live Nation, the promoter of the concert, refuted the news by releasing their statement, "There have been no changes to Travis Scott's show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false," adding, "We can't wait to celebrate Utopia with you in Egypt!"

But two days later, the concert's status, which was sold out in under 30 minutes, was still negative, leading Kylie Jenner's ex to pen an open letter to the country's authorities.

"I am writing to you to address the blatant inaccurate reports that have apparently led to permits being paused for my concert scheduled for July 28, 2023, at the Giza Pyramids," the letter reads.

"My understanding is that the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate took this action in response to bot-generated fake information regarding my concerts and character. Specifically, they referred to 'strange rituals' that 'contradict the cultural identity of the Egyptian people."

The plea continued, "Nothing could be further from the truth. My only intent with live performances is to unite people around the world over a shared bond in music. As a matter of fact, I just successfully played in an incredibly conservative Saudi Arabia in April for a crowd of 70,000 fans, and there was no issue, hiccup or complication whatsoever."

"I am a great admirer of Egyptian culture and history. That is why I selected the iconic Pyramids of Giza to perform and preview my first album release in five years," adding, "I am from Houston, Texas. I grew up in a family that respects people, loves God, respects Allah and attends church regularly.

Scott's last-ditch attempt failed to move the authorities. Earlier, the security at the rapper's concert was also under the scanner after ten people died and thousands were injured due to a stampede at his 2021 Astroworld concert.