The rapper's high-profile partnerships with Nike, Epic Games and Dior face new uncertainty following November 5's deadly crowd crush at Scott's annual music festival.
Travis Scott surprises crew and customers at McDonald's for the launch of the Travis Scott Meal on September 08, 2020 in Downey, California.
Jerritt Clark/Getty ImagesHouston-born rapper Travis Scott was once the posterboy for major brand endorsements. From Nike to McDonalds and Sony, Scott has collaborated with some of the largest multinational companies in the world. But in the wake of the tragedy at the Astroworld music festival in Houston on Nov. 5, 10 concert-goers are dead, hundreds more injured, lawsuits are pending and brands once close to Scott are distancing themselves from the "Sicko Mode" rapper with others keeping quiet on next moves.
Nike, which has partnered with Scott on a number of projects over the years, announced Monday that it is pausing its latest shoe collaboration with the musician. "Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack," the brand said in a statement shared via its SNKRS app and the Nike website. The statement, released Monday, follows the death of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest victim to succumb to injuries related to the concert.
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Nike has had numerous successful, sold-out footwear collaborations with Scott since first partnering up with the rapper in 2017. Its latest sneaker offering was expected to drop in late 2021, but a new date was not announced.
Other brands associated with the Texas native have likewise taken measures to insulate themselves from Scott, who was named alongside Drake, Apple Music and Astroworld promoter Live Nation on Tuesday in a $750 million lawsuit filed by Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee. Epic Games-owned Fortnite has quietly removed its Scott-themed emote, a customized dance move, from its platform following the deadly concert, according to IGN. Scott was previously the star of Fortnite's first major concert event in April 2020, earning the rap star $20 million, according to Forbes. Mega64, a film and production company, announced the day after the concert that it had terminated its upcoming project featuring Scott.
We have terminated our collaboration with Travis Scott.
— Mega64 (@mega64) November 6, 2021
GREAT NEWS! Mega64 Is Relevant! Following in the steps of McDonalds, Sony, and A24, we're teaming up with Travis Scott to make some fire content to ensure we stay cool for years to come! WATCH FULL ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO: https://t.co/mLHWad3m5W pic.twitter.com/6Kw6KTGUSt
— Mega64 (@mega64) August 4, 2021
In an emailed statement, General Mills, which previously partnered with Scott for a custom Reese's Puffs cereal box in 2019, said they have no new plans for future promotions involving the 30-year-old hip hop star. "The news coming out of Astroworld was indeed tragic," the statement said. "We extend our sympathies to the families of the victims, the injured parties and other fans who were impacted by the unfortunate events. Reese's Puff partnered with Travis Scott on a custom cereal box in 2019. We have no new plans to partner with him."
PARIS PULL UP ON ME pic.twitter.com/Q2qlAPWUvM
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) June 25, 2019
Women's fashion periodical W Magazine is also scrambling to pull an upcoming edition featuring Scott and girlfriend Kylie Jenner on the cover, according to Page Six. The issue, which includes an interview with the celebrity couple, was shot and printed prior to Astroworld and has not yet shipped. "W editors have cleared any planned coverage of Travis and Kylie from their website, but the magazine was already printed, and now they are trying to stop the delivery trucks," a source told Page Six. "In light of what happened at Astroworld, the interview and cover lines seem inappropriate, to say the least."
Despite the ensuing fallout, Scott announced a new partnership with therapy app BetterHelp, just three days after Astroworld, offering a free, one-month trial of mental health services for concertgoers traumatized by the experience.
It is unclear whether Scott's upcoming spring/summer menswear collection with fashion label Christian Dior, dubbed the Cactus Jack Dior line, will be seen through, but experts say the line, inspired by Scott's home state of Texas, has already been manufactured and will be shipped to stores by January, according to Rolling Stone. "It is an apocalyptic marketing turn for that brand when you double down on this icon to Gen Z that now has effectively detonated in your face," Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Rolling Stone.
Travis Scott (@trvisXX) visits the atelier for #CactusJackDior, the #DiorSummer22 men's collection that is a conversation between Kim Jones, the musical artist and Christian Dior, live from Paris on Friday, June 25 at 2.30pm CET, on Twitter and https://t.co/gMkVICRNrM.
— Dior (@Dior) June 24, 2021
Other major sponsors and partners with Scott, like beer giant Anheuser-Busch, McDonalds, Sony Playstation, Byredo, and Mattel have been quiet in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy and did not respond to requests for comment by the time of this writing.