SCOTT'S COMEBACK STORY

Eight months after the tragedy at his ASTROWORLD festival, Travis Scott is gearing up for a comeback. With a sold-out Nike shoe launch, multiple major festival bookings and philanthropic endeavors, is music on the way? Judging by the demand for his products and tour dates, it appears fans and the biz are ready to accept his return to the spotlight.

The Cactus Jack/Epic superstar began teasing UTOPIA—the title of his forthcoming album—shortly after his 2018 blockbuster, ASTROWORLD, was released. The week of his ASTROWORLD fest last November, Scott dropped two new songs, the first taste of his highly anticipated next chapter.

With the fallout from the fatal crowd crush halting everything in Scott's world, however, new music has been sidelined. Since then, he's only appeared as a featured artist on a collaboration with Southside & Future (though he did perform an unreleased song at the BMAs).

Scott launched Project Heal, a collaboration with his Cactus Jack Foundation, during his hiatus. Event safety is one of its founding pillars. The org, which has granted $1m in scholarships to HBCU students, is donating $5m to community-focused philanthropic initiatives in Texas.

A master marketer and branding savant, Scott has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to tapping into pop culture and what his listeners are into. That said, what's next for the hip-hop star? Will he release more music in advance of UTOPIA? What would a tour look like given the sensitivity surrounding what happened at ASTROWORLD, claims related to which are still being adjudicated?

Goldenvoice and Primavera Sound are betting the public is ready for Scott's return. Who else is on board?