Travis Scott’s planned performance at the Pyramids of Giza is facing pushback from Egypt’s Musicians’ Syndicate, Agence France-Presse reports. The group said that it is revoking a permit for the July 28 concert because it “contradict[s] the identity of the Egyptian culture.”
It is unclear, however, if the group has the official authority to cancel Scott’s show, and, in a statement shared with Pitchfork, promoter Live Nation said: “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false. We can’t wait to celebrate ‘Utopia’ with you in Egypt!”
According to an English version Egypt’s government-owned newspaper, Al-Ahram, the syndicate said that it “is committed to preserving the security and stability of our beloved homeland and rejects any actions that go against its societal values,” and claimed that Scott’s concerts involve “strange rituals.” The newspaper also reports that the opposition is due to the 2021 “mass casualty incident” at Astroworld that left 10 attendees dead. Scott announced his Egyptian concert just over a week after a Texas grand jury declined to indict the rapper on criminal charges.
As noted by the Los Angeles Times, the musicians’ syndicate banned Mashrou’ Leila from performing in Egypt after a crowd member unveiled a rainbow flag during the band’s performance in Cairo in 2017. The syndicate also temporarily banned a genre of music has roots in the country’s 2011 revolution.
