Today (Nov. 15), GQ published a cover story with Travis Scott as part of their Men of the Year issue, where the rapper spoke on his latest LP, UTOPIA, growing up in Houston, his educational aspirations and more. One of the topics addressed in the profile was the 2021 Astroworld Festival, where a crowd crush left 10 dead and many more injured. A Texas grand jury declined to indict the rapper and others this past summer over the NRG Park tragedy.

“Making music, you think about things that go on in life and things that happen in your life, and you dial in on things,” he said before calling “that moment for families, for the city… devastating.” “I got back into [finishing the album] probably like, I don’t know, months, and months and months after. And the idea of just even getting back into music, working on music and just even getting into that was therapeutic of being able to channel some of the energy into production, and sounds and finishing it.”

When asked about his mental health following the incident, Scott admitted that he was “overly devastated” and not in a good state. “It has its moments where it gets rough and… yeah. You just feel for those people,” he added, further stating that “those fans were like my family.”

He also touched on the UTOPIA standout “MY EYES,” which referenced that fateful day. The Cactus Jack frontman explained that the track, which he produced alongside Buddy Ross, Justin Vernon, Vegyn, Wheezy and WondaGURL, was about “the things I deal with on a day-to-day basis, and the fact of how it could be misunderstood, and the struggles of life and all aspects of life. The constant weight that’s put on. That you carry, you know. And just a vision through my eyes.”

He continued, “Like I said, it was a real moment. The song is emotional to me. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album. And that verse means a lot to me.”