Ebuzz News
Archived: As Travis Scott and Others Face A Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit Following Astroworld Mayhem, ChinaTown Promoter Weighs In.
Trinidad and Tobago Radio personality and event promoter, Ryan ’Chinee’ Sing Hon says he feels the artistes, promoter and even patrons are all responsible for the Astroworld disaster that unfolded in Texas on November 5th. His analysis of the situation comes as a lawsuit seeking more than $750 million, was filed on Tuesday on behalf of at least 125 victims of the festival.
The deaths of 10 event attendees has made global headlines, triggering closer scrutiny of major event protocols and analysis of all that went down with hopes of learning from it all. Chinee, known for his staging of the ’ChinaTown’ event, in Trinidad, said, ”There are questions to be answered here.” He pondered thoughtfully the fact that major events of this kind always include the involvement of security agencies. ”The necessary checks always take place as bodies of law agencies are heavily involved before a single person enters,” he said. He said there was no question in his mind that prior to gates being opened, all protocols would’ve been checked and the green light then given.
The crowd surge at rapper, Travis Scott’s festival in Houston has led to dozens of lawsuits being filed against Scott and Live Nation Entertainment Inc.
The suit, filed by Buzbee Law Firm, also list the rapper Drake, who joined Scott halfway through his Astroworld set, Apple Music, which was streaming the festival, and others as defendants.
“The victims on that night went to Astroworld for fun,” the suit says. “Neither they nor their families were ever warned that they were walking into an extremely dangerous situation.”
One victim was crushed by the “incited, unruly and out-of-control crowd with such force that he could no longer breathe,” according to the suit. He went into cardiac arrest and was then trampled, it says.
“As he lay there under a mass of humanity, dying, the music played and streamed on — for almost forty minutes,” the suit says. The victim, 21-year old Axel Acosta Avila, died at the scene.
The suit accuses Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, of keeping the concert going even after authorities had announced a mass casualty event. Other suits have alleged the same, and Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said Scott “absolutely” should have stopped the show once he saw what was taking place.
“Look: We all have a responsibility. Everybody at that event has a responsibility, starting from the artist on down,” he said last week.
Scott’s litigation attorney, Edwin McPherson, has said Scott “didn’t know that there was a mass casualty event that was called.”
Scott said in an Instagram story the day after that he was “devastated.” He has offered to pay for the funerals of the 10 people who died and to refund tickets for all attendees.
“Such [an] offer is a transparent and grotesque effort of the Defendants to limit their liability, after the fact, to the families of those killed or injured,” the Buzbee lawsuit says. “The Acosta family would rather Webster have privately spent money on proper planning, adequate security and medical staff before the concert, instead of publicly stating that he would pay for the funerals of those that were crushed and killed.”
Ebuzz News
Seven Songs. One Big Artiste. Grenada’s Spice Mas Better Be Ready for Skinny Banton.
Spice Mas, like every other carnival, is seasonal, but for Carriacou, Grenada artiste, Skinny Banton, music isn’t. He has unleashed seven songs in 2026, and like clockwork he’s locked in and ready to deliver his energy, good vibes and storytelling strengths to audiences celebrating another memorable Spice Mas experience this year.
For Skinny Banton, whose real name is Shirlan George, Grenada’s Jab culture is fuel to his fire. In the past, songs like ‘Soak It Good’ and ‘Wrong Again,’ brought him tremendous acclaim across the region and internationally. This season, The Jambalasse project is anticipated to be one of the artiste’s most powerful contributions, signaling his intentionality to promote his country’s authentic culture, wherever he goes. “With this project we’re trying to keep the history, while celebrating the present by revamping a song that was done by Moss International 35 years ago,” he said. That song was called ‘Jambalasse Rule,’ released in 1991. “We revamped the riddim because it was one of the first songs considered to be an original Jab Jab song from Grenada, at that time,” he explained.
Proud of his personal efforts to keep the awareness on Grenada’s cultural traditions, Skinny Banton advocates for the continued celebration of these traditions and understands his role as an artiste. “No matter what we face as artistes in this space, we stay true to our mission. I have several songs that the people will enjoy in Spice Mas and beyond. One of my personal favourites is ‘Pain,’ a song I would like to share with my fans in Trinidad and Tobago when Carnival 2027 comes around,” he said.
Strengthening Others
Other tracks released by Skinny include, ‘When Yuh Eating,’ ‘Right Up,’ ‘Black Fuh Juvay,’ ‘Can’t Stop Us,’ ‘Carnival Traffic’ featuring Jamaican artiste, I Octane, ‘My Behaviour,’ featuring Tonic X and ‘Water Line Burst,’ collaboratively done with Nicki Akull. “The collaborations done with Tonic X and Nicki Akull mean a lot to me. They are upcoming artistes who I share good vibes with. When I was younger and had hopes of connecting and collaborating with bigger artistes, it was not easy,” he recalled, adding that it often felt daunting. He says because he understands the feeling, he is happy to be able to help these up-and-coming entertainers. “This was just my way of giving them strength and encouragement. I feel like nobody takes you seriously when you don’t have a foot in the door – they refuse to embrace you because you are not known. I want them to keep pushing after this,” he added.
Dedicated and refocused, Skinny Banton is pushing full speed ahead. “I’m doing music videos for most of the songs. I already have a video for ‘Black Fuh Juvay,’ which has been uploaded to YouTube and all other streaming platforms, and the video for ‘My Behaviour’ with Tonic X is also out,” he said. Grateful to Jamaican artiste, IOctane for the strength given to him on their collaboration on the single, ‘Carnival Traffic,’ Skinny said this particular song is one that he loves, and he hopes the people will, as well.
For the past three years, the artiste had been approached by upcoming entertainer, Nicki Akull for the single they eventually brought forward this year. “Waterline Buss – Nicki Akull’s persistence and determination really brought this song into existence,” he said, happy to have eventually come around to making it happen. Even with such a vast number of singles released, Skinny Banton says he is ready to work with artistes across the Diaspora. “I’m still creating, still working and I’m looking forward to establishing more ground in the Soca community and around the world.”
Social Media, Music and Trends.
Certainly attuned to the necessary promotional adjustments that many artistes have been forced to adopt, Skinny Banton says he hopes that despite the rise in social media content distribution, true talent and good music is not sacrificed. “I feel like content creation online should not take away from artistes creating and delivering great music, because without the content, the music should still stand on its own, and with the content, the people still need the music,” he shared. “I also feel like a lot of trends are created from making yourself an online spectacle and not the music being able to sustain itself, so you may get attention for what you post as content, but the music you’re posting the content for sometimes does not have enough substance to sustain itself for longevity,” he rationalized.
Thoughtful, conscious and truly talented, Skinny Banton is a necessary part of the Caribbean’s creative landscape. His storytelling ability, coupled with his appreciation for the art and vocal capacity, makes him an artiste everyone should tap in to. “I want to encourage the young artistes to stay focused and keep pushing and never be discouraged by the many things that’s said on social media. They must work hard to establish their business to suit them, because every artiste will do things differently, when it comes to the business; Never be discouraged by the naysayers,” he advised. He thanked his fans for their love and support over the years. “People who’ve been supporting from day one and continue to support, as well as the new supporters I’ve gotten along the way – thank you. To the DJs and radio personalities, I appreciate you. One hand doesn’t clap. Thank you for keeping my songs on rotation and I hope you all continue to support me.”
Music News
JrDynamite Gets Real On New Single “Fake Energy.”
