Drake took to Instagram late Monday night to address the tragic events that unfolded in Houston at the highly anticipated Astroworld 2021 festival.
Houston-born rap star Travis Scott brought Drake out as a special guest on Friday for the first night of what was supposed to be a three day event. But after members of the roughly 50,000 deep crowd surged towards the stage, eight people were killed—including a 14-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl—and several others were injured.
“I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy,” Drake wrote in a posted image.
“I hate resorting to this platform to express an emotion as delicate as grief but this is where I find myself. My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering. I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can. May God be with you all.”
According to TMZ, sources close to Drake have indicated that Drake was not aware of the severity of what was unfolding in the crowd. Despite only being a special guest at the event, Drake has been named in a lawsuits being filed by “those claiming the concert left them in serious physical and emotional stress.”
Earlier, Scott announced that he will cover the funeral expenses of the eight people who passed away, and will be working with the organization BetterHelp to offer mental health services to those in need.