by Anonymous 

Ten years after his debut mixtape, Owl Pharaoh, Travis Scott released his long-awaited fourth studio album, Utopia, on July 28.

The Grammy-award-winning musician had a vision to unveil Utopia in a live-streamed concert at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Though tickets sold out within fifteen minutes, with prices ranging from EGP 4,000 (USD 129) to EGP 6,500 (USD 210), many Egyptians raised concerns over Scott’s past controversies. On July 18, the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate, an entity responsible for the issuance and approval of concert permits, removed Scott’s licence to perform. Undeterred, the American events organiser, Live Nation, insisted that the concert will go ahead. 

Following a tumultuous week in which ticket-holders were left wondering whether the Utopia show would take place, it got officially cancelled on July 26. According to Live Nation Middle East, "Complex production issues meant that the show could not be constructed in the desert”. However, the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate stated that “After examining social media opinions and feedback, as well as the news circulating on search engines and social media platforms, which included authenticated images and information about peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions, the Syndicate’s president and board of directors have decided to cancel the license issued for hosting this type of concert, which goes against the cultural identity of the Egyptian people”. Scott himself tweeted that “Egypt at the pyramids will happen / But due to demand and detail logistics / They just need a bit a time to set lay on lands. I will keep u posted on a date which will be soon love you alllll”.

This incident is reminiscent of Kevin Hart cancelling a show “due to logistical issues” in February 2023. A social media campaign had critiqued his alleged “Afrocentrist” comments (“We must teach our children the true history of black Africans when they were kings in Egypt, and not just the era of slavery that is cemented by education in America. Do you remember the time when we were kings?”) and effectively stopped him from performing in Cairo. I questioned Egypt's ability to host large-scale events and what the reasons for this might be. Through social media, I asked young Egyptians whether they thought the concerts' cancellation was due to:

1. Standing up to a Western entity (pride). 
2. Protecting “societal values and traditions” (conservatism). 
3. Fuelling fear of the “Afrocentrist movement” (racism). 
4. Ensuring safety (logistics).

Standing Up to a Western Entity

14% of the 50 respondents voted for this being the primary reason for Utopia’s cancellation. It may seem reasonable for Egypt to oppose significant concerts at one of its most sacred sites. However, foreign artists have played at the Pyramids for decades, from Louis Armstrong (1961) to Shakira (2005), the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (2019), and the Black Eyed Peas (2021). As the country sinks into a severe economic crisis, with the Egyptian pound tumbling, foreign currency drying up, and inflation soaring, the cancellation of one of its biggest musical events this year is a counterintuitive decision. It ruined numerous local job opportunities, from event management and security to merchandise. According to Middle East Eye, the show was to be broadcast live to around 200m people. Its cancellation resulted in losses of about 300m Egyptian pounds ($9.7m). On social media, opinions starkly contrasted between users lamenting the missed financial and cultural opportunity, fearing devastating consequences for Egypt’s reputation, while others applauded the decision to uphold Egyptian standards instead of blindly following the West. 

Protecting Societal Values and Traditions 

35%, the majority, voted for the protection of societal values. Following the announcement of the concert, Scott was widely discussed on Egyptian national TV as "masonic", "satanic", and a "devil worshipper".It seems that the Syndicate was not aware of the conspiracy theories surrounding the artist when issuing his permit. In 2021, at least ten deaths and hundred injuries were recorded during Scott's performance at his Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas. Videos of the disaster spread across the internet, inciting conspiracy theories that Scott was orchestrating a satanic sacrifice based on far-fetched interpretations of “symbols”, false numerology, and occult imagery. Theories around the so-called “Astroworld sacrifice” became enmeshed with anti-vaccine rhetoric, QAnon beliefs, Hillary Clinton, and Kris Jenner’s birthday. A significant sector of the Egyptian population appears receptive to these conspiracy theories as social media users widely agreed that they do not want “Satan” in their country.

“Family values” are a vague and powerful concept frequently touted against those who deviate from the current, increasingly conservative course of the country. Egypt is resisting evolving artistic expressions, specifically its most popular music genre, rap while the region's formidable players like the UAE are opening up to the Western world (Scott performed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia earlier in the year).

Rap performances are a rarity at the Pyramids. The genre’s political nature may give young people a sense of autonomy that is not desired by those in power. A young Egyptian commented that “there is a general fear that the older generation is becoming too irrelevant. To them, we look too different, speak a different language, and think differently... In my opinion, this move was about trying to stop this cultural transformation or at least slow it down.”

Fuelling The Fear of the Afrocentrist Movement 

30% voted that the concert was cancelled to fuel fears of the “Afrocentrist movement”. Alongside satanic conspiracy theories, the prominent concern of African Americans appropriating ancient Egyptian culture resurfaced in the Utopia debate. Afrocentrism is an approach to studying world history that aims to highlight the role of Black Africans in shaping humanity’s narrative. It has been played down due to racist academic traditions inherited from Europe. As patriotic Egyptians recover from their outrage over Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Cleopatra documentary, and the country deals with the influx of thousands of Sudanese refugees, racist sentiment is thriving. Scapegoating is a usual response to economic and political fragility and the anti-Black racism that has long been a part of Egypt’s cultural fabric. Social media reflects this, with people calling Scott the n-word, amongst other insults. One social media user pointed out the hypocrisy of this debate: “Having a techno night next to the temple of Hatsepsut is nothing. No haram, even considered as not a disrespectful act for a sacred place. Luxor parade with half of the recording staff smoking weed inside the big temple - who cares…. Smells to me like racism and a kindergarten reaction regarding the recent Cleopatra scandal.” When artists like Russ, Peggy Gou, or Kygo perform in Egypt and a big part of the population doesn’t like their music, they simply do not attend the concert. It is specifically against Black artists that people launch campaigns.

Ensuring safety 

21% voted for logistical issues. Pairing Egypt’s infamous logistical mismanagement with Scott’s history of inciting chaos at concerts, is an understandable concern. At the same time, had the logistics not been figured out by July 28, the concert could have been postponed instead of cancelled.

All of the above

The exact reason for the show’s cancellation remains unknown, and we are yet to see whether Scott will fulfil his promise and perform in Giza. Most likely, all of the above are true to varying degrees, which gives reason to worry in varying degrees.