Rapper Travis Scott has pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from his latest Nike collaboration to his charitable initiative, Project HEAL.
Launched on Thursday 27 May, the Air Max 1 x CACT.US CORP collection sees the footwear brand’s iconic Air Max 1 silhouette reimagined in “baroque brown” and “saturn gold” colourways.
Representatives for the musician confirmed that some of the profits will be donated in a statement to People, but did not confirm an exact figure.
Scott launched Project HEAL in March, four months after the Astroworld tragedy in November 2021.
The Air Max 1 x Cact.US Corp was originally set to release in December 2021, but was postponed “out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events”, Nike said in a statement at the time.
10 people aged between between 14 and 27 died at Astroworld in Houston, Texas following a crowd surge towards the stage while the rapper was performing.
In December, officials ruled that the deaths had been accidental, and that those killed died from compression asphyxia.
Earlier this month, a new court filing in Harris County, seen by Rolling Stone, stated that more than 4,000 people suffered injuries during the fatal surge.
In a post to his Instagram announcing Project HEAL, Scott said the initiative aims to “address challenges facing today’s youth, especially those from marginalised and at-risk communities”.
He said the project will offer academic scholarships, free mental health resources and a creative design centre.
“Over the past few months I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community,” he wrote.
“Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change. This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family.”
He continued: “Giving back and creating opportunities for the youth is something I’ve always done and will continue to do as long as I have the chance.
“This program will be a catalyst to real change and I can’t wait to introduce the rest of the technology and ideas we’ve been working on.”
Earlier this month, Project Heal and Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation awarded $1 million (£792,000) in scholarships to students from 38 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
HBCUs are instituitions that were established before 1964 with the intention of primarily serving black communities.
The $1 million donation was divided and distributed to 100 students.
