The Spokesperson for the Musical Professions Syndicate Mohamed Abdullah told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the syndicate returned the permit money to the sponsorship company following the official cancellation of US rapper Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ concert.
The concert, originally set to be held on July 28 at the Giza Pyramids, was canceled upon a decision by head of the Syndicate of Musical Professions Mostafa Kamel on Monday evening, Abdullah confirmed.
The syndicate is an official body that foreign artists need to obtain singing permits from before holding any concert in Egypt, Abdullah explained, adding that government agencies do not allow concerts to be held without a permit.
The Syndicate of Musical Professions has now settled the matter once and for all.
Kamel issued a statement on Monday canceling the concert due to odd masonic practices attributed to Scott’s concerts, according to the syndicate’s statement.
Being the body entrusted with issuing licenses for holding musical concerts in Egypt – and in solidarity with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Labor – the Musical Professions Syndicate stressed the need to put security considerations and approvals from the competent authorities as its top priority in order to protect the masses, the statement explained.
The syndicate has welcomed all kinds of cultural events over the past few months, but all have fallen in line with set conditions to ensure that the customs and traditions of the Egyptian society are not violated, it added.
“Since the General Syndicate is part of the fabric of this beloved country, it is keen on its stability and security and refuses to tamper with societal values, and Egyptian and Arab customs and traditions.”
“Based on research and documented information about strange rituals at Travis’ concerts that are ‘inconsistent’ with our authentic societal values and traditions, Captain General and the Board of Directors decided to cancel the license issued to hold this type of concert that contradicts the cultural identity of the Egyptian people,” the statement reads.
Dozens of people died at Scott’s last concert in the US in 2021, which was described as one of the bloodiest concerts in the history of the US and prompted the families of the victims to file dozens of lawsuits against him.
Scott had planned to have the launch party for his new album, “Utopia”, at the foot of the pyramids in Giza, on July 28.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
