Travis Scott has responded to accusations of ‘transphobia’ on his new album
Controversy has been swirling around the rapper's album cover
Travis Scott has picked up a lot of heat after apparent last-minute edits to the cover of his new album ‘Astroworld’.
The rapper’s third studio album, and first since 2016’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, features cover art shot by award-winning photographer David LaChapelle and featuring a number of different models.
However, one of those models, Amanda Lepore, was not featured on the final cut after appearing on earlier versions.
Lepore, who is trans, pointed out the discrepancy, leading to allegations of transphobia being thrown the way of Scott.
Some fans blindly leapt to Scott’s defence, while others were quick to second-guess the motives for removing Lepore – a regular LaChapelle collaborator – from the cover.
There was only really one thing left for it: Scott would need to respond, in his own words, to clear it all up.
Related
- The 50 coolest album covers ever
Scott apologised for the “misunderstanding,” explaining that photos of Lepore remain in the booklet which accompanies the album but that she “did upstage everyone even me”.
“I have nothing but respect for the LGBTQ community. I want to use my voice to make it clear that everyone on this planet is as equal and fucking awesome to the next,” Scott added.
Lepore seems more than satisfied by the explanation, sharing Scott’s words on her own Instagram page.
In the accompanying caption, she states she has “nothing but love” for both Scott and LaChapelle and is “glad to be part of this album”.
Astroworld, which was released on 3 August, includes guest appearances from the likes of Drake, Frank Ocean and Pharrell Williams.
It is the third studio album from the 26-year-old, who was nominated for a Grammy in 2018 and celebrated the birth of his first child with partner Kylie Jenner earlier in the year.
(Images: Getty)
