Sponsorship-wise, the hits keep coming for hip-hop star Travis Scott as his major alcohol deal with Anheuser-Busch ends. The brewing company is the latest in brands distancing itself from the artist in the fallout of the Astroworld Festival tragedy late last month.
Travis Scott-Endorsed Cacti Agave Hard Seltzer to Be Discontinued
The decision was announced by major American brewing company Anheuser-Busch on Friday. Branded “Cacti Agave Spiked Seltzer”, the beverage hit shelves in March and had a strong performance thanks to a combination of an aggressive advertising campaign and the power of Travis Scott fanbase as well as his social media presence.
After kicking off the whole “celebrity meal” thing with his 2020 collaboration with McDonald’s which did great business for both sides, it’s no surprise that alcohol or beverage companies were interested in teaming up with the Houston rapper. The momentum was definitely there for Scott.
While dancing around the fact that the Astroworld tragedy was the contributing factor but with a statement that says as much, according to AdAge the statement read:
“After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision.”
“Careful evaluation” could be anything from looking at sales to observing this current situation. The situation of the Astroworld lawsuits as a result of deaths and injuries has made the artist something of a brand risk. With that announcement, the Twitter account for the Cacti brand was deactivated. As a result, the world’s largest brewing company has joined Nike in attempting to protect its brand from anything surrounding Travis Scott at the moment—which is understandable.
The 29-year-old rapper is currently navigating all of this but it remains to be seen if he’ll come out stronger or worse off as 2022 looms. His fourth studio album Utopia is scheduled for release next year and how things pan out will likely determine when the album drops.
