Rapper DaBaby has come under fire for a burst of homophobic comments during one of his shows, causing multiple festivals to suddenly pull him from their line-ups.
Nearly two weeks ago, DaBaby performed at Rolling Loud Miami festival, where he denounced the LGBTQ+ community and those who were HIV-positive seemingly out of nowhere.
He yelled to the crowds, ‘if you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two, three weeks, put your cell phone light up.’
He has since been dropped from a number of other festivals, including Lollapalooza, the New York City’s Governors Ball, and Day N Vegas in Las Vegas. Clothing brand BooHoo has also dropped its DaBaby line of products and many big artists have criticised his comments, including Dua Lipa, Elton John, and Madonna.
Elton John – who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 – described the comments as damaging and regressive. ‘It is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.’
The heavy backlash is interesting, considering hip-hop’s long and deep-rooted issue with homophobia. Were DaBaby a popular rapper in 2005, this intense wave of criticism may not have existed in quite the same way.
It’s a moment that, while upsetting and offensive, suggests that the industry has moved forward significantly since even a decade ago. Standards have changed and artists can no longer casually drop ignorant lyrics or chants in the same way they once could.
At first, DaBaby kept to his guns and remained firmly on the defensive.
He took to his Instagram stories to push back on supposed ‘hypocrisy’ of those who are outraged about his comments but disregard issues of race.
These arguments don’t hold up particularly well, though, as one ignorant take doesn’t necessarily equate to another, and DaBaby made no acknowledgment of the huge waves of protests and activism in support of BLM that took over mainstream press only last summer.
He’s since done a U-turn. His first apology was via Twitter, in which he said he was sorry to those affected by HIV and AIDS but seemed unfussed by his comments on the LGBTQ+ community.
Anybody who done ever been effected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies
But the LGBT community… I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.
Since then, more brands and events have pulled him from their line ups and merchandise, which will no doubt affect his estate’s bottom line. In an unsurprising move, another apology has since been issued, this time seemingly more professional but unconvincingly insincere.
DaBaby’s acknowledgement of wrongdoing is at least a step in the right direction, even if it has obviously come straight from his PR team and not from his own mouth.
This is largely a moment for re-education and re-assessment from DaBaby, but he’ll need to do more to show he’s genuinely prepared to learn and change. Brands have made clear that they’re not willing to work with him if he pushes this type of homophobic rhetoric and it is in everyone’s interest that he become more informed and progressive.
We’ll have to see what his next move will be – and this will no doubt serve as a warning for other artists that harbour these types of prejudices.
Why is this an important moment for the industry?
DaBaby’s comments are strange, given they were completely unprovoked and seemingly unrelated to anything happening on stage or at the show.
Perhaps what is more important here is the subsequent response and outrage, not just from music goers, but commercial properties too.
Franchises recognise that it’s not okay to perpetuate ignorance in such a haphazard and absurd manner and were very quick to distance themselves as soon as possible.
This is a huge shift in standards since hip-hop’s bling era of the mid noughties, when it was controversial to not be homophobic on public platforms. We wrote recently about Kanye’s influence in this space at the time, where standing up for the LGBTQ+ community was out of pocket and unexpected. Much has changed since then.
Just listen to any Eminem or 50 Cent album from this era – two artists that DaBaby has cited as major influences – and they will be riddled with homophobic slang and uber-macho lyricism that emphasises ego above all else.
If there is a positive to take from DaBaby’s situation, it’s that this shows Gen Z listeners are not tolerant to casual abuse and bigotry, regardless of the context.
We’re now living in an age where it is unacceptable to be homophobic from a personal and corporate perspective, which is evidence of genuine progress.
We’ll have to see if DaBaby can turn things around soon. It will take more than a half-hearted PR statement to undo the damage done, but hopefully this will be an opportunity to learn and encourage open conversation around acceptance.
I’m Charlie (He/Him), a Senior Remote Writer at Thred. I was previously the Editor at Thred before moving to Bristol in 2024. As a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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