British singer Dua Lipa has spoken out against remarks made by one of her recent collaborators, DaBaby.
As we reported yesterday, rapper DaBaby (real name Jonathan Lyndale Kirk) has found himself the center of controversy following remarks he made at a concert in Miami on Sunday night.
Appearing at the Rolling Loud Festival, the 29-year-old rapper encouraged people to wave their cellphone lights in the air, but only, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that’ll make you die in 2-3 weeks” and “Fellas, if you didn’t suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot.” Footage of the performance was shared by TMZ.
Talking further about HIV, he made the hugely inaccurate claim that the virus will “make you die in two or three weeks.” With treatment, most people with HIV are expected to live a normal lifespan.
Related: Rapper DaBaby trashes gay fans, HIV patients in unhinged rant
His comments have been slammed for health advocates, who say people with HIV already have to contend with a huge amount of stigma and misinformation.
DaBaby went on to dig himself into a deeper hole on Monday. Responding to the backlash, he posted a video saying, “What I do at the live show is for the audience at the live show. It’ll never translate to somebody looking at a five, six-second clip.”
He also said he appreciated having straight and gay fans, but that his gay fans do not have AIDS, as that’s a disease for people who are “nasty” and “junkies on the street” and “Even my gay fans got standards.”
DaBaby is currently at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 as a guest artist on Dua Lipa’s hit, ‘Levitating’.
Yesterday, Dua Lipa posted a message to her Instagram stories. The simple text on a black background read: “I’m surprised and horrified at DaBaby’s comments.
“I really don’t recognise this as the person I worked with. I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand 100% with the LGBTQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS.”
DaBaby currently has a clothing collaboration with online retailer BooHoo. It told the BBC it condemned his comments.
“Boohoo condemns the use of homophobic language and [we] are reviewing the relationship with DaBaby. We pride ourselves on representing the diverse customers we serve across the globe.”
Related: Dua Lipa cried on stage as LGBTQ fans forcibly removed by police
Yesterday, in a further attempt to address the upset he’d caused, DaBaby finally offered up an attempt at an apology via Twitter.
“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.”
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.
— DaBaby (@DaBabyDaBaby) July 27, 2021
Elton John was among other figures to criticize DaBaby. Posting to Instagram today, the rock legend said: “We’ve been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show. This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.”
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cuteguy
Before all you trolls start, it’s been a proven fact that black ghetto ppl are extremely homophobic. And yes I know that white ppl, especially red necks, are also homophobic. But black ppl should be more empathetic to lgbtq bc they understand what it means to have been oppressed. Black ppl should have our backs but instead they attack us and hide behind religion as an excuse. Also, why do black ppl continue to use the n word? They need to stop with the manipulative argument that they “own the word” and just delete that disgusting word from existence
Cam
You can always tell the right wing troll under it’s screennames. They get FURIOUS that Black people can use the N word and they can’t,
As for your other comment, Hmmm, well let’s see, Black people vote by a huge margin for pro-LGBTQ politicians and politicians who advance our rights. White rednecks vote for politicians who want to hurt us and take away our rights, and they hide behind religion to do it.
So let’s talk about that.
Cam
After I thought about this, I realized I was wrong. I’m sorry for lashing out. You’re right. A community isn’t simply one thing or another, and sometimes the black community can be a bit homophobic just like the poor, white, Southern community can be a bit homophobic.
Both hide behind their religion to do it.
Please accept my apology.
Cam
@Cam (Second Post)
Hi Troll trying to steal my screename. Thank you for 2 things.
1. For proving just how much anything that defends Black people enrages you. We know you’re rac-ism is like oxegen to you.
2. For continuing to be so bad at trolling that you keep having to come back under other screenames to try to back up your original postings. Your insecurity and basic awefulness at trolling truly is fun.
Oh and while we’re at it, also, thank you for showing once again how obsessed with me you are. Your troll game, as always, is sad and tired.
Cam
Sorry, my sanity kicked back in again when I took my pills. I realized I’m accusing people of doing exactly what I do.
I’m obsessed with some things and strike out when they’re challenged. I can’t seem to get past that and keep repeating the same stuff because of it. I really should delete my account and get help, but I won’t because these normal periods only last a shor….your troll game is SAD AND WEAK! I’m the oNLY OnE who SHouLD Be Here BecAUSe I’m ThE OnE who KnOWS EveRYTHinG!
Cam
@Cam
Awww, tried to steal my screenname for ANOTHER post.
Troll, I love it, the more time you spend on here obsessing over me, the less time you have to go around defending the Trump family, supporting anti-LGBTQ bigots, or posting something negative about out of the closet LGBTQ celebs.
Thank you for your support and obsession precious. lol
Maybe you should tell your manager at the Siberian Troll farm to put someone smarter on this account.
Kangol2
Stop generalizing about Black people, @cuteguy. By your logic, White gay people shouldn’t be racist because they have experienced discrimination, and you yet sound about as racist as they come. There are 46+ MILLION Black people in the US, and millions of working-class Black people, including Black gay people, who are far less homophobic than the millions of White people who keep voting for anti-LGBTQ candidates who will take your equality and rights away faster than you can say Don the Con.
bivector
1. You write “us” and “they” like the Black community and the lgbtq+ community are two different things. White gays don’t represent all of us.
2. Homophobia among whites, Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, Russians, bankers, soccer fans, people who wear polos or whatever should be addressed but this has to be the most idiotic and divisive way to go about it.
Vince
“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.”
Jesus Christ did this wanna be thug ever graduate grade school?
At any rate I see this is the 3rd time the dumbass has commented. The second time was a giant f*ck you to the complainers and was definitely how his douche really feels. The 3rd time was after a talk with his agents telling him he’s risking allot of $ in endorsements and deals. He didn’t have a choice.
Fahd
His ignorant homophobic behavior and statements need to be condemned and rejected from everywhere. (Maybe he’d be happier in Russia or now Hungary where these opinions are part of government policy; although I can’t really see him learning a foreign language.)
I think widespread publication and condemnation of this sort of crap is the only way to make it clear to these uneducated artists and their agents that you can’t have it both ways – act one way for your equally ignorant core audience at the concert and then aspire to widespread sales among a general public who would find your true values and beliefs repugnant. Plus, in my opinion, his music isn’t all that.
lustyjusty
Since he doubled down in his second comment, the third comment just sounds like a hollow attempt at damage control.
PerhapsYesNoMaybe
Good point.
ScottOnEarth
Sorry, I just can’t anyone name d”DaBaby” seriously, unless he’s under the age of 4.
PerhapsYesNoMaybe
To get free publicity, homophobic rappers, rightwing pundits, and other trolls attack people they think won’t get revenge or be avenged.
john.k
I read his original, comments and his subsequent “explanation” earlier today. I tried to imagine the voice and accent he might have had (I’d never heard of him before today) and I could only laugh.
Kangol2
He sounds like an idiot who realizes–whose lawyers and PR people realize–that he might lose his “bag” if he doesn’t clean up his act. Seriously, though, how many people hold these antediluvian attitudes and flawed beliefs about HIV/AIDS? As I said in another post, he also seems unaware than hetero people, including women, are living with HIV. So rather than holding these backwards attitudes, perhaps he can get educated about HIV/AIDS sooner rather than later.
Jon in Canada
He meant what he said and the fauxpology isn’t unconvincing. Trash, that’s all he is.
Jack
OK Universal/Interscope Records. Do you have ANY morals….or are you going to bury your head and keep cashing those checks from this trashbox? There are some huge artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish in your portfolio. Don’t make them unleash on you.
garybw
Sounds like someone is trying to get attention
jackscott
Time for Dua to remix with another artist!
Den
‘But the LGBT community… I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.”’
This is nothing more than that old “as long as they keep it in the bedroom, I’m ok, just don’t rub my nose in it”! (and we all know that rubbing the homophobe’s nose in it means us acting as if our relationships are equal to his, our love as real as his, because they are)
It means he does not see us as fully human. Sad from someone accurately seen as not well educate, inarticulate and lacking in critical faculties. He deserves as much pity as distaste!
bivector
It would be really nice if the U=U campaign could target more of the hip-hop community. I could totally believe that he wasn’t a homophobe, but just horribly misinformed about HIV. That still seems surprisingly widespread: I was in an all-gay male focus group about HIV stigma and I was surprised how many guys had no idea where we stood with the science at present.