Rapper DaBaby continues to double down on comments made at a Miami concert over the weekend in which he demonized people living with HIV, his gay fans, and women.
During a July 25 concert as part of the Rolling Loud festival, DaBaby, 29, thought it appropriate to launch into an unprompteds rant.
“If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up,” DaBaby said at one point during the show, according to the BBC. “Ladies, if your p*ssy smell like water, put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d*ck in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”
The rapper then brought out embattled fellow rap artist Torey Lanez, who is currently facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot last year. Megan has hit the stage just prior to DaBaby’s set.
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Apparently, neither DaBaby’s ignorant comments nor his inclusion of Lanez went over well with fans, as one audience member threw a shoe at the performers during the set.
DaBaby’s remarks invited immediate criticism and outcry on social media, as well as from HIV advocacy groups.
“It’s wrong for people living with HIV to be made to feel lesser or excluded because of their diagnosis – it should be unacceptable in the music industry and in society at large,” said Richard Angell, director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, the leading HIV/AIDS charity in the UK. “Comments like DaBaby’s perpetuate HIV-related stigma and discrimination, as well as spreading misinformation about HIV. You can now live a long, healthy life with HIV thanks to medical progress when you’re diagnosed and accessing treatment.”
On the other side of the Atlantic, transgender talk show host TS Madison also slammed DaBaby’s comments.
@DaBabyDaBaby What was the Reason???? Do you kno how many Gays truly BUY and stream your Music &do you the amount of people who are living with HIV/AIDS that you attacked for nothing ?
Then The Gays break they necks to be at events like that to be completely disrespected??
— Ts Madison (@TsMadisonatl1) July 26, 2021
“What was the Reason????” Madison wondered on Twitter. “Do you kno how many Gays truly BUY and stream your Music &do you the amount of people who are living with HIV/AIDS that you attacked for nothing? Then The Gays break they necks to be at events like that to be completely disrespected.”
Amid the blowback, DaBaby then took the extraordinary step of doubling down on his comments, taking to Instagram to defend himself.
“I’m gonna address this weak-ass internet sh*t one time, and then I’mma get back to giving my love to my fans, ’cause what me and my fans do at the live show, it don’t concern you n*ggas on the internet or you bitter bitches on the internet,” he said in an Instagram story video, reports Radar Online. “I said, ‘If you don’t got AIDS, put a cellphone lighter up. I said, ‘If you ain’t suck d*ck in the parking lot, put your cellphone lights up.'”
DaBaby further characterized his comments as a “call to action” rather than an attack, adding “All the lights went up – gay or straight – you wanna know why? Because even my gay fans don’t got f*cking AIDS, stupid ass n*ggas. They don’t got AIDS. My gay fans, they take care of themselves. They ain’t no nasty gay n*ggas, see what I’m saying? They ain’t no junkies on the street.”
“I even said, ‘If you don’t suck d*ck in the Rolling Loud parking lot, put your cellphone lighters up.’ You know what my gay fans did? Put that motherf*cking light up, n*gga,” he continued. “‘Cause my gay fans, they ain’t going for that. They got class, n*gga. They ain’t sucking no d*ck in no parking lot, n*gga. You gotta get a room, a good one, five-star hotel, or wait ’til they go to the crib. … If they a fan of me, they going for some big dog sh*t. We ain’t just going for nothing. Even my gay fans got standards!”
DaBaby then assured viewers that he welcomed gay fans, as he noted he saw a man in a crop top in the front row of his show. Somehow, that doesn’t make us feel better.
At present, DaBaby is enjoying success on the pop charts, courtesy of his collaboration with Dua Lipa on the song “Levitating.” At the time of this writing, Dua Lipa has not commented on his remarks.
Sqwoah
Garbage Culture, garbage people.
And yet there is a fan base to support these garbage people. Instead of lowering the bar for the sake of inclusion, let’s raise the bar for the sake of civility.
dinard38
He should have kept him dumbass mouth shut. What he said on stage was bad enough, he then double down on his comments by making even dumber comments. And why is he thinking about sucking d*ck so much???? And if you ask me, the way he was strutting around that stage looked suspect to me. Haha.
Kevan1
Plain ole TRASH comes in all colors of the spectrum. Sad, just sad.
Chrisk
Same as his so called “music”. Unless you think rhyming over and over to dumb tracks is entertaining. I wish I could boycott his music but I already do that naturally.
Caddy4J
Anyone who trashes people that have diseases, or are part of the gay family etc., and like to suck the “D” as much as I do, has to go back and do research on everyone he trashed. Get the facts, before you go out and make a complete ass of yourself due to ignorance. When everyone he trashed due to their likes and dislikes, and his unconscionable disrespect towards women, is a nut job with a career that won’t last too long. He seems to forget that everyone that he insulted could make or break his career. They’ll stop buying his music and his label will refuse to work with him due to the cancel culture going on right now. His new name will be DaCryBaby… What a joke…
LumpyPillows
Wait, he’s talking about having class? Huh, reading his very words I would say that is one classless MF.
sam83
I’m tired of these disgusting male artists getting a pass. A boob killed the career of a superstar like Janet but this POS, Chris Brown and 50 Cent continue to have an audience and platform after appalling comments and actions.
DaBaby currently has the #3 song in America…a remix of Levitating with Dua Lipa. Will radio and other platforms blacklist gun like they’ve done to Janet and the Dixie Chicks? Prob not. He should be cancelled
Troyfight
Truth!!!
SDR94103
she a sloppy pig bottom. clean up your mess.
barryaksarben
He and Lil Nas are NOTHING alike as LIL NAS isnt spewing hate on others he is just proclaiming his love NOT HIS HATE
Cam
You gotta stand for free speech, folx. Just don’t buy his albums if you don’t agree with him, but he has every right to say what he wants.
DennisMpls
Hey, it’s Fake Cam!
DarkZephyr
Nobody believes that you’re really Cam.
Donston
I’m sure if it weren’t for Lil Nas X’s success and the “Industry Baby” video this rant wouldn’t have happened. They’re mad that a black male in hip-hop can be unabashedly “gay” identifying, unapologetically into his sex, aggressively “queer” and not at all looking to appease or fit in with “straight” guys and still be very mainstream and successful. It’s definitely triggering them.
Kangol2
You know it. He’s probably burning up with envy of Lil Nas X’s success and unapologetic affirmation of being gay. DaBaby’s original comment was so idiotic too, on top of being homophobic and misogynistic; does he not know that straight people, particularly women, can get and do have HIV/AIDS? Yeah, i know, facts, logic and reason don’t apply.
Mack
Let’s face it, DaBaby should be call the DaIdiot. Typical ignorant rapper.
Jack Meoff
The only thing that shocked me about this article is that he claims to only be 29. That picture looks like a 40 year old man.
Chrisk
I wonder if Rapp will ever clean up it’s act. It really seems to attract the worst in human scum. All I ever see is extreme misogyny, violence, and homophobia. Thugs like this are reason #1 I don’t listen to it. Ok maybe #2 as I don’t find most of it worth listening to. You just don’t see this in any other music genre.
Hopefully one day soon Dababy will get dabullet. Seems to the usual end for his kind. Then again maybe he’ll get lucky like 5 cent.
BoomerMyles
Dabullet! Yes!
BoomerMyles
Rappers gonna hate.
Just like country music to its core which is why Morgan Wallens digital sales increased 339% after he used the n word.
conman123
DuhBaby? DaFuq?!
Openminded
Obviously jealous of Lil NashX.
Donston
Non black people in the comments: please stop referring to black males who say/do something you don’t like as “thugs”. Come up with some new vernacular, something that doesn’t have racist undertones. Thank you. Because the majority of you who are using the word “thug” never refer to a white person as such no matter what they say/do. (Though I know many who comment here are old as shit, bitter and set in their ways. So, saying this is probably pointless).
Jack
So you want to educate people about the racist connotations of the word thug and you end by being racist, ageist and petty AF. Girl, edit that mess cuz ya had a point until you got childish.
Dunnedin
I never thought of the word “thug” as being solely the purview of black people. I’ve used to word to describe anyone who acts like a thug. As a reminder, “thug” comes from the Hindi word thag , meaning “rogue,” “thief,” or “cheat.” This derives from the Sanskrit sthaga , which means “scoundrel” and comes from the verb sthagati , “to conceal.”
Wicked Dickie
Scrolling through gay Twitter, there was some gay festival, I don’t know if it was Folsom, or what, but there were LITERALLY guys getting f*cked in the streets. And I mean there were a lot of different guys getting plowed. Bareback. Not a condom in sight. And I don’t mean one guy, it was like a bath house.
GREATGLORYHOLER
Sounds like Folsom Street Fair, As far as condoms PrEP is widely available I admit it is not 100% but it is their lives and they know that. Too bad you have to be a Karen and complain.
Mr. Stadnick
If you don’t want to see such things you shouldn’t be looking at photos from the Folsom St or Dorey Alley fairs. It seems like you were looking for something to be offended by.
Wicked Dickie
Not offended, just pointing out the hypocrisy. There were guys literally suck!ng c@cks on the street in broad daylight. And spare me the prep talk. Just because you take prep doesn’t me you shouldn’t have morals.
GREATGLORYHOLER
I guess DaBaby does not realize that He would not have a Platform if it wasn’t for Rappers like Easy E who was Closeted Gay and Died of AIDS
TheMarc
It’s horrendous to automatically associate anyone who is HIV+ or has AIDS (two different things) with “slutty” or irresponsible sexual behavior. I honestly don’t think he understands the nuance and reality associated with HIV in general. I was a huge proponent of supporting the earlier anti-stigmatization initiatives of years past because I knew people who were/are afflicted with this disease and they’re the farthest you could find from what was (and apparently still is) the stereotypical, hypersexual person who was basically playing Russian Roulette with their body.
But that being said, I think he made a very ignorant statement in the truest sense. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about and I think education would be the best route for him vs “cancelling.” There are plenty of people (50 Cent for example) I would not give this leeway too. On a completely different note, I will say I’m no fan of using openly promiscuous porn stars to speak as poster children for HIV anti-stigmatization. The new campaign has gone from “it could be you, your neighbor, family etc. It can happen to anyone. Being HIV+ does not mean you are someone who is “dirty” or irresponsible” to “undetectable means untransmissible so you should be willing to have sex with anyone that is undetectable or you’re a big, ignorant meanie.”
Master Rick
I was out after a full grown “man” refers to himself as Da Baby
jackscott
Pure trash…next!