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Rapper DaBaby trashes gay fans, HIV patients in unhinged rant

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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.

Related: Dua Lipa cried on stage as LGBTQ fans forcibly removed by police

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.

“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.

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