(Photo: Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
The fallout continues for DaBaby in the wake of homophobic comments he made during a recent Rolling Loud performance. The rapper was dropped Sunday as the final act of the Lollapalooza four-day music festival in Chicago.
“Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love. With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight,” said the organization.
He was also removed from the Governors Ball scheduled for September.
While DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, gained support from a few fellow musicians, Dua Lipa, Elton John, Questlove, Chris Brown, DaShawn Usher and GLAAD’s Associate Director of Communities of Color join many who’ve publicly called the rapper out for his recent homophobic comments.
DaBaby released his music video for “Giving What It’s Supposed to Give” on Wednesday, which seemingly addresses the backlash for comments he made during his Rolling Loud Miami performance last week.
In the self-directed visual, DaBaby holds up a sign that reads “AIDS.” Later, the words “Don’t Fight Hate With Hate” appear in rainbow colors. Underneath that, an apology reads, “My apologies for being me the same way you want the freedom to be you.”
The “pseudo-sorry” comes after DaBaby’s Rolling Loud performance sparked outrage.
“If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in 2-3 week, put a cellphone lighter in the air. Lady, if ya p***y smell like water, put a cellphone light in the air. Fellas, if you aint suck a n***a d**k in the parking lot, put ya cellphone lights in the air,” he said.
The North Carolina rapper followed up with a haphazard Twitter apology that acknowledged the problem with his “HIV/AIDS” comment, “but the LGBT community… I aint trippin on y’all, do you,” he said. “y’all business is y’all business.”
Fellow rappers, Boosie and T.I. chimed in to show support for DaBaby, bringing Lil Nas X into the controversy. “If Lil Nas X can kick his s**t in peace…so should dababy,” T.I. wrote in an Instagram comment.
Boosie used slurs in reference to Lil Nas, calling him disrespectful, and saying he shouldn’t be allowed around children.
In response to the controversy, the Elton John wrote, “This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.”
Dua Lipa was “surprised” and “horrified”, and Questlove (founder of The Roots) called DaBaby’s actions “wrong,” which the rapper responded to in an Instagram story post, claiming he didn’t know who Questlove was.
Lil Nas X went the more cryptic route in addressing the personal attacks he received from the rappers. “some of y’all not even mad that i’m gay, some of y’all mad that i’m gay and still succeeding,” he added to the conversation on Twitter.
A fan account for Nas later tweeted an interview thumbnail of the artist, with a YouTube link, and text reading “Lil Nas X responds to Boosie and T.I.” However, the link takes those who succumb to its clickbait to the “INDUSTRY BABY” music video, which is currently raising money for Bail X Fund, a partnership with The Bail Project, that aims to end cash bail in the U.S. Since, Lil Nas X has been promoting the tweet in an effort to drive traffic to the video fundraiser.
Fans have even accused DaBaby’s new music video of copying Lil Nas’ recent “INDUSTRY BABY” video, due to parallels with jail scenes and censored nudity.
He continues to promote “Giving What It’s Supposed to Give,” and has yet to address the more recent backlash.