Charlotte rapper DaBaby, 34, is explaining why he has zero regrets about his controversial LGBTQ comments shared during his Rolling Loud Miami performance in 2021. The rapper, who first hit the scene under the moniker “Baby Jesus” again likens himself to the Holy figure by claiming he “rose like Jesus on the third day” after everything was said and done.
In July 2021, DaBaby, born Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, took to the stage during the Rolling Loud festival in Miami, Florida. During his set, he told the crowd to put their cell phone lights in the air, “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 weeks.”
In addition to his apparent homophobic comments, the “Suge” rapper was then accused of making misogynistic comments. He told the women in the crowd, “Ladies if your p***y smells like water, put a cell phone light in the air.” And for the men, he told them to do also raise their lights while stating, “Fellas if you ain’t sucking d**k in the parking lot,” etc.
The rapper initially addressed his controversial comments by doubling down in a video. He claimed all of his fans, heterosexual and homosexual have “class” and “standards.” He added that his comments didn’t concern the critics. The rapper was only interacting with his fans “with a call-to-action, not a rant.” On X, he ultimately shared a brief apology, stating:
“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.”
RELATED: Demi Lovato Reacts To DaBaby’s Controversial Rolling Loud Remarks: ‘HIV Is Not A Gay Disease’
DaBaby Loses Partnerships, Brand Deals, Festival Performances, Allies, And More After LGBTQ Comments
Like Kanye West and his antisemitic controversy, DaBaby began losing partnerships, brand deals, and industry allies and colleagues left and right. He was dropped from Chicago’s Lollapalooza Festival, the United Kingdom’s Parklife Festival, New York’s Governors Ball Festival, and more.
GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) soon issued a statement in response to DaBaby’s Rolling Loud comments. The organization wrote:
“The rhetoric that DaBaby used is inaccurate, hurtful, and harmful to the LGBTQ community and the estimated 1.2 million Americans living with HIV. It is critical that DaBaby and his fans learn that people living with HIV today, when on effective treatment, lead long and healthy lives and cannot transmit HIV. While DaBaby has made haphazard attempts to ‘apologize,’ actions need to be taken for full accountability and changes to do better in the future. It further confirms what GLAAD reported last year in the State of HIV Stigma Study that stigma and misinformation around HIV is widespread, and there is much work to be done to educate the public, including entertainers.”
DaBaby then shared another apology to the LGBTQ community after having his name pulled from several festivals. In an Instagram post, he wrote:
“Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate and learn from your mistakes. As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me — knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance — has been challenging. I appreciate the many people who came to me with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education and resources. That’s what I needed and it was received. I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important.”
RELATED: DaBaby Meets With HIV Organizations After Homophobic Comment Controversy
DaBaby Issues Second Apology And Meets With LGBTQ And HIV Organizations After Homophobic Comments Made At Rolling Loud Miami
The “Rockstar” rapper then began meeting with HIV organizations amid the many calls to cancel him. At the time, Variety reported that DaBaby joined leaders from the organizations Black AIDS Institute, Gilead Sciences COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Centers, GLAAD, National Minority AIDS Council, The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Positive Women’s Network-USA, Prevention Access Campaign, the Southern AIDS Coalition, and Transinclusive Group. During their private meeting, they discussed HIV history, education, and outreach, particularly in Black, LGBTQ, and faith communities.
Months later, in October 2021, DaBaby returned to another Rolling Loud stage, this time in Queens, New York. Although DaBaby wasn’t part of the official lineup for Day 1 of the festival, fellow rapper 50 Cent brought him out as a special guest. The Rolling Loud organizers reportedly approved his appearance.
In March 2022, DaBaby opened up about his LGBTQ comments again. During an interview with ‘The Breakfast Club,’ he said he never intended to offend anyone in the community. He doubled down and said, “There’s gay people in my family!”
DaBaby Explains Why He Doesn’t Regret His LGBTQ Comments Made During Rolling Loud Miami
Since the July 2021 LGBTQ controversy, DaBaby is again addressing his comments, the fallout, and now admitting that he has zero regrets. While speaking with rapper Big Bank on his ‘Perspektives’ podcast, DaBaby explained his reasoning. He started off by referencing an unknown conversation shared before cameras started rolling.
While referencing this off-camera story, DaBaby said if he wanted “to fix the situation he was in,” which was before the Rolling Loud incident, he would have had to conform and do something he wasn’t comfortable doing. Acknowledging Baby’s thinking, Big Bank said it would create a slippery slope, to which Baby agreed. The rapper shared:
“I could have played ball. I could have conformed, you see what I’m saying? Like, gave in. Godd*mn, go along with the program that the motherf**ker presenting you with. Godd*mn, put it away. It ain’t need me to do that, you know what I’m saying? Like, it ain’t need me to do that. I could have did one or two things, you see what I’m saying? And I’d be up a billion, a billion point five. Like, like, godd*mn, be a poster child for some sh*t that I ain’t sign up to do that. That ain’t what I’m here for.”
Bank added, “A humiliation ritual.” Baby said, “You could call it that, real sh*t. I mean, that sh*t be for real. F**k that billion. I ain’t tripping.” Bank continued to share:
“I just thought about it, boy, you blessed. King, I ain’t going to call you boy. You blessed, King. You were right at that level to where you gone over, do or die. And God made you say what you said on that stage to go on and rush it.” Baby said, “Exactly, because I was there.” Bank continued to suggest that Baby was being tested before the Rolling Loud incident and that his comments on stage, seemingly unintentional and by divine intervention, shielded him from conforming.
Baby said, “I swear to God, that’s exactly what that was. Bruh, I swear.” The rapper continued to share that he’s “a different type of n***a” and isn’t with the opportunities on “the other side.” He added, “I don’t know how it work on the other side of it, but motherf**kers sought an opportunity to get me to spearhead or whatever, to push whatever agenda, whatever it was at the time.” Bank added, “Once you do that, you’ll do the rest of it.” Baby agreed, “And I ain’t one for that. Like, they found that out.”
When Bank asked, “What part of that sh*t do you regret?,’ DaBaby said, “One thing I regret with this situation, like, not bucking all the way. Because I sat back. I ain’t bucking all the way. Because I could’ve bucked.” The rapper used an analogy to claim the people who were supposed to be on his team were wearing the other side’s color jerseys.
Later, DaBaby, who used to go by the moniker “Baby Jesus,” said after all the drama, he’s back, similar to the rising of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. The rapper said:
“Even with the original name, ‘Baby Jesus.’ Yeah, n*gga, you going to get publicly—see what I’m saying? Crucified. Godd*mn near this sh*t can get as deep as we want it to get. You see what I’m saying? ‘That’s what you want to call yourself coming in?’ N*gga, I got put on that in front of the world. See what I’m saying? It’s the third day now. N*gga, I done rose. You know what I mean? I’m back. N*ggas got me f**cked up. You know what I’m saying?”
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!