DaBaby is realizing just how real cancel culture is. So much so that the rapper is joking that he may have to transition from spitting bars to singing R&B tunes to stay afloat.
In the wake of being on the receiving end of backlash related to an unprovoked verbal attack on the LGBTQ+ community, he’s having a difficult time bouncing back.
“They done canceled yo daddy twin,” he wrote in his caption of a video of him cradling his young daughter.
“I’m switching to R&B. F**k a rap,” he said while singing to J. Cole and Miguel’s song “Power Trip.”
On July 25, the 29-year-old interrupted his set during the Rolling Loud music festival for a tirade of homophobic comments and stigma-filled remarks about HIV/AIDS.
During the tangent, he urged fans to put their phones up if they didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that’ll “make you die in 2-3 weeks” and if they “didn’t suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot.”
He wasn’t quick to apologize either. The following day, TMZ reposted a video he shared online defending his comments, claiming his friends who identify as LGBTQ+ do not have HIV/AIDS because they aren’t “nasty gay n****s” or “junkies.”
Two days after DaBaby incited an online riot and ongoing discussion, he issued an apology on his social media platforms. His Twitter apology read in part: “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.”
The LGBTQ+ community, allies, and advocates aren’t necessarily rushing to forgive him, but DaBaby is being offered a chance to redeem himself by sitting with heads of organizations to educate him so that he doesn’t make similar mistakes in the future.
He was recently dropped from several music festival lineups including Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, and Day N Vegas as a result of the controversy. Despite the backlash, his career hasn’t taken that deep of a dive. He’s gearing up to perform at Hot 97’s Summer Jam.
He also still has the support of his peers, including rapper, actor, and Power creator 50 Cent.
“Yeah, he will,” 50 told E!’s Nightly Pop when asked if he thinks his friend will bounce back. “As long as he keeps his consistency with the music. Remember they canceled Chris Brown like five, six times?”
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