Photo Credit: Johnny Nunez for WireImage
During his performance at Hot 97’s Summer Jam, DaBaby mentioned additional thoughts on his recent homophobic comments.
After being removed swiftly from numerous festivals this summer for spewing homophobic comments during his Rolling Loud set, DaBaby hit the stage at Hot 97’s Summer Jam on Sunday evening. Rather than shy away from mentioning the controversial statement he made weeks ago referring to HIV and gay men (extremely problematic), he addressed it again.
It appears that he felt sharing his thoughts was necessary, during his 20-minute set he leaned into his additional thoughts on the issues that have impacted his artistry recently. Tiny thing: there was also an air of disbelief at Summer Jam amongst the media pit when he spent time speaking during his set. But, the crowd ate up his words, they even embraced him when he made his way to them as he unleashed a few of his past hits singles.
“[Hot 97] allowed me to share my gift, share my blessing with y’all out here live on this stage amongst all the chaos and all the backlash. So hats off to y’all for that,” the rapper said. “They accepted my sincerity and all my apologies when I said I never, ever meant to offend anybody or say anything to make anybody feel any type of way live on that stage a few weeks ago. And Hot 97 was also willing to stick they neck out on the line, willing to go against all odds with everything going on out here in the world — they still allowed me to come right here on this stage and utilize their platform. They helped the world move forward and become a better place and not dismiss people off mistakes made like we ain’t human.”
Photo Credit: Johnny Nunez for WireImage
Immediately after he shared his tone-deaf opinion which was injected with hints of misogynoir, he then proceeded to perform “Cry Baby.” He then added, “Check this out. Other than the people that, you know, was truly offended, I feel like the rest of y’all motherf-ckers being cry babies.” This wasn’t his brightest moment, and to be honest, it wasn’t necessary.
Summer Jam was undeniably a moment for DaBaby but it also proved that no matter the actions, silos within the entertainment industry continue to uphold figures with problematic stances. He previously apologized (the post was taken down), but with Sunday’s in-person statement he backpedaled yet again.
The removal of DaBaby’s name from the bill of Day N Vegas, Lollapalooza, and Governors Ball should serve as a reminder of how quickly things can shift, even for a Billboard chart-topping rapper. Despite other rappers coming to his defense, it might fare him well to realize he has his fans who aren’t OK with him belittling and spewing outdated thoughts on the LGBTQ+ community.
