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2 August 2021

DaBaby dropped from Lollapalooza music festival after anti-gay and HIV comments

“Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love."

By Alastair James

Words: Alastair James; pictures: YouTube

DaBaby was dropped from his slot at the Chicago-based music festival Lollapalooza over the weekend following his homophobic rant at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami last Sunday (25 July).

The 29-year-old rapper made wildly inaccurate and offensive remarks about people with HIV and Aids and also expressed homophobic remarks, which led to him being dropped by the fashion retailer BoohooMan, as well as called out by stars such as Dua Lipa, Elton John, and Madonna.

The rapper has issued two half-apologies on social media.

“Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love”

At the Rolling Loud festival, the rapper said: “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two, three weeks, then put your cellphone light up.”

He also said, “Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d*** in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”

DaBaby was due to close the Chicago music festival on Sunday (1 August) but the organisers of the festival tweeted that Young Thug would be taking the slot instead.

Lollapalooza said: “Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love. With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight. Young Thug will now perform at 9:00 pm on the Bud Light Seltzer Stage, and G Herbo will perform at 4:00pm on the T-Mobile Stage.”

DaBaby hasn’t openly commented on the last-minute cancellation, but on Sunday, he shared a video post in his Instagram stories of the record executive Dame Dash from July. In the video, Dash talks about being fearless in being someone who doesn’t “move with the crowd, to move alone.

“You get scrutinized by people that do move with the crowd because they got to make you look bad to make themselves look good. It’s all a part of the game”.

Rolling Stone and other outlets are reporting that DaBaby has also been dropped from Manchester’s Parklife festival in September.

Previously the rapper has recognised that his comments about people living with HIV and Aids were “insensitive” but told the LGBTQ community, “I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.”

He also included a message at the end of his music video for ‘Giving What It’s Supposed To Give’ which read: “Don’t fight hate with hate” in rainbow colours before adding, “My apologies for being me the same way you want the freedom to be you”.

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