DaBaby

DaBaby’s New Video For ‘Giving What It’s Supposed To Give’ Draws Fire In The Wake Of His Rolling Loud Controversy

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The controversy surrounding DaBaby’s homophobic and misinformed comments from his Miami Rolling Loud set just wouldn’t be complete without the release of some new music, would it? The Charlotte rapper doesn’t disappoint, releasing the new video for his song, “Giving What It’s Supposed To Give.” Apparently filmed the day before the controversial set, the video is already drawing attention and criticism for making references to AIDS and oral sex, the two topics for which he’s been under fire for the last three days.

The video is a wild, abstract jumble of vignettes playing off of his raunchy lyrics and is obviously meant to be played for humorous effect, but honestly, I’m not entirely sure that it wouldn’t have gotten a chilly reception from some of the imagery even without the Rolling Loud controversy. With it, the scene in question, which features DaBaby holding up a sign that says “AIDS” before shooting two arguing men as he raps “we like AIDS, I’m on your ass,” seems grotesque and in poor taste.

He couldn’t be happier, gleefully sharing the link to the video on Instagram with the caption: “It never seizes to amaze me the way God puts me in situations I’m already equipped to handle. Enjoy.” Skating over the part where the correct phrase should be “it never ceases to amaze me,” it does seem as if the seriousness of his offense is lost on him. It looks like he really thinks he’s just teasing, it’s all in good fun, and people are being wet blankets for pointing out the real-life harm that has come to people over comments like his — often by people espousing the same rhetoric. (Someone should also probably point out how “giving what it’s supposed to give” as slang was hijacked wholesale from drag culture, but it won’t be me).

That hasn’t stopped fans from pointing out the discrepancy between his words and actions on Twitter, criticizing him for deciding to double down instead of re-shooting/recording the video/song.

Watch DaBaby’s “Giving What’s Supposed To Give” video above.

DaBaby’s Rolling Loud Comments Cost Him Some Big Stacks

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Charlotte rapper DaBaby will be missing out on a major bag. One of his biggest sponsors has canceled on him in light of offensive comments he made at Rolling Loud. DaBaby Loses boohooMan Line Less than two months after DaBaby’s clothing line with boohooMan was announced, the company has canceled the collection. They will no […]

Elton John Was ‘Shocked’ By DaBaby’s HIV Comments, Saying Misinformation Fuels Stigma

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DaBaby’s comments during his controversial Rolling Loud set in Miami this weekend continue to draw reactions from every corner of the entertainment industry. After Dua Lipa, his collaborator on the hit song “Levitating,” said she was “surprised and horrified” by his words, queer rights icon and living legend Elton John has chimed in to address the harm DaBaby’s statements could cause, whether intentional or not.

John’s official Twitter account, which doubles as the account for his Elton John AIDS Foundation, pointed out how statements like DaBaby’s can “fuel stigma and discrimination,” calling them “the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.” You can read the full statement below.

We’ve been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show. This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.

The facts are:

HIV has affected over 70 million people globally: men, women, children, and the most vulnerable people in our communities.

In America, a gay black man has a 50% lifetime chance of contracting HIV. Stigma and shame around HIV and homosexuality is a huge driver of this vulnerability. We need to break down the myths and judgments and not fuel these.

You can live a long and healthy life with HIV. Treatment is so advanced that with one pill a day, HIV can become undetectable in your body so you can’t pass it onto other people.

Homophobic and HIV mistruths have no place in our society and industry and as musicians, we must spread compassion and love for the most marginalized people in our communities.

A musician’s job is to bring people together.

DaBaby responded to the backlash a few times, noting that it wasn’t his intent to insult anyone, but unfortunately, he seems to have missed the possible unintended harm that resulted from his comments. In addition, online retailer Boohooman ended its partnership with him, while him bringing Tory Lanez onstage could have legal repercussions for the Canadian rapper. All in all, not DaBaby’s best week — although he seems to be taking it all in stride.

DaBaby References His Shoe-Dodging Moment In Response To Losing His BoohooMan Deal

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It looks like DaBaby isn’t sweating losing his deal with BoohooMan in the wake of his controversial Roling Loud set — or at least, that’s what he wants his followers to think. He seemingly played off the news by referencing another odd moment from his set, when a fan in the crowd tried to bean him with — in his words — a “busted ass Adidas” shoe.

“NO WEAPON FORMED,” he wrote in the post. “This how I bob n weave anything sent to destroy me. Check my resume and sit back.” The post included a video of the moment he ducked the sneaker, which some fans compared to George W. Bush pulling a similar maneuver during an Iraqi press conference in December 2008.

BoohooMan, which has gained popularity through its capsule collections with popular rappers like Lil Skies, Quavo, and Swae Lee, cut ties with DaBaby after a viral clip of his Rolling Loud set depicted the Charlotte rapper making homophobic comments and insulting comments about HIV/AIDS. While he insisted that it was not his intent to insult anyone, intent and impact are two different things, and his combative tone made it clear he wasn’t interested in addressing the latter.

As a result, the fashion brand issued a statement on Instagram reading, “BoohooMAN condemn the use of homophobic language and confirm we will no longer be working with DaBaby.” While DaBaby doesn’t seem too put out by the loss, he’s also the same guy who insisted on performing during a pandemic because he was losing money, so … grain of salt, I’m just saying.

DaBaby Loses His Deal With BoohooMan After Making Homophobic Comments At Rolling Loud

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DaBaby may not understand why what he said at Rolling Loud was so harmful to so many people, but he’s certainly beginning to feel the consequences. His “Levitating” collaborator Dua Lipa said his words “surprised and horrified” her and a fan-made version of the song featuring Megan Thee Stallion is not only rapidly growing in popularity but fans are also calling for it to replace the official version. Today, things got really real for DaBaby, as his combative attitude toward the backlash has now begun to affect his pockets.

BoohooMan, the online retailer which has grown to be one of the most popular fast-fashion hubs thanks to its collaborations with rappers like DaBaby, Quavo, Swae Lee, cut ties with the North Carolina rapper, making a statement on Instagram. The full statement reads:

BoohooMan condemns the use of homophobic language and confirm we will no longer be working with DaBaby.

Diversity and inclusion are part of the boohoo Group’s DNA and we pride ourselves on representing the diverse customers we serve across the globe.

We stand by and support the LGBTQ+ community, and do not tolerate any hate speech or discrimination in any form.

For his part, DaBaby has repeatedly tried to address the comments but his defensive posture in both statements has tempered their reception among fans, who seem to believe that he’s been less than sincere. Maybe seeing consequences outside of a few sternly-worded tweets will recontextualize the backlash for him, helping him to reconsider his words’ impact past just his intent.

DaBaby Keeps It 100 On Rolling Loud Backlash

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North Carolina rapper DaBaby is keeping things 100. The hip-hop star goes to IG Story to address some drama surrounding his name. The rap heavyweight stands behind making statements during his live Rolling Loud Miami set. He kicks back in bed to provide some clarity and to tell people to chill. DaBaby asserts he has […]

DaBaby Addresses His Insensitive HIV/AIDS Comments By Simultaneously Apologizing And Slamming His Critics

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Over the weekend, DaBaby took the stage at Rolling Loud’s Miami festival for what some hoped would be an exciting performance. Unfortunately, ill comments he made during the set took precedent over the music he performed. In between songs he said, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that make you die in two or three weeks, then put your cell phone light in the air.” As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, he added, “Fellas, if you ain’t suck a n****’s d*ck in the parking lot, put your cell phone light in the air.”

After a video of his rant made its way to social media, fans made sure to let DaBaby know that his comments were insensitive, homophobic, and much more. Following an initial response on Instagram to those who took issue with his comments, the rapper this time hopped on Twitter to address his critics once again.

“I tell fans to put a cellphone light in the air y’all start a million man March,” he wrote. “I told you y’all digested that wrong [shoulder shrug emoji] but I ain’t gone lie I’m impressed. Now show this same amount of support when a racist cop kill one of our black ass…YA NOT.” In a second tweet, he added, “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 [of] offending anybody. So my apologies. But the LGBT[Q] community… I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.”

For a third and final tweet on the topic, DaBaby shifted his attention to a new group of people, writing, “& for any brands, networks, or artists that like to profit off of black rappers influence on the culture, without understanding it or having the patience to deal with what comes with the position we play in our culture. Keep yo money next time.” He concluded, “Us ‘N****S” human too,” adding, “#GodBless.”

This comes after Dua Lipa, who collaborated with the rapper on a remix of “Levitating,” said his comments “surprised and horrified her.” She added, “We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS.”

You can view DaBaby’s tweets above.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.