After DaBaby’s comments about the LGBTQ+ community and the HIV/AIDS crisis last week at Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, the rapper has been dropped from Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and Day N Vegas festivals.
Not only will he no longer be making festival appearances this summer, the rapper has also been dropped from Boohoo, with which he had a partnership and an upcoming collaborative collection, now being sold at a reduced price.
Many celebrities also came out in the defense of the LGBTQ+ community, including Dua Lipa, who worked with the rapper on ‘Levitating’, saying “I’m surprised and horrified at DaBaby’s comments. I really don’t recognize this as the person I worked with. I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand 100% with the LGBTQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS”.
DaBaby took to his Instagram to apologize for his comment, stating “I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important”. But is this enough?
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During DaBaby’s rant of so-called ‘apologetic’ tweets, the rapper backtracked from what he was saying and stated “y’all digested that wrong”, demonstrating the lack of care and empathy after being called out on his comments. What the young rapper said is in no way excusable and should have never been said in the first place. Someone with such an influence should never spread fasle and hateful information and it will take more than an Instagram post for the LGBTQ+ community to forgive, as well as anyone else who has been affected by the illness. Pushing the false ideology that only members of the LGBTQ+ community suffer from HIV/AIDS is dangerous, it can be contracted by anyone regardless of their gender or sexuality.
It is never pleasant seeing the LGBTQ+ community being misrepresented. Rap and hip-hop have always been a difficult space for the community, often disregarded or ridiculed for their sexuality. Think of Lil Nas X, one of rap’s most popular artists in recent years who still receives tons of backlash just for being who he is.
Hate crimes directed at those from the LGBTQ+ community have seen an alarming spike within the last few months. From Tsbili’s Pride march being cancelled due to far-right attacks in Georgia to the murder of Samuel Luiz in Spain out of pure discrimination, the fight towards equality is far from over. This is why DaBaby’s comment is not to be taken lightly, as it fuels the very much so present hatred and homophobia aimed at the queer community.
Though, the massive uproar from social media users, artists and brands shows that progress is being made. The sad truth is that many are still ignorant on the subject, which is why education is vital.
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