DaBaby chose mess at Rolling Loud Miami Sunday night, bringing Tory Lanez out for his set. DaBaby was performing after Megan Thee Stallion, who Lanez allegedly shot in the foot last summer. XXL shared a video of the performance to Twitter, in which Lanez emerged from a mascot costume. “I’ll give somebody out here a million dollars if they can guess who in here,†he said as Lanez was helped out of his costume onesie. Kodak Black also brought Lanez out yesterday.
Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, pleaded not guilty in November 2020 to two felony charges: assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. In February of this year, a judge ruled that Lanez couldn’t speak publicly about the case. In January 2021, Lanez announced a new song with DaBaby, which Megan tweeted was “old and not cleared.†In June of this year, DaBaby seemed to retweet a fan’s joke about the incident, which prompted Megan and Pardison Fontaine to call him out on Twitter. At the time, DaBaby tried to minimize his tweet, telling Megan to “stand on what you stand on without feeling like I’m against ya.†Bringing Lanez onstage on the same night as Megan’s performance isn’t the best way to convince people you aren’t against her.
Update 8:45 p.m.: Pop Crave is reporting that someone threw a shoe at DaBaby after bringing Lanez out.
Update July 27, 12:00 a.m.: DaBaby is now in hot water for a different offensive thing that he somehow managed to do at Rolling Loud. Prior to bringing out Lanez, DaBaby went on a homophobic rant in the middle of his set. “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases, that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cell-phone lighter up,†DaBaby said, apparently apropos of nothing. “Ladies, if your pussy smell like water, put your cell-phone light in the air. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking dick in the parking lot, put your cell-phone lighter up.â€
DaBaby later explained on Instagram Live on Monday that he takes issue with the characterization of his comments as a homophobic rant. “I wasn’t going on no rant — that’s called a call-to-action,†DaBaby said. “That’s what that’s called because I’m a live performer … Look. All the lights went up — gay or straight. You wanna know why? ’Cause even my gay fans don’t have fuckin’ AIDS.†The hole DaBaby is always digging for himself grows ever deeper.
Update July 27, 3:40 p.m.: Following DaBaby’s homophobic rant at Rolling Loud on Sunday, Dua Lipa has written a response, due to her past collaboration with the rapper on her popular single “Levitating.†Lipa posted to Instagram Stories on Tuesday, writing, “I’m surprised and horrified at DaBaby’s comments. I really don’t recognise 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.†Considering DaBaby’s rant and his platforming of Tory Lanez during his set, Lipa’s fans are sharing a fanmade “Levitating†edit that replaces DaBaby’s verse with a Megan Thee Stallion verse from “Fkn Around.â€
Update July 28, 6:10 p.m.: Maybe it’s anti-LGBTQ speech, maybe it’s single promo? Amid the controversy over his Rolling Loud comments against people with HIV and AIDS and gay sex, DaBaby released a new song, “Giving What It’s Supposed to Give,†that references AIDS. “Bitch, we like AIDS, I’m on your ass, we on your ass, bitch we don’t go away,†he raps — not quite a true statement, given that antiretroviral treatments can make the HIV virus undetectable and unable to be transmitted. Meanwhile, Vulture confirmed that Miami and Los Angeles officials have been alerted that Lanez’s surprise appearance during DaBaby’s set could have violated his restraining order from Megan Thee Stallion, given that she was backstage at the time.
Update, Friday, July 30: Music legends including Questlove, Elton John, and Madonna have penned responses to DaBaby, calling his remarks “hateful†and attempting to educate him. The Elton John AIDS Foundation posted an entire thread debunking the harmful myths he perpetuated, while Madonna wrote a lengthy note. “I want to put my cellphone lighter up and pray for your ignorance,†Madonna said to DaBaby on Instagram. “No one dies of AIDS in 2 or 3 weeks anymore. Thank God.†The rapper directly responded to Questlove’s post on Instagram Stories, saying “I do NOT KNOW WHO DIS N[- - - - ] IS DAWG,†despite performing with Questlove’s band the Roots on The Tonight Show in 2019. He goes on to suggest the celebrities speaking out against his homophobic and sexist comments, like, you know, two of the biggest pop stars of all time, are doing it for clout. “Goin out y’all way creating art work & shit tryna gain new fans off my situation cuz it’sQUIET for y’all n[- - - - ],†he wrote on IG Stories. “N[- - - - ] better hit the studio or sumn.†At this point, he’s really only hurting his A&R team.
Update, August 2, 2 p.m.: DaBaby issued his rendition of a celebrity apology via Instagram, which he began by blaming social media for moving “so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate and learn from your mistakes.†He then expressed that he needed “education on these topics and guidance†before apologizing to the LGBTQ+ community for his “hurtful and triggering comments†and “misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS.†This past weekend, DaBaby was dropped from Sunday’s headlining spot at Lollapalooza and replaced with Young Thug. As of today, the rapper has been pulled from the 2021 Governors Ball and Day N Vegas festivals as well.
Update, August 4, 5:55 p.m.: When one pop star falls out of the picture, another must take her place. Billboard reported that airplay for DaBaby’s remix of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating†has dipped significantly since the pop performer disavowed her collaborator — just under 50 percent of stations that played the song on August 2 spun the remix, compared to 70 percent on July 27. Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus, who headlined Lollapalooza days ahead of DaBaby’s since-canceled appearance, posted a message to the rapper on Instagram, asking to “talk†and “learn.†“As a proud and loyal member of the LGBTQIA+ community, much of my life has been dedicated to encouraging love, acceptance, and open mindedness,†she wrote, urging the rapper to check his DMs so they can “be part of making a more just and understanding future!â€
Update, August 8, 2 p.m.: Well that didn’t last long. PopCrave tweeted on Sunday that DaBaby appears to have deleted his apology from his Instagram grid, and lo and behold, it’s no longer there.