Amid the ongoing controversy due to his homophobic remarks at Rolling Loud Miami this past weekend, DaBaby has issued yet another apology—sort of. It has been a stressful week for DaBaby's team as they attempt to reel in the scandal that has continued to unfold, and the support the North Carolina rapper has received from his fellow rappers hasn't been much help.
DaBaby's comments while on stage were enough to invoke the public's ire, but it was his follow-up explanation that sent people over the edge. He stated that his gay fans don't have HIV/AIDS because, as he suggested, they aren't "junkies." He told critics to keep the same energy when headlines included cases of racism or brutality, but people didn't accept his correlation.
Several artists and organizations have used this opportunity to speak out about homophobia, in and outside of the Hip Hop community, and GLADD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation organization, shared a statement given via their associate director of communities of color, DaShawn Usher.
“The rhetoric that DaBaby used is inaccurate, hurtful, and harmful to the LGBTQ community and the estimated 1.2 million Americans living with HIV,” Usher tweeted. "It is critical that DaBaby and his fans learn that people living with HIV today, when on effective treatment, lead long and healthy lives and cannot transmit HIV.”
"While DaBaby has made haphazard attempts to 'apologize,' actions need to be taken for full accountability," Usher continued. "It further confirms what @GLADD reported last year in the State of HIV Stigma Study that stigma and misinformation around HIV is widespread, and there is much work to be done to educate the public, including entertainers."
Meanwhile, Dababy released the music video for his new single "Giving What It's Supposed To Give," and at the end of the visual, he included a message. In rainbow-colored font, it reads, "Don't Fight Hate With Hate," and the rapper added, "My apologies for being me the same way you want the freedom to be you."
Check it out below.
