DaBaby burst onto the scene in 2019 with his hit song “Suge.” Ever since then, he has enjoyed an above-average amount of relevancy. From his features to his often chaotic performances, DaBaby thought he was here to stay.
A track record of bad behavior
Let’s start at the beginning, mainly because I need to do a little dissociation for a certain state. I’m born and raised in Greensboro, NC. DaBaby reps North Carolina, as well. However, according to Complex, he’s actually from Cleveland and moved to Charlotte in the late ’90s. He did attend UNC-Greensboro (my alma mater) for a couple of years, but that’s not enough for me to co-sign him.
DaBaby has a history of bad behavior. While in North Carolina back in 2019, according to NBC, he pleaded guilty to possessing a gun and being involved in a shooting. He has slapped a fan, and then there was the time he assaulted a hotel employee. And while TMZ reports that it was because he was protecting his privacy as he had his daughter in his arms, there’s still an adult way to handle things.
And we can’t forget the time he was arrested in Beverly Hills, Calif. for weapons possession, and he was taken into custody a few months later after two people were shot. NBC News reports that DaBaby provided a statement and was shortly released.
Despite all of this behavior, I slowly began to side-eye him but made a concerted effort to separate the artist from the person. And then he decided to authorize the release of a single with Megan Thee Stallion’s accused assaulter, Tory Lanez. Tory is the one who allegedly shot Megan in the foot last summer.
DaBaby and Megan were supposed to be friends, and they were collaborators as well. So it was a slap in her face for DaBaby to befriend Tory and team up with him for the song “Skat,” which was released in June 2021.
To make matters even worse, according to People, DaBaby “liked” a tweet where someone said he and Tory were friends because they have both shot a person. For me, that was the final straw and I was convinced that DaBaby should be canceled.
Hip hop as a whole has a tendency to allow cishet Black men to have a hall pass when it comes to how they treat women. When do we, as a community, stand up and say enough is enough?
Rolling loud…and wrong
To me, all of this sealed the deal on where I stood with DaBaby. It was confirmation that DaBaby should be canceled because he’s nothing but a troll.
DaBaby didn’t stop there. During his set, he went into a homophobic and hate-filled rant. Digital News took the time to transcribe his words for us all: “If you didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cell phone lighter up.” He continued by saying, “Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d–k in the parking lot, put your cell phone lighter up!” Sigh.
And this is where I should be inserting his apology. But instead, DaBaby doubled down. The next day, he took to Instagram to say that his fans aren’t “nasty” and “take care of themselves” and don’t contract HIV/AIDS and that his message was a call to action. And action is exactly what happened.
CNN reported that DaBaby (more like his PR rep) provided a few sentences that came across like a quasi-apology. In summary, it was his way of excusing his behavior with an “oh, my bad” at the end.
The backlash
Billboard reported that the apparel company boohooMan dropped DaBaby and ended their partnership. Forbes reports that festivals and artists like Dua Lipa have removed DaBaby from their listings. And while I don’t really know that “cancel culture” is an official thing, I will say that his behavior has undoubtedly led to a withdrawal of support and interest.
Perhaps there’s been no sweeter revenge than learning that rising Black Queer rapper Lil Nas X took down DaBaby as Spotify’s most-streamed male rapper as all of this was unfolding, according to Yahoo News.
As he continued to get canceled all over the place, DaBaby deleted his apology from social media. It’s pretty clear that his apology wasn’t authentic in the first place.
My final thoughts on DaBaby being canceled
If you’re okay with supporting this man then go for it. But, if you have an ounce of morality, you’ll pull the plug and agree that DaBaby should be canceled. People are allotted as many chances as you allow, but that doesn’t mean I have to give him one. People like him are able to spew hate so freely because there are followers who genuinely believe none of his actions are offensive. And what’s worse is that there are some fans who are directly impacted by his actions that will still download, stream, and pay to see him live. As for the rest of us, it’s inexcusable.
If I never hear another DaBaby song, I’d consider it a gift. Albeit, there’s a Megan feature or two I’d miss. But the reality is, our sis ate him on those records, so we can enjoy her and skip along to the next song, right?
Sadly, DaBaby will not be going away and that’s a reality so many of us Black queer people have accepted when we meet bullies. We just have to adjust and grow beyond him. He will likely post random videos and allow enough time and space to occur so he can have a rebrand and a relaunch of some sort. Brands and partnerships will slowly trickle back in, and he will enjoy the perks of his straight male privilege.
But there will be people like me who will not forget. Suggesting someone is worthless because of their sexual status is disrespectful and unforgivable. That type of ignorance and homophobia isn’t instilled overnight. It is embedded deeply in him and his words and “apology” show that.
DaBaby could literally come out as a member of the community and I’d feel the same way I do today. Trolling and mocking women by bringing out an accused assaulter on stage further reiterates who this man is and what he stands for. As far as I’m concerned, he is canceled.
Hopefully, he invested his money well because he’ll receive no more support from me and many others.