Rapper DaBaby has been dropped from two major music festivals — first Lollapalooza and now Governor’s Ball — after making homophobic remarks and comments about HIV/AIDS.
The 29-year-old rapper was supposed to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago on the final night of the four-day event but was dropped from the lineup early Sunday. “Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love. With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight,” the organizers said in a statement.
Governors Ball, which is held annually in New York City, followed suit and dropped the rapper on Monday. “Founders Entertainment does not and will not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind. We welcome and celebrate the diverse communities that make New York City the greatest city in the world,” organizers said.
The fallout comes after DaBaby’s comments at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami on July 25. “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 light up,” the rapper said onstage. He also asked for men there who did not perform oral sex on another man in the parking lot to raise their phones.
His comments were immediately met with criticism online. He later said people misinterpreted his comments, but eventually apologized. “Anybody who done ever been affected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies,” he tweeted. “But the LGBT community. I ain’t trippin’ on y’all, do you. Y’all business is y’all business.”
Jonathan McDougle contributed reporting.
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