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DaBaby dropped from more music festivals following third apology

iHeartRadio and Austin City Limits music festivals have dropped the rapper

Peony Hirwani
Wednesday 04 August 2021 06:51 BST
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File image: DaBaby performs during DaBaby + Friends Concert on 17 April 2021
File image: DaBaby performs during DaBaby + Friends Concert on 17 April 2021 (Getty Images for Interscope)

DaBaby has been dropped from two more music festivals over homophobic comments he made at the Rolling Loud festival last month.

The organisers of iHeartRadio and Austin City Limits festivals released separate statements revealing that the 29-year-old rapper would not be performing at their events.

This news comes after the “Blame it on Baby” rapper was removed from the line-up for the Lollapalooza festival at the last minute on Sunday (1 August).

Parklife Festival has also dropped the Cleveland rapper where he was originally supposed to be one of the main acts along with the likes of Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, and Skepta.

In July, the rapper launched into a homophobic rant while performing on stage in Miami, in which he made derogatory and ignorant comments about the LGBTQ+ community, and people living with HIV and AIDS.

Using offensive language, he asked attendees to raise their mobile phone flashlights unless they were HIV-positive or gay men who performed sex acts in car parks, incorrectly stating that the disease would “make you die in two or three weeks.”

The rapper issued his third apology via Instagram this week.

“I want to apologise to the LGBT+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologise for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I knew education on this is important. Love to all. God bless,” he wrote.

He added: “Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes.”

“As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me — knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance — has been challenging.

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DaBaby concluded: “I appreciate the many people who came to me with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That’s what I needed and it was received.”

His first apology, in which he said “apologies for being me” was met with further backlash online, as stars including Dua Lipa,Madonna, and Elton John spoke out against the rapper.

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