A day after DaBaby was dropped from the Lollapalooza lineup for his homophobic comments last week, New York’s Governors Ball canceled his performance at the festival, which takes place in September.
In a tweet labeled “Stay tuned for a lineup addition,” the festival’s promoter wrote in a social media message: “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. Thank you to the fans who continue to speak up for what is right. Along with you, we will continue to use our platform for good.”
A rep for DaBaby did not immediately respond to PvNew‘s request for comment; a rep for GovBall said there was no further comment beyond the statement.
The wording of the message suggests that fan response played a role in the promoter’s decision, although DaBaby has faced a firestorm of criticism in the wake of his patently homophobic comments onstage at the Rolling Loud festival on the weekend of July 23, and his subsequent comments and half-baked apology about the situation.
At the time of this article’s publication, DaBaby remained on the Daytime Stage schedule for the iHeartRadio Music Festival scheduled to take place in Las Vegas next month; a rep for the festival did not immediately respond to PvNew‘s request for comment.
Along with Lollapalooza, which issued a statement similar in tone to that of GovBall’s,DaBaby was alsodropped from a benefit concert for the Working Families Party last week, which he was headlining alongside Saweetie and Wyclef Jean. “We have to hold people accountable and live to our values, which is why there is a change in our lineup,” the Working Families Party stated.
His name has also disappeared from the lineups of European festivals he was scheduled to play, although sources tell PvNew the rapper had canceled those appearances himself due to travel issues some time ago.
Stay tuned for a lineup addition. pic.twitter/ED4rhbL9Wm
— The Governors Ball (@GovBallNYC) August 2, 2021
During DaBaby’s recent Rolling Loud performance, the rapperencouraged the audience to put their cell phone flashlights in the air if they “didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that will make you die in two to three weeks,” among further derogatory remarks about HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ people.
The comments quickly sparked backlash on social media, and DaBaby was pulled from his brand ambassador deal with Boohoo Man. His “Levitating” collaborator,Dua Lipa, also spoke outagainst him, along with other big names like Elton John.
DaBaby later admitted on Twitter that his remarks were “insensitive,” but also suggested that the comments had been “digested” wrong in another tweet, following with statements like “Apologies for being me.” Many have said his responses fall well short of being a sincere apology.
DaShawn Usher, GLAAD’s Associate Director of Communities of Color, said on Wednesday:“The rhetoric that DaBaby used is inaccurate, hurtful, and harmful to the LGBTQ community and the estimated 1.2 million Americans living with HIV. 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 and changes to do better in the future. It further confirms what GLAAD reported last year in theState of HIV Stigma Studythat stigma and misinformation around HIV is widespread, and there is much work to be done to educate the public, including entertainers.”
