Dave Chappelle Addresses DaBaby's Backlash Over Homophobic Comments

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Dave Chappelle speaks on DaBaby's controversial comments at Rolling Loud in his new Netflix special, "The Closer."

DaBaby is still feeling the backlash from his comments at Rolling Loud this past summer. The rapper's attempt at a call-and-response during his set ultimately targeted the LGBTQ community and those living with HIV/AIDS. It didn't take long for those comments to go viral and result in a steady decline in opportunities. Dua Lipa removed him from the "Levitate (Remix)" while festivals quietly took him off of line-ups.

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During Dave Chappelle's recent Netflix special, The Closer, the comedian dived into DaBaby's recent comments head-first. As someone who has frequently faced allegations of homophobia and transphobia in the height of cancel culture, Chappelle addressed the LGBTQ community first in an attempt to "negotiate the release of DaBaby."

"All the questions you might have had about all these jokes I’ve said in the last few years, I hope to answer tonight,” he said during the special. “And I’d like to start by addressing the [LGBTQ] community directly. I want every member of that community to know that I come here tonight in peace and I hope to negotiate the release of DaBaby.”

Chappelle added that the LGBTQ community likely isn't familiar with DaBaby's background including the fatal shooting at a Walmart in North Carolina that the rapper claimed was in self-defense.

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"A lot of the LGBTQ community doesn't know DaBaby's history. He's a wild guy. He once shot a n***a and killed him in Walmart," he said before urging the audience to Google it. "Nothing bad happened to his career. Do you see where I'm going with this? In our country, you can shoot and kill a n***a but you better not hurt a gay person's feelings."

Despite his piss poor apologies following the incident, DaBaby has recently attempted to redeem himself. He recently met with 9 HIV/AIDS awareness organizations where he offered an apology for his comments at Rolling Loud. Check the clip out below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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