DaBaby recently met with nine HIV awareness organizations. According to an open letter from the groups, the rapper also apologized for his actions and engaged in the conversation.
The letter reports DaBaby was “genuinely engaged, apologized for the inaccurate and hurtful comments he made about people living with HIV, and received our personal stories and the truth about HIV and its impact on Black and LGBTQ communities with deep respect. We appreciate that he openly and eagerly participated in this forum of Black people living with HIV, which provided him an opportunity to learn and to receive accurate information.”
From there, the letter went to present “HIV facts every American needs to know”. The group went on to say that HIV is “preventable and when treated properly, cannot be passed on.”
They continue: “At a time when HIV continues to disproportionately impact Black communities, celebrities and influencers of all backgrounds have the power to defeat the stigma that fuels the epidemic. We must all do our part to make the public aware of medication that can prevent HIV and to get more people tested and treated. Together we can end this epidemic. 40 years is far too long. Stigma hurts; prevention, testing, and treatment work.”
DaBaby’s Rolling Loud Rant
A month ago, DaBaby had gone on a rant during his Rolling Loud set. The rapper had asked those who “didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS” or “ain’t sucking d*** in the parking lot” to “put cell-phone lighter up.” The same had gone for those whose “p**** smell like water.” Meanwhile, another person on the stage was calling people in the crowd “suspect.”
https://youtu.be/AxIFDjgF63I
DaBaby was quick to face backlash on social media. Parklive Festival then canceled DaBaby’s performance. DaBaby apologized for his actions in Instagram stories and posted apologies on the main profile. However, he supposedly deleted them later.
At some point in the controversy, DaBaby had received an open letter and invitation to meet with AIDS/HIV groups. Organizations had offered to discuss the issues and stigma people with deadly STDs face.
Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk
