DaBaby is no stranger to controversy, but the rapper says he’s learned from his mistakes.
The “Rockstar” artist sat down for an interview with online series The Shop: Uninterrupted. In the video posted on YouTube May 5, DaBaby discussed the backlash he faced after making homophobic comments on stage at the 2021 Rolling Loud Festival in Miami.
“I got knocked the f–k out,” he said during the online talk series from LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Paul Rivera.
Shortly after the Rolling Loud incident, DaBaby issued a lengthy apology on Instagram but soon deleted it.
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Asked if he would deal with the situation differently today, the 31-year-old music star responded, “Absolutely. Absolutely.”
“That’s something that came out of my own mouth,” he said. “I would have apologized, like, ‘I didn’t mean to.’ I’m this type of person. I’m going to fight to the tooth and nail about my character and my intentions. I’m not a bad person. My character, that’s something I’m unfaltering on that.”
The Grammy-nominated artist noted that his career was on a meteoric rise before Rolling Loud. He released his first album in 2019 and quickly became one of the most sought after artists in rap music, booking magazine covers and appearances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“When I look at what I was blessed enough to be able to accomplish within a year of 2019 alone, these things as an artist, as a rapper are like, there’s people who would give their hand to get these things,” he explained. “Cover of Billboard, cover of XXL, SNL, Jimmy Fallon, I did all that sh-t. I wasn’t even familiar with how large SNL was.”
But it all came to a halt after he made a comment about HIV and AIDs.
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Amid the fallout, the North Carolina rapper lost endorsement deals and other music festivals pulled the plug on his scheduled appearances.
DaBaby said he tried to stay positive.
“You almost gotta make it your business to not let that sh-t get to you, ’cause once it gets to you, it’s almost like, it’s a nonstop game of figuring this sh-t out,” he told The Shop. “That’s what we have to do anyway, to market ourselves, to make ourselves worth something.”
He added, “And, if you look back on it, like I was the most, and I hope this sh-t don’t sound like I’m tootin’ my own horn, but I was the most marketable artist in the world.”
The rapper was joined on the episode by actor and producer Damson Idris, artist Hebru Brantley, and gymnast Katelyn Ohashi.
Idris talked about his career and the final season of his FX series Snowfall.
“This article came out today and said ‘Damson Idris is your favorite celebrity’s favorite celebrity.’ I’m getting love from the GOATS,” Idris said. “In a hundred years, who are they going to be talking about? They’re going to be talking about Franklin Saint, I promise you.”
Watch the episode of The Shop below.
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