Megan Thee Stallion says ‘it’s about time’ rap embraces queer people after DaBaby debacle
Megan Thee Stallion performing at Lollapalooza. (Gary Miller/FilmMagic)
Megan Thee Stallion has said it’s time the rap world confronts anti-LGBT+ hate head-on and have “compassion and acceptance of every human”.
In an interview with People published on Thursday (5 August), “WAP” megastar Megan Thee Stallion said “it really is about time” that rap tackles bigotry.
“Representation is really important, and it is really crucial for us all to have compassion and acceptance of every human,” she said.
Megan’s comments come as the music industry’s biggest stars continue to weigh in on rapper DaBaby’s homophobic remarks, made late last month at the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival.
“If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually-transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two, three weeks, then put your cellphone light up,” he said.
“Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d**k in the parking lot, put your cellphone light up,” he continued. “Keep it real.”
DaBaby’s collaborator Dua Lipa, Elton John and Azealia Banks have since slammed the chart-topping rapper for his bigoted rant.
(1/5) We've been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show. This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.
The facts are: pic.twitter.com/MqCv3vWiz2
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) July 28, 2021
DaBaby also brought out Tory Lanez, who has been accused (but denies) shooting Megan) out on stage during the set, immediately after the “WAP” star’s own.
After doubling down on his comments, DaBaby issued apologies on social media.
DaBaby’s comments earned him a swift backlash, with several festivals cancelling appearances.
Yet shortly after his performance, he released a music video for “Giving What It’s Supposed To Give” in which he seemed to double down on the comments. Holding a sign which simply read “AIDS”, he raps: “B***h, we like AIDS, I’m on your a**, we won’t go away.”
After losing various gigs and being widely condemned online, DaBaby issued a series of apologies for his comments, the most recent of which was shared to Instagram on Tuesday (3 August).
“I want to apologise to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made,” he wrote. “Again, I apologise for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important.”
Advocates have made huge progress in the fight for comprehensive, unbiased HIV healthcare over the last few decades, improving access to vital, preventative drug PrEP on the NHS – although there is still work to be done. Anti-retroviral therapies (ART) can also effectively manage viral loads of HIV, and when viral loads are undetectable, the virus cannot be passed even through condomless sex.
As well as fuelling HIV misinformation, DaBaby’s grotesque comments have also reignited conversation around hip-hop’s history of homophobia, although openly gay rapper Da Brat this week (August 5) stated to TMZ Live that being gay in hip-hop is “way better now.”
“Now it’s 2021 so it’s a different vibe totally,” she said. “People are 100 per cent supportive.”
In 2019 Megan Thee Stallion apologised for resurfaced tweets from 2011 and 2012, when she was in her late teens, that showed her using a homophobic slur.
She said the tweets “obviously do not represent my views now”, adding: “I don’t do nothing but show love to everyone.”
