Report- DaBaby Ghosted HIV/AIDS Organizations After August Meetup

DaBaby reportedly hasn’t followed up with a financial donation to three HIV/AIDS organizations since his meetup with them back in August.

According to a report in The Daily Beast, published on Wednesday (Dec. 1), three HIV/AIDS organizations told the website that the North Carolina rapper hasn’t made a financial contribution to them since their off-the-record meeting in August. Their meetup was to discuss DaBaby’s homophobic remarks he made at the 2021 Rolling Loud Miami Festival.

Pavni Guharoy, a communications consultant for the Black AIDS Institute, told The Daily Beast that while the meeting was productive, DaBaby hasn’t followed up with anything of substance.

“We have not received any outreach, partnership, or funding from DaBaby,” she wrote in an email to the outlet. “The onus is now on him, if he chooses to convert his misinformation into allyship by supporting the work of the Black AIDS Institute and other people of color-led HIV organizations.”

It was in August of 2021, when 11 HIV/AIDS organizations, including GLAAD and Black AIDS Institute, issued an open letter inviting DaBaby to a private meeting to explain to him why the anti-gay comments he uttered at the Rolling Loud Festival in July were damaging and hurtful.

If you recall, during DaBaby’s RL set, he told the crowd: “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, put your cell phone light in the air. Ladies, if your pussy smells like water, put a cell phone light in the air. Fellas, if you ain’t suckin’ dick in the parking lot, put your cell phone lights in the air.”

DaBaby initially tried to defend his comments, but did offer an apology on his Twitter account. But it was too late. The Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment leader was hit with backlash by the music community and was dropped from several music festivals.

GLAAD announced in August that DaBaby sat down for an educational meeting with nine HIV and LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Black AIDS Institute, Positive Women’s Network, Transinclusive Group, among others. Although DaBaby was “genuinely engaged” in their conversations, he hasn’t reached out to any of the HIV/AIDS organizations since their meeting.

A rep for the Positive Women’s Network, who met with the 29-year-old MC in August, told The Daily Beast they haven’t received any communication from him. Ian L. Haddock, founder and executive director of the Normal Anomaly Initiative, concurred the same sentiments, adding, “Though we felt the conversation was extremely powerful a couple of months ago, we haven’t heard anything back as an organization since our conversation.”

In November, it was announced that DaBaby would embark on a headlining tour backed by Rolling Loud, the same festival where he made those anti-gay remarks. The trek, titled The Live Show Killa tour, kicks off on Saturday (Dec. 4) in Atlanta. The tour will then hit several major cities beginning with Boston on Jan. 11, 2022.

XXL has reached out to the three HIV/AIDS organizations and a rep for the DaBaby for comment.

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