T.I. is continuing to insert himself into the narrative of DaBaby’s homophobic remarks and the ensuing criticisim.
There is a running conspiracy that the LGBTQ+ community is somehow bullying grown adults by choosing not to support artists and entertainers who don’t respect people’s sexuality and gender. T.I. added to this notion by claiming that DaBaby (a nearly 30-year-old man who frequently boasts about how he literally ended someone’s life) is now a victim of bullying.
“Everyone up in arms and upset about what DaBaby said. I understand people saying that they feel that it’s insensitive,” T.I. said in an Instagram Live session. “I think you guys have to understand that onstage, that’s not the place that rappers go to be sensitive and soothe everybody’s feelings. It’s a place to go to have a good time.”
T.I. then pulled out his $5 words to try to state that DaBaby is being crucified and villainized by the queer community.
“Why do words cause such a visceral reaction that will lead to someone trying to attack, villainize, demonize, crucify, condemn and like, that shit is like, now you bullying,” he continued. “We all stood up on behalf of gays and lesbians and people in the gay community because we thought it was some bullshit for y’all to have to be bullied. … But I don’t think any of us did that to feel like you would now have the authority to come and bully us.”
T.I.’s remarks are in response to DaBaby’s homophobic comments at Rolling Loud Miami. They also aren’t his first time defending DaBaby. Shortly after DaBaby’s comments gained national attention, T.I. decided to attach Lil Nas X (who has nothing to do with these distasteful remarks) to the situation.
“If Lil Nas X can kick his shit in peace… so should DaBaby,” T.I. wrote under an Instagram video showing DaBaby’s onstage remarks, adding a shrug emoji and the hashtag #equality.
Like T.I.’s comment, the attention is seemingly shifting in the rap community from DaBaby alienating his fans and trivializing a deadly illness to somehow villainizing Lil Nas X.
“Everybody not with their nephew sucking dick. Everybody not with that shit. You just can’t just put that shit on everybody and expect it to be cool,” Boosie said on IG Live. “Nas X say he wanna perform naked onstage for charity. You don’t fuck with him like you fuck with DaBaby. You know, be even-sided, man, be even-sided. ... You don’t think that’s disrespect in front of boys who tryna be straight? It’s totally disrespect.”
Boosie then took things to the next level by threatening unprovoked violence against Lil Nas X for a hypothetical performance. “If I’m at an awards [show] and he go up there naked, I’ma drag his ass offstage and beat his ass. You let a n***a dance naked in front your children, you a motherfuckin’ crazy motherfucker—or you like dick too,” Boosie said while also calling Nas X a “lil f****t ass” and “the most disrespectful motherfucker in the world.”
There are many holes to be poked in these responses, like the fact that DaBaby’s homophobic comments weren’t mere jokes said in good fun. He furthered harmful rhetoric about HIV/AIDS and alienated fans for not being heterosexual. If members of the LGBTQ+ community and businesses who care about queer customers decide to stop supporting DaBaby over his comments—i.e. boohooMAN—that’s not bullying. It’s plainly the consequences of one’s actions, which any adult has the capability to understand. As a pro-Black voice of activism, T.I. should be able to comprehend the intersectionality between Black equality and LGBTQ+ rights. It’s impossible for Black people to be free and not want queer people to be treated equally.
