Crossing Rap’s Line of Voyeurism
Why DaBaby is still making news ten days later (Originally written on August 4, 2021)
Cleveland born, Charlotte raised rapper DaBaby (nee Jonathan Lyndale Kirk) has gotten more press this week than he probably has since rap fans at-large became aware of him a few years ago. The recent comments he made regarding people not having HIV/AIDS/STIs, women having plain-smelling vaginas, and men not giving other men fellatio in the parking lot at the annual Rolling Loud Music Festival in Miami launched the days-long responses currently making headlines. The most vocal opposition has come from people identifying as LGBTQ+ and advocates. As of this writing, DaBaby has lost an ambassador deal with online fast fashion brand Boohoo Man and has been removed from lineups at six upcoming music festivals which include Governors Ball, iHeartRadio Music Festival, and Lollapalooza. His two public apologies also weren’t received well by critics. In short, a lot of people ain’t feeling DaBaby right now.
These are all things you’re aware of even if you slightly follow U.S. pop culture news. However, it’s a particular part of the second “apology” which encouraged me to write this today:
…having people I know publicly working against me — knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance — has been challenging.
Why this part of the apology? I thought about many other boilerplate apologies given on behalf of Black entertainers who’ve been on the verge of cancellation prior to DaBaby. These apologies are never written in their voice and continue to show a lack of contextual and cultural awareness for the person — not client — being called to task. It was also at that moment I realized these artists don’t have any educated, informed people around them who can also speak their language and see them as more than a check. The entertainment industry never has a shortage of openings for “Yes People”, the type of people no flawed individual (read: all humans) should ever have around them.
I’m a Black transgender man who once identified as a masculine lesbian. It’s expected for me to be mad as hell about DaBaby’s comments and responses because I identify as such. While he was most certainly out of pocket and I want the brother to know better much sooner than later, I’m not mad at him or any other Black person who thinks similarly — because then I’d have to be mad at him and any other Black person who creates and lives similarly. I’m not throwing babies out with the bathwater. I know many brothers who look, walk, and talk like DaBaby, some I can call friends. We respectfully agree-to-disagree in a principled manner and when one of us is out of pocket, we check each other in love. I never seek to change their minds to completely match my own values because when has convincing a person ever truly worked? However, I’ve encouraged numerous brothers to think a little differently before acting in a way that isn’t beneficial. On the contrary, some people are beyond repair and have no desire to see the world through clearer lenses, gladly doubling down on their stances in the process. No one is for everyone and I’m okay with this — I hope whoever reads this is, too.
I watched the Dipset & The Lox Verzuz battle and while everything I miss about rap from my teens and twenties happened on that stage, I remembered all the derogatory language and violent lyrics in rap music of the 1990s and early 2000s that would get you metaphorically drawn and quartered today. The music industry is a business dependent upon listeners’ tastes while also having the power to shift our ears to something more substantive. This happened with Talib Kweli’s “Get By” produced by [old] Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools (Drank)” produced by T-Minus. Both songs were in heavy rotation with the former being about economic instability in the face of a celebrity- and consumer-driven society, the latter being about substance abuse — each issue plaguing many Black people throughout the world. I still doubt most people know “Swimming Pools (Drank)” is about substance abuse, but for those who listened intently to the lyrics the beat made the song’s message more palatable than if it had less radio-friendly production. The exceptions are never rules though and the many iterations of gangster rap since Ice-T’s “6 ’N the Mornin’” and Schoolly D’s “P.S.K. ‘ What Does It Mean?’’ in the 1980s to the drill and trap of today maintain the desire to hear about a way of life not experienced by most rap fans, let alone most Black people.
Despite there being an extensive catalog of almost 40 years of crime, violence, and buying expensive merchandise on wax, it all still remains voyeuristic for many non-Black people — until you cross a line and offend non-Black people. There are people of all races living with HIV/AIDS/STIs, who identify as LGBTQ+, and who have vaginas. Although I saw the largest number of responses criticizing DaBaby coming from Black LGBTQ+ people, his comments went far beyond the Black community. Ultimately, I believe this is why DaBaby’s comments continue to make the blogs and news ten days after his Rolling Loud performance. If you’re thinking, “It’s the Gay Agenda!” I respectfully disagree. However, I have a podcast episode about how the mainstream media has done an excellent job in keeping its agenda of division and polarization alive. For this reason I was pleased to see the majority of the 11 HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations who penned an open letter wanting to meet privately with DaBaby are headed by Black people. Although he’s a straight male, I think it’s safe to say he’s encountered more Black bisexual, gay, lesbian, and possibly transgender people growing up in Charlotte, NC than LGBTQ+ people of any other race. DaBaby is from the hood so it’s quite likely the socioeconomic effects of being a poor Black person with HIV/AIDS/STIs, who identifies as LGBTQ+, not having access to the best food or healthcare options, or all three are a reality for many people who lived around him. Getting this education from Black people who advocate for the well-being of other Black people would be most effective because I truly believe Black people generally want to see other Black people doing well.
Whether or not DaBaby wants to meet with the organizations to learn the facts of life for people living with HIV/AIDS, STIs, and anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ or it’s a damage control move to avoid a premature end to his career remains to be seen. Nonetheless, what I want DaBaby to gain from this meeting is an awareness of how Black people are impacted by the lack of information and misinformation regarding the transmission of HIV/AIDS/STIs, how diet and lifestyle not only affects vaginal health but also penile health, and the perception of LGBTQ+ individuals. Also, having more people in his circle who know the ins-and-outs of hot button issues and want Jonathan Lyndale Kirk — not DaBaby — to succeed and not at the expense of his dignity and legacy is something else he and all Black entertainers should prioritize.
P.S. — He should’ve kept Baby Jesus as a stage name.
