Has DaBaby Been Blackballed?

DaBaby. Source: Astrida Valigorsky / Getty

Meek Mill took to Twitter to say he feels that DaBaby is being blackballed within the music industry.

“They blatantly black balling da baby,” he wrote. “Not my business but ima observer.”

The Philly rapper’s revelation comes after the release of DaBaby’s album, Baby on Baby 2. The album is expected to sell 16,500 units, which is extremely low. It’s a major decline from the first week numbers of his Blame It On Baby project of 124,000 units. That LP also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

DaBaby echoed Meek Mill’s sentiments in an Instagram story post.

“Not bad for da blackballed Baby,” he said regarding his album sales.

They blatantly black balling da baby .. not my business but ima observer 👨🏾‍🔬

— MeekMill (@MeekMill) September 29, 2022

If DaBaby is blackballed, this is a self-inflicted wound. Here’s a recap of what he’s done to dim his own light.

At Rolling Loud back in 2021 he said:

If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up. Ladies, if your p**** smell like water, put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t s–king d*** in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.

He did apologize to those with HIV/AIDS but dismissed the LGBTQ community. He initially apologized to them in a social media post but later deleted it.

Anybody who done ever been effected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies 🙏🏾

But the LGBT community… I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.

— DaBaby (@DaBabyDaBaby) July 27, 2021

He also brought out Tory Lanez during his Rolling Loud set, which many took as a blatant jab to Megan Thee Stallion.

Before he secured his record deal with Interscope Records, he shot and killed a man in Charlotte, NC, according to Rolling Stone. He said it was in self-defense.

Then, the “Bop” rapper humiliated the mother of his third child, DaniLeigh, during two different Instagram Lives. He antagonized her while she was nursing their then newborn daughter. He called her “cuckoo for cocoa puffs,” “a side chick” and called the police on her to have her removed from his home. He later had a physical altercation with her brother at a Los Angeles bowling alley.

Most recently, he spilled some tea unnecessarily when he said she slept with Megan Thee Stallion. On his song “Boogeyman” he rapped:

You play with me that s*** was childish

The day before she said that Tory Lanez shot her I was f****** on Megan Thee Stallion

Waited to say that s*** on my next album

Hit it the day before too

But I kept it player, I ain’t say nothing ’bout it

Had her pretty boy, boyfriend tweeting me, ready to die ’bout the b**** like a coward

I told you n***** don’t play, now you gone have to handle me

I poked the motherf****** bear, I’m an animal

To add insult to injury, he featured a Megan Thee Stallion lookalike in the “Boogeyman” music video.

All these occurrences have rubbed people the wrong way. His behavior comes off as insensitive, disrespectful, homophobic, antagonizing and hurtful. Yes, he can say what he wants to say, but that comes with a set of consequences when you are a celebrity–which he has already been experiencing.

A performance of his in New Orleans was canceled because of low ticket sales. Baby on Baby 2 had lackluster first week sales. After those cringe Rolling Loud comments in 2021, he lost his deal with Boohoo Men. He was kicked off of the roster for Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball, the UK’s Parklife and Day N’ Vegas festivals. Whether you like it or not, when you are a public figure you have to watch your mouth. Especially when you haven’t been in the game that long and don’t have a longstanding rapport with your fans.

So, if DaBaby is blackballed, he should try to seek redemption. But is it too late?