DaBaby “eagerly” met with nine HIV-awareness organizations during the latest stop of his apology tour.
GLAAD announced on Tuesday that the “Suge” rapper virtually met with leaders from its organization, the Black AIDS Institute, the Gilead Sciences COMPASS Initiative and six other groups this week in response to his homophobic remarks made during the Rolling Loud Festival last month.
The organizers called for the meeting in an open letter dated Aug. 4 to “‘call him in instead of calling him out,’” they wrote in Tuesday’s press release.
The groups said in a statement that DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, “swiftly answered” their call and joined them in a “meaningful dialogue.”
“During our meeting, DaBaby was genuinely engaged, apologized for the inaccurate and hurtful comments he made about people living with HIV, and received our personal stories and the truth about HIV and its impact on Black and LGBTQ communities with deep respect,” the organizers’ statement continued. “We appreciate that he openly and eagerly participated in this forum of Black people living with HIV, which provided him an opportunity to learn and to receive accurate information.”
The 29-year-old “Red Light Green Light” rapper’s remarks caused numerous cancellations of his performances following the Rolling Loud Festival. He issued multiple apologies online but ultimately deleted his most detailed one from Instagram, sparking even more fury and sparking doubt that he meant his mea culpa.
Upon returning to the stage last weekend for his first performance since he found himself embroiled in scandal, DaBaby addressed his “mistakes” and credited Hot97 for giving him a chance.
“They still allowed me to come right here on this stage and utilize their platform,” he said. “They helped the world move forward and become a better place and not dismiss people based off mistakes made like we ain’t human.”