DaBaby’s apparent redemption has come full circle, as he is embarking on a tour with the backing of Rolling Loud, the live music brand best known for its hip-hop festivals. The sponsorship comes after the North Carolina rapper delivered a homophobic and misogynistic rant during his Rolling Loud Miami set in late July.
In a statement issued to Rolling Stone, the company explained its support of the artist. “Rolling Loud supports second chances and we believe DaBaby has grown and learned from his experience. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to DaBaby’s fans seeing him live.”
Rolling Loud’s support of DaBaby doesn’t come as a major surprise. Last week, he returned to the Rolling Loud stage during 50 Cent’s headlining set in New York City. It’s now apparent the organizers were testing the waters for DaBaby’s “Live Show Killa Tour,” which will hit more than 20 cities starting in late November.
Following his anti-gay and sexist remarks, DaBaby was quickly dropped from festivals like Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, Austin City Limits, Day N’ Vegas, and iHeartRadio Music Festival. After a series of insincere apologies and retractions, he attended a virtual meeting with leaders from several H.I.V. organizations in late August, during which he once again apologized for his comments. At the time, he was praised for being “genuinely engaged.”
One day after the meeting took place, DaBaby appeared alongside Marilyn Manson at one of Kanye West’s Donda listening parties, drawing backlash for all parties involved. In the case of Manson, he’s been accused by multiple women of sexual abuse. Adding fuel to the fire, Kanye replaced Jay-Z’s much-anticipated verse on Donda with one from DaBaby.
