DaBaby ‘homophobia’ row rumbles on as rapper dropped from Lollapalooza line-up

Published

3 years ago

August 2, 2021

admin

The fallout from comments made by DaBaby about HIV and gay men continues, after the rapper was booted off the bill of a major music festival.

DaBaby has been widely criticised for his comments, where he told audience members to put their phone lights in the air – unless they were HIV-positive or were gay men who performed sex acts in car parks.

As well as seemingly singling out those suffering from the virus, DaBaby also incorrectly asserted that it will “make you die in two or three weeks”.

The Grammy-nominated rapper had been due to be one of the closing acts of Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, but was instead replaced by Young Thug, just hours before he was due to perform.

Organisers of Lollapalooza tweeted: “Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love.

“With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight.”

Being dropped from the event comes after losing his clothing line with boohooMan and facing condemnation from the likes of Madonna and Dua Lipa – who he collaborated with on the track Levitating.

Elton John, who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, also added his voice to the criticism, writing on Instagram: “We’ve been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show.

“This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.⁣”

Subscribe to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

The rapper did apologise on Twitter late last week, saying he had been “insensitive”, but had already called people living with HIV “nasty” and “junkies on the street” in an Instagram story.

Medication is available for HIV, that allows those who have tested positive for the virus to live long, healthy and safe lives.

Previous requests for comment to DaBaby’s management by Sky News have not been answered.

Entertainment

Eminem to become a grandfather after daughter Hailie Jade confirms pregnancy

Published

5 hours ago

October 3, 2024

admin

Eminem to become a grandfather after daughter Hailie Jade confirms pregnancy

US rapper Eminem is to become a grandfather.

The 51-year-old revealed the news in a music video released on Thursday for his song Temporary, which is dedicated to his daughter Hailie Jade.

The video features a montage of clips of the pair during their lives – including a moment when she presents her father with a blue jumper with “Grampa 1” written on the back.

Jade then hands him what appears to be an ultrasound scan – which a visibly surprised Eminem then shows to the camera.

The 28-year-old also later confirmed her pregnancy in an Instagram post on Thursday.

The social media influencer uploaded photos of herself and husband Evan McClintock hugging and looking at the ultrasound image.

She wrote: “Mom & dad est. 2025”.

Temporary, which features singer Skylar Grey, is from the rapper’s latest album The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace), which was released earlier this summer.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, explains in the introduction to the emotional track that it is for his daughter to listen to “When I’m no longer here”.

He adds: “I wrote you this song, To help you cope with life now that I’m gone… Sweetie, be strong, I know I was your rock, And I still am…

“You will get over me and move on, you can play me on repeat on a song. But don’t you dare shed a tear”.

In the chorus, Grey sings: “In time, I’ll be fine. The tears are temporary.”

Jade, who married her husband in May, is the only biological daughter of Eminem with his ex-wife Kim Scott.

He also adopted two of Scott’s daughters from previous relationships.

The rapper, who shot to fame with his single My Name Is in 1999, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Entertainment

Thousands of fake Oasis tickets advertised before North America tour sale begins

Published

8 hours ago

October 3, 2024

admin

Thousands of fake Oasis tickets advertised before North America tour sale begins

Oasis have warned fans that thousands of fake tickets for their North America tour are being advertised before the official sale has begun.

A post on the Band’s official X account read: “Please be aware. Thousands of fake Oasis tickets have already been discovered on StubHub and Vivid Seats before the North America tour has even gone on sale!”

The post linked to a letter released by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) on Wednesday – the day before pre-sale tickets went on sale – which said it found evidence of at least 9,000 fake tickets being listed for the highly anticipated US shows.

“Not only are these tickets fake, they are estimated to be exceedingly higher than the face value of real tickets,” the NIVA said.

The association claimed StubHub had 2,177 fake ticket listings across three of the shows and Vivid Seats listed approximately 3,450 fake tickets.

It said a “significant number” of listings on Vivid Seats had “no warning or messages that the tickets were not in the possession of the seller, including the most expensive tickets across all three nights”.

It also provided screenshots of various tickets on both ticket resale websites, where some tickets were being advertised for over $11,000 (£8,300).

When accessed in the UK, Sky News found tickets for the same show in Pasadena, California, selling on Vivid Seats for £8,710 – although this was after some legitimate tickets were made available during the pre-sale ballot.

General sale tickets for the tour, which will go to cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Mexico City, are not officially available to purchase until 4 October.

It comes after the band issued a similar warning in the UK, warning against people reselling tickets for their reunion tour dates at higher prices.

The NIVA called on the Senate Commerce Committee to hold a hearing into what it called “predatory ticket practices” including the sale of speculative tickets.

It said: “We urge Congress to probe the ticket brokers and resale platforms empowering those brokers to sell fake tickets and use deceptive practices that victimise fans every day, including around the sale of Oasis tickets in the US.”

The band reiterated that Twickets US and Ticketmaster are the only places fans can buy resale tickets.

Sky News has contacted StubHub and Vivid Seats for comment.

Entertainment

Stephen Mulhern apologises to tenants over ‘squalor’ at his rental home

Published

11 hours ago

October 3, 2024

admin

Stephen Mulhern apologises to tenants over 'squalor' at his rental home

Presenter Stephen Mulhern says he is “absolutely mortified” to learn that tenants in a bungalow he owns in Leicester have been living in damp and mouldy conditions.

The 47-year-old star owns a property firm called JFDI Productions, which rents out several houses and is worth over £4m according to company filings.

One of the tenants shared images of a bungalow he rents in Leicester, showing mould on walls and ceilings throughout the home, with the Big Issue.

Speaking to the street paper, the man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he felt “bitter and alienated” after living with damp and mould in the property for two years.

He said he and his flatmate began noticing a damp problem during an annual inspection with the management agent, Connells, a couple of years ago.

The pair – who were both key workers during COVID – said they pay £775 for the house per month.

Despite saying they complained to the management agency about the issue multiple times since then, they say no action has been taken, with the damp affecting rooms throughout the house.

They said the agent had advised they “ventilate the properly and keep the house warm during the winter,” but the situation had continued to worsen.

“We remained patient, sending polite emails at first. In later conversations, my remarks became a bit sharper,” he said.

Although they said high humidity readings in the house had eventually persuaded the management agency to install “a positive input ventilation system”, they said that had only temporarily improved conditions.

The tenant described Mulhern as “a millionaire, profiting off our misery”.

‘Absolutely mortified’ about the ‘unacceptable’ situation

Responding to news of the state of the home, a representative for Mulhern told Sky News the presenter was “absolutely mortified to learn about this situation and the awful experience the tenant has faced which is clearly unacceptable”.

They said he had not been made aware of any of the issues and had relied entirely on the company that manage the property on his behalf.

They said he has now “personally requested for a team of damp specialists to visit the property to make sure that the problems with the ventilation and mould are resolved as a matter of urgency”.

Additionally, they confirmed the tenant had been contacted “to express sincere apologies for the distress and frustration the management of this matter has caused”.

They said the situation “falls way below the standards Stephen expects and he is doing everything possible to remedy this ASAP, and this process is already under way”.

A representative for Connells told Sky News: “As agents we work on behalf of the landlord and we continue to work with the landlord’s representative to address the issues raised’.”

Mulhern, who was announced as co-presenter of Dancing On Ice last year replacing Philip Schofield, will front the new series of the show alongside Holly Willoughby when it kicks off in January.