While the general public may be ready to definitively throw DaBaby out with da bathwater, Wild’N Out host Nick Cannon is advising the opposite approach.
In a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, Cannon— while not justifying DaBaby’s comments in regards to the LGBTQ+ community—posited that rather than canceling and vilifying DaBaby, people should be trying to educate him instead. Per XXL, Cannon also tried to clarify that he didn’t think the “Bop” rapper was coming from a hateful place when he made those comments at Rolling Loud Miami, but added that his comments were unwarranted and there is “some hateful institutionalization that’s going on in us as men.”
After being asked what advice he’d give to DaBaby, Cannon explained:
“First of all, I think, not only in the Black community and I’ve experienced it, but definitely men a lot of times, we have that ego. Man, we believe apologizing is weakness when it actually takes great strength to step up to anyone and say, ‘I was wrong.’ And a lot of times we think apologizing is like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry you feel bad.’ You have to step up and say, ‘I didn’t handle that in a way...I’m not perfect.’ And that shows strength.” “I know [Da]Baby and that’s a strong brother. That man not only just lost his pops, his brother and still to have that big smile that he has everyday knowing everything that he comes [from]. I grew up in Charlotte part of my life. I know that life.”
“I challenge all these people who actually want to cancel somebody, and even specifically in DaBaby’s situation, let’s use this as an opportunity for education. Because that’s what happened in my scenario to where I still stuck true to the truths. [My minister] told me that I don’t ever want falsehood to come out of my mouth, so if I’m saying something that is not correct about your community, show me where I’m incorrect. Correct me.”
He concluded by adding, “If I’m saying these things about the LGBTQIA community, show me where I’m wrong,” he said. “Not only is that going to help me, but you’re going to help so many other people who think like me. There are so many DaBabys out there. This is a moment where we should all gather around DaBaby and embrace him because if we can do that, watch how many mentalities will change in the hip-hop community.”