In his first return to the stage after his homophobic rant at Rolling Loud, rapper DaBaby said he, “never, ever meant to offend anybody,” and thanked Hot 97 for giving him the opportunity to perform.

Mere weeks ago, DaBaby (Jonathan Lyndale Kirk) was in some serious hot water after his Rolling Loud performance, as theGrio previously reported. The rapper went on a homophobic rant on stage, telling the festival attendees, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases, then put your cell phone lighter up.”

He continued, “Ladies, if your p— smell like water, put your cell phone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d–– in the parking lot, put your cell phone lighter up.” 

DaBaby at Rolling Loud on July 25, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Naturally, the speech made its way online and immediately drew significant backlash from not only fans, but other people in the music industry like Elton John, Questlove and Dua Lipa. The speech also lead to him getting dropped from some major shows, including the 2021 Governor’s Ball, Lollapalooza, and the Day N Vegas festivals to name a few.

Over this past weekend, the rapper returned to the stage at Hot97’s Summer Jam concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. While DaBaby eventually apologized (in a now-deleted post) on social media, the rapper took the time to address the controversial situation.

In a video montage as his set begun, DaBaby’s told the crowd he was thankful for Hot 97 as they, “allowed me to share my gift, share my blessing with y’all out here live on this stage amongst all the chaos and all the backlash.”

DaBaby performs onstage during Rolling Loud at Hard Rock Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

He continued, “They accepted my sincerity and all my apologies when I said I never, ever meant to offend anybody or say anything to make anybody feel any type of way live on that stage a few weeks ago.”

He said that by allowing him to perform, Hot 97 was helping the world “move forward.”

He further explained, “Hot 97 was also willing to stick they neck out on the line, willing to go against all odds with everything going on out here in the world. They still allowed me to come right here on this stage and utilize their platform. They helped the world move forward and become a better place and not dismiss people based off mistakes made like we ain’t human.”

Listen to DaBaby’s statement, obtained by TheShadeRoom, below:

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The post DaBaby says he ‘never, ever meant to offend anybody’ in stage return appeared first on TheGrio.