The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2021
boohooMAN cut DaBaby three weeks after his Rolling Loud remarks
The 100-piece collab launched June 30; remarks at Rolling Loud on July 25; boohooMAN ended it on July 28 — and three festivals dropped him too.
boohooMAN · DaBaby (rapper) · 2021-07-28
What happened
On 30 June 2021 boohooMAN launched a 100-piece summer collection co-created with rapper DaBaby — the fast-fashion brand's bet on one of hip-hop's biggest live draws. Less than a month later the partnership was over.
At Rolling Loud Miami on 25 July DaBaby told the crowd he did not want to perform for people with HIV or AIDS or 'any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases' — remarks that went viral within hours. On 28 July boohooMAN said it would no longer work with him: 'BoohooMAN condemn the use of homophobic language and confirm we will no longer be working with DaBaby… we do not tolerate hate speech or discrimination in any form.'
The statement was the first cut, not the last: Lollapalooza, Day N Vegas and Governors Ball each removed him from their lineups. DaBaby apologised on 2 August, calling the remarks 'hurtful and triggering', but by then the exits had already happened — a four-week-old partnership had no history to spend.
Why it happened
- The bet was four weeks old: the collab launched on 30 June, the remarks came on 25 July, the cut on 28 July — there was no equity in the relationship to defend.
- The statement set the tone for the market: boohooMAN's wording — 'we do not tolerate hate speech or discrimination in any form' — was the template the festival circuit followed within days.
- The apology did not reset anything: DaBaby's statement on 2 August came after the drops, and no sponsor or festival returned.
The lesson
A four-week-old partnership has no goodwill to spend: boohooMAN cut DaBaby three days after his Rolling Loud remarks, and three festivals followed. The apology changed nothing.
Aftermath
DaBaby apologised on 2 August 2021, saying his remarks were 'hurtful and triggering'. The boohooMAN partnership was never revived and the collection was not continued; Lollapalooza, Day N Vegas and Governors Ball each removed him from their 2021 lineups. He continued performing and releasing music, but the endorsement side of his career did not return at the same scale.
Sources
- BBC Newsbeat — Rapper DaBaby apologises for HIV comments as Boohoo drops him, 28 Jul 2021
- Billboard — BoohooMAN Cuts Ties With DaBaby After His Homophobic Rant, 28 Jul 2021
- CBS News — Rapper DaBaby apologizes for 'hurtful and triggering' comments after he was dropped from two major music festivals, 2 Aug 2021
- BBC News — DaBaby dropped by US music festival Lollapalooza, 1 Aug 2021
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