DaBaby is using his voice to speak out against police brutality and systematic racism in America.
On Juneteenth, the Charlotte native attended a panel discussion in his hometown dubbed “Black Lives BEEN Mattered.” During the event, the “Suge” rapper spoke about his run-ins with the law, drawing reference to his 2019 arrest on a misdemeanor marijuana charge. At the time, DaBaby claimed that he was racially profiled.
“I have had my own experiences with the police. It’s time to have a serious conversation about police reform and systemic racism in our city. Black lives been mattered and always will matter,” he explained. “Why have 20 cops tried to find someone who is trying to do their job when you have real bad things going on?”
Before wrapping up the discussion, McCrorey YMCA Director Dena Paulding encouraged DaBaby to use his platform to educate his fans. After hearing Paulding’s request, the “iPHONE” spitter agreed. “I need to be educated on voting to speak for these kinds of people,” Paulding said. “I want to end this by extending an offer to try to put something together routinely like this. Where we can bring blank notebook paper and pens and clipboards and try to move forward.”
Earlier this month, DaBaby hopped on Twitter to call out those who speak out against police brutality for the sole purpose of “likes and comments.” He wrote, “I always sit back and let the hype blow over before I give my insight so my perspective don’t get confused with all the ppl who only speak for likes & comments, or to save face, or maybe because their PR department, label, or management told em they should make a statement in order to preserve their integrity & not lose fans, business, support from the black community, etc.”
Take a look at the entire panel discussion below.