Nick Cannon is the latest member of the hip-hop community to defend DaBaby, who has been removed from several festival gigs in recent weeks following the homophobic comments the rapper made during his Rolling Loud Miami performance last month.
During an appearance on Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club on Monday (Aug. 9), Nick didn't justify the remarks Baby made when the North Carolina rhymer directly targeted individuals with HIV, AIDS, the LGBTQ+ community and more. Instead, the actor-rapper explained to cohosts DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God that DaBaby has experienced trauma in his life and should be educated rather than condemned and exiled from the music industry.
"First of all, I think, not only in the Black community and I've experience it, but definitely men a lot of times, we have that ego," Nick began after being asked what advice he'd offer to DaBaby. "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."
Nick Cannon went on to say, "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…I grew up in Charlotte part of my life. I know that life."
Nick later said that DaBaby wasn't being hateful when the Charlotte, N.C. spitter made his insensitive comments during his festival performance on July 25, adding that there's "some hateful institutionalization that's going on in us as men."
The Wild 'n Out creator doesn't agree that the Kirk rapper should've been removed from festival lineups like Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, Day N Vegas festival and more either.
"What statement is that making other than you're just following?," Nick asked the morning show cohosts. "It's groupthink. It's mob rule. Mob rule has never worked in any society."
Nick also said that DaBaby's controversy should serve as a teachable moment, noting that the rhymer would likely be open to speaking with Madonna and Elton John, both of which called the artist out following his homophobic remarks.
Nick Cannon added, "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. Was he wrong, though? Yeah, he was. But there are certain things about it that we've been trained to think that. Let's unpack that. Let's figure this out."
Nick speaking out in defense of DaBaby comes shortly after Baby apparently deleted his formal apology to the LGBTQ+ community and those with HIV and AIDS from his social media page. It's unclear why DaBaby deleted the message.
As previously reported, while on the Rolling Loud stage in Miami Gardens, Fla. a few weeks ago, DaBaby said to the crowd: "If you didn't show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that'll make you die in two to three weeks, put your cell phone light in the air. Ladies, if your pussy smells like water, put a cell phone light in the air. Fellas, if you ain't suckin' dick in the parking lot, put your cell phone lights in the air."
Baby initially attempted to defend his statements, but later apologized after being called out by numerous pop stars, organizations and people across social media.
Check out Nick Cannon's conversation with The Breakfast Club below. He speaks about DaBaby around the 53:20-mark.