DaBaby tie-in found in Fortnite amid fallout from rapper’s ugly homophobic rant
DaBaby performs on stage during Rolling Loud at Hard Rock Stadium on 25 July, 2021. (Getty/ Rich Fury)
Emotes based on a song by controversial rapper DaBaby have been data-mined in Fortnite.
Epic, the game’s developer, released a new update for the game in which data miners have discovered an unused file for an emote based on the Migos track “AM to PM” that features DaBaby.
DaBaby has been in the headlines for homophobic comments and an ignorant rant about people living with HIV.
The rapper was performing at the Rolling Loud Festival when he called out men “sucking d**k” in the parking lot and made incorrect, stigmatising comments on HIV.
He’s since been dropped by a number of festivals, and has been condemned by former collaborator Dua Lipa, as well as Elton John and Madonna.
An apology was shared on Instagram, in which the rapper admits “I apologise for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important”.
Following this, he released a new song and music video that references AIDS and ends with the message “don’t fight hate with hate”.
Files found in games often remain unused, so there’s no guarantee the emote will be released.
However, it wouldn’t be the first emote for the rapper: two were previously released for his songs “BOP on Broadway” and “ROCKSTAR”, available for sale in the Fortnite store.
Epic are yet to comment on whether the new emote will be released.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande will be performing in the Fortnite Rift Tour.
From 6-8 August, players can watch the singer’s avatar in a series of virtual concerts.
She’s by no means the first, following the likes of Travis Scott and Deadmau5, but she’s certainly the biggest star to appear in the game.
Outside of concerts, Fortnite is known for its music-themed emotes featuring current chart-topping songs and dances, from BTS to Doja Cat.
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