DaBaby Gets Real About Hip-Hop Culture! - What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast

1. 0:00 – 1:11

   Why Trevor wanted this interview: fame, backlash, and the question of growth

   1. TNTrevor Noah0:00

      Hey, everybody. So today, I'm having a conversation with the hip-hop artist DaBaby. There was a point when DaBaby was literally the face of hip-hop, one of the biggest artists in the world. He conquered all of the hip-hop stages, and all the way to the Grammys, he was killing it. Until one day, he made statements at the Rolling Loud festival, which many people deemed extremely homophobic, and everything in his career changed

   2. SPSpeaker0:24

      DaBaby's one of the hottest rappers in the game, but after making some wild comments during his Rolling Loud performance, major celebrities like Elton John and Questlove have called him out, saying his actions are ignorant and homophobic. DaBaby is doubling down on his seemingly homophobic and disturbing remarks made on stage at Rolling Loud in Miami.

   3. TNTrevor Noah0:41

      Now, since then, DaBaby has still been a performer, he's still been an artist, and many have asked the question: Has he learned? Has he changed? And what has he learned or changed from that experience? Well, today, we're chatting to him about all of this. [upbeat music] This is What Now? With Trevor Noah. What's going on? Happy podcast day, everybody. How

2. 1:11 – 4:04

   Tour life small talk: London, Ireland, and learning to tell uncomfortable truths

   1. TNTrevor Noah1:11

      you doing?

   2. SPSpeaker1:12

      Good. How are you?

   3. TNTrevor Noah1:13

      I'm fantastic. Me and mandem's having a great time, blud.

   4. SPSpeaker1:16

      [laughs]

   5. TNTrevor Noah1:19

      Can I tell you something?

   6. SPSpeaker1:20

      Sure.

   7. TNTrevor Noah1:20

      I think I'm gonna move to London.

   8. SPSpeaker1:22

      Yeah?

   9. TNTrevor Noah1:22

      I'm having the time of my life. I just love it.

   10. SPSpeaker1:27

       What part are you staying in?

   11. TNTrevor Noah1:28

       All of it, blud, all of it.

   12. SPSpeaker1:31

       [laughs]

   13. TNTrevor Noah1:31

       I got bare mans, innit? So I've been riding, I've been riding the, the Tube to my shows. Um, which, you know what's strange, is, like, everyone in, in London tells you to ride the Tube, but then when you ride the Tube, everyone asks you why you're riding the Tube.

   14. SPSpeaker1:44

       Yeah.

   15. TNTrevor Noah1:44

       Which is a very strange thing. Literally, I'm, I'm on the train every single day going to my show, and then people are like, "What are you doing here? What are you doing riding the Tube?" And you're like, "Well, it's the fastest way." "Yeah, but I didn't expect you to be riding the Tube. Oh, that's so strange."

   16. SPSpeaker1:58

       [laughs]

   17. TNTrevor Noah1:58

       "Oh, what are you, what are you doing here?"

   18. SPSpeaker2:00

       [laughs]

   19. TNTrevor Noah2:00

       And then one guy's with me on the escalators coming up from the, the underground, and he goes, "Yo, Trev, I thought they gave you more money than to ride the subway, bruv." [laughs]

   20. SPSpeaker2:11

       [laughs]

   21. TNTrevor Noah2:12

       But I love it. It's been, it's been fun. You know, I, um ... So I was in Ireland for a day. Uh, I love the Irish, man. They just have, like, a ... I don't know what it is. They, they have a, a thing that connects them to us as South Africans that's really-

   22. SPSpeaker2:25

       Oppression. Oppression and colonization. [laughs]

   23. TNTrevor Noah2:28

       You see, I wasn't gonna say that, Christiana.

   24. SPSpeaker2:30

       That's what it is. [laughs]

   25. TNTrevor Noah2:30

       I was looking for something more wholesome.

   26. SPSpeaker2:31

       I love the Irish.

   27. TNTrevor Noah2:32

       Okay.

   28. SPSpeaker2:32

       But they've suffered, so that's why we get on. I like the Irish, too.

   29. TNTrevor Noah2:36

       Scotland and Ireland, I feel like it's a full ... They feel like 100% my people who just live somewhere else. That's how I feel.

   30. SPSpeaker2:45

       Mm.
3. 4:04 – 8:45

   Trevor and Christiana debate DaBaby: talent, violence, and accountability

   1. TNTrevor Noah4:04

      DaBaby. Ooh, DaBaby. Yes. This is an interesting one. Christiana, this is how I know you are my friend, truly.

   2. SPSpeaker4:12

      Mm-hmm. Yeah.

   3. TNTrevor Noah4:13

      Is that you, you'll roll with me and, and you, you, you have both a judgment and a love and an understanding for me, regardless of some of the decisions I make.

   4. SPSpeaker4:22

      Yes. I mean, I, I trust it'll be okay in the end. Just like I trust you'll do a good DaBaby interview, even though I have some reservations.

   5. TNTrevor Noah4:34

      Well, yeah-

   6. SPSpeaker4:34

      But I trust ... I'll, I'll roll with you on it. That's what I mean.

   7. TNTrevor Noah4:36

      Well, okay. So, so here's, here's the thing. Some people listening to this podcast have no clue what a DaBaby is, and if you're one of those people, um, I actually hope you will listen because I, I think it's a, it's a fascinating convers- conversation that goes beyond his art and, and the music that he creates. And I think there will be parts of the conversation that'll be very tough, you know. Um, DaBaby has not lived an easy life, nor has he grown up in an easy world, and I think he's been part of making it not easy at times. Um, and if you do know DaBaby, some of you might love him and go like, "Oh, I love him and his music," and some of you might be like, "I, I cannot, I cannot stand DaBaby. I, I, I hate everything he stands for." And I don't know. I, I, I, I often find myself wrestling in life with the question of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the conversations that we have with people who have either wronged us or wronged, quote-unquote, "society." You know? And one of the things that interests me about DaBaby is you have someone who has definitely, I mean, he's, he's definitely, you know, hurt people. But he, he seems to want to make amends, and sometimes I feel like he doesn't necessarily have the, the, the tools or the, or the aptitude, but he has a willingness, and I'm a sucker for willingness.

   8. SPSpeaker6:05

      Yeah, I know that about you. You're definitely a sucker for some willing, even if they're not able.

   9. TNTrevor Noah6:11

      Yeah, but I-

   10. SPSpeaker6:11

       But I think he's, but I think he's ... I don't know about the willing part, and I'd love to learn more. I, I would say that before, you know, all of his contro- controversies, I, I was a big fan of DaBaby. And I, I still think he's so talented.

   11. TNTrevor Noah6:26

       Yeah.

   12. SPSpeaker6:26

       Just the music is brilliant. The music videos, just so artistic. So I came to his music as a fan, and then I think perhaps it was fame, perhaps it was environmental, but, you know, a few things happened back to back, and you're just like, "Oh." And then, you know, it kind of culminated in the incident at Rolling Loud Festival-

   13. TNTrevor Noah6:49

       Yeah

   14. SPSpeaker6:49

       ... where he was, he was quite homophobic very publicly, even though the crowd seemed to be enjoying it, [laughs] which, what was going on in that crowd? But, you know, and since then he's kind of been a pariah, but he's, I think he's coming back into public life and, um, there are some people that feel he, he hasn't been accountable enough.

   15. TNTrevor Noah7:09

       I'm intrigued by how people get to where they are and what informs not just the decisions they make, but the, but the people they become. And, and DaBaby's one of those people. 'Cause I loved what you said. You became a fan of his and then discovered things, and I sometimes wonder how many times people are or aren't given grace because we don't know what we don't know about them.

   16. SPSpeaker7:36

       Yeah.

   17. TNTrevor Noah7:36

       And then when we do discover things about them, they're lucky enough that their past or their, or their present doesn't sort of catch up to them, you know?

   18. SPSpeaker7:43

       Yeah, and it wasn't just his kind of comments. He also has kind of this history of violence, and I do want to say that sometimes, and this is not to absolve him for any responsibility for the things he's done, but how much is that linked to how he grew up, right? That-

   19. TNTrevor Noah7:58

       Yeah

   20. SPSpeaker7:59

       ... is that where the violence come from? I'm curious about that, but I do think we live in a world where violent men are able to get away with things-

   21. TNTrevor Noah8:06

       Mm-hmm

   22. SPSpeaker8:06

       ... with little to no consequence. But, you know, who knows what consequences he's faced both personally and professionally because of it.

   23. TNTrevor Noah8:14

       The question I would have is how willing is he to grow? Does he want to grow? Does he need to grow? And then more interesting for me is what is everything that has affected him? Like, like what are the ingredients that have come together to create DaBaby and, and who this human being is? That's what I'm really interested to get into with, with DaBaby, is, you know, who is, who is the human being behind

4. 8:45 – 10:12

   Origin story: the name DaBaby (and the earlier ‘Baby Jesus’)

   1. TNTrevor Noah8:45

      the actions? [upbeat music] All right, y'all. Let's, uh, let's jump in with DaBaby. Let's see what ha- let's see how this goes. [upbeat music] DaBaby, welcome to the podcast.

   2. DADaBaby8:59

      Pleasure to be here. Appreciate you having me.

   3. TNTrevor Noah9:01

      I think for this conversation, what I really wanted to get into is understanding you as a human being-

   4. DADaBaby9:07

      Mm-hmm

   5. TNTrevor Noah9:07

      ... to understand a lot about you as the artist.

   6. DADaBaby9:10

      Absolutely.

   7. TNTrevor Noah9:11

      You know, you, you've had an outsized influence on the world.

   8. DADaBaby9:14

      Mm-hmm.

   9. TNTrevor Noah9:15

      Uh, you know, someone who has 21 millio- million followers just on your Instagram, but, but what your music has done-

   10. DADaBaby9:20

       Mm

   11. TNTrevor Noah9:20

       ... what, what you've embodied, I think, goes far beyond that. And so let's, let's start with, let's start with that. I'm always intrigued by how an artist chooses their name and what that name means to them.

   12. DADaBaby9:32

       Absolutely.

   13. TNTrevor Noah9:33

       Why DaBaby?

   14. DADaBaby9:34

       Well, I'm the youngest of three boys.

   15. TNTrevor Noah9:37

       Mm-hmm.

   16. DADaBaby9:37

       My mom has three sons. I'm the youngest sibling out of the, um, out of the three sons, and not only that, like, early on, early on I, um, I had the name Baby Jesus.

   17. TNTrevor Noah9:50

       Okay.

   18. DADaBaby9:50

       And this is as a local artist, you know what I'm saying? But my mom didn't feel, she didn't feel good about that name.

   19. TNTrevor Noah9:55

       [laughs]

   20. DADaBaby9:55

       You get what I'm saying? A lot of people, they like, "No. Absolutely not. No, no." But I'm like, you know, my whole thing with it, um, was, like, my, my purpose being, you know, to do for others-

   21. TNTrevor Noah10:07

       Uh-huh

   22. DADaBaby10:07

       ... you know what I mean? And not myself, so that's my responsibility, you know what I mean, on this earth, like.

5. 10:12 – 14:07

   Moving to Charlotte and the force of his mother: love, discipline, and survival rules

   1. TNTrevor Noah10:12

      I would love to know what your family was like and, and why that has been such a driving force in your life. So you were born in Cleveland.

   2. DADaBaby10:21

      Cleveland, Ohio.

   3. TNTrevor Noah10:21

      Right?

   4. DADaBaby10:21

      Mm-hmm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah10:22

      Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. So what-

   6. DADaBaby10:24

      Mm

   7. TNTrevor Noah10:24

      ... moved there when you were seven years old?

   8. DADaBaby10:25

      Yep.

   9. TNTrevor Noah10:26

      Was there a reason you moved? Was it, was good? Was it bad?

   10. DADaBaby10:28

       Oh, it, it was a great thing. I'm, I'm... I commend my mother, you know what I mean?

   11. TNTrevor Noah10:32

       Yeah.

   12. DADaBaby10:32

       For changing our environment or situation, even though Charlotte itself is a, you know, it, it's not a walk in the park. You know what I mean?

   13. TNTrevor Noah10:38

       Right.

   14. DADaBaby10:38

       Not at all. Like, not even a little.

   15. TNTrevor Noah10:40

       What was your mom like?

   16. DADaBaby10:41

       Mm.

   17. TNTrevor Noah10:41

       Like, what, what, was she strict? Was she a disciplinarian?

   18. DADaBaby10:43

       Absolutely.

   19. TNTrevor Noah10:44

       Was she a... Yeah.

   20. DADaBaby10:45

       Absolutely, but also fun, loving, nurturing.

   21. TNTrevor Noah10:48

       Right.

   22. DADaBaby10:48

       You know what I mean? Like, all about her sons. Like, all about her sons. Her-- I remember her, her email was mythree sonsLinda. Like, everything is my three sons, my handsome sons. She's all about just uplifting us, just-

   23. TNTrevor Noah11:00

       So she was proud of you from the beginning.

   24. DADaBaby11:01

       Absolutely.

   25. TNTrevor Noah11:02

       Right.

   26. DADaBaby11:02

       Especially me. Like, I got the smile like her, the two dimples. Like, I, I-

   27. TNTrevor Noah11:06

       [laughs]

   28. DADaBaby11:07

       ... I resemble her the most. My bro- don't get mad at me to my brother. Y'all got mad at me enough growing up, but, like, I'm my mother's twin. You know what I'm saying?

   29. TNTrevor Noah11:14

       Right, right.

   30. DADaBaby11:14

       Like, sweetest woman on earth.
6. 14:07 – 17:32

   Streets at home: addiction, crack houses, and a childhood normalized by chaos

   1. TNTrevor Noah14:07

      You, you grew up in this world where, you know, you have a mom who f- by all accounts is, is religious, is driven-

   2. DADaBaby14:13

      Absolutely

   3. TNTrevor Noah14:13

      ... is focused, is loving, is also a disciplinarian.

   4. DADaBaby14:16

      Mm-hmm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah14:16

      She's keeping you in check.

   6. DADaBaby14:18

      Mm-hmm.

   7. TNTrevor Noah14:18

      And she moves you to North Carolina.

   8. DADaBaby14:21

      Mm-hmm.

   9. TNTrevor Noah14:21

      Now, when you're growing up in North Carolina, I, I, I've read a little on your story, I've listened to some of the, the, the interviews that you've had.

   10. DADaBaby14:29

       Mm-hmm.

   11. TNTrevor Noah14:29

       It seems like you lived in a strangely hybrid world where on the one hand you had a few opportunities, but on the other hand you were in the streets. And I'd love to know-

   12. DADaBaby14:39

       Mm

   13. TNTrevor Noah14:40

       ... how, how did you end up in the streets? What were ... Like did you find the streets, or did the streets find you?

   14. DADaBaby14:45

       So a lot of those elements like that you list, like, you know, you got the, the hoods, the dice game-

   15. TNTrevor Noah14:49

       Yeah

   16. DADaBaby14:49

       ... this, that.

   17. TNTrevor Noah14:50

       Yeah.

   18. DADaBaby14:50

       You got the alcoholics, drug addicts, all of that. One thing with me, and you know, and I, and I take my time speaking on this because I, I never discredit the, the superhero that my mother was-

   19. TNTrevor Noah15:00

       Yeah

   20. DADaBaby15:01

       ... and still is. You get what I'm saying? A lot of those elements like that, you know, most people have to go down the street to see or venture off or, "Don't go over there," go to places their parents tell them don't go to see.

   21. TNTrevor Noah15:11

       Yeah.

   22. DADaBaby15:12

       They were in the household with me. You know what I'm saying? Like we would, we would be, uh, watched by my uncles, like my uncles who are either a alcoholic, drug addict-

   23. TNTrevor Noah15:22

       Right

   24. DADaBaby15:22

       ... do you get what I'm saying?

   25. TNTrevor Noah15:23

       Right.

   26. DADaBaby15:23

       This or that.

   27. TNTrevor Noah15:23

       Right.

   28. DADaBaby15:23

       Like real deal drug addicts, like not, you know. Like yeah, my grandmother's house directly across the street from the crack houses. That's what they called them, a crack house.

   29. TNTrevor Noah15:32

       Yeah. Damn.

   30. DADaBaby15:33

       So it's, it's, you know, drug addicts, prostitution 24/7. Like they're up from, they're up 4:00, 5:00 in the morning, they're up the entire night, out the entire day roaming the streets. Like a lot of these elements, they were like right there. But at the time, like growing up, it just seemed completely normal to me.
7. 17:32 – 19:34

   School vs. the street and early brushes with danger: the pocketknife and policing

   1. TNTrevor Noah17:32

      What was, what was the moment where the streets took you? What, what was that life? What, what were you doing? Where were you going? What ... You know? Th- there's a, there's a moment where it snaps. I remember the first time I had a, like, um, what was my first encounter with the police? First encounter with the police was my friends and I had, we, we had like a, a, a replica gun-

   2. DADaBaby17:52

      Mm

   3. TNTrevor Noah17:52

      ... that we had with us.

   4. DADaBaby17:53

      Mm-hmm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah17:53

      And we were stu- we were, we were thinking maybe we'd be ... Uh, we, I don't even know. We were like, "Maybe we'll be gangsters." I don't know.

   6. DADaBaby17:58

      Right.

   7. TNTrevor Noah17:58

      But that was like our first encounter with the police. Um, I mean, we'd, you know, we'd get arrested for throwing block parties that were illegal. We would-

   8. DADaBaby18:05

      Right

   9. TNTrevor Noah18:05

      ... but you, you always remember your first ... What, what was your first encounter with the police? What was it about? What was happening in your life?

   10. DADaBaby18:11

       I don't even know if the police were involved, but I remember I was in, I was in fourth grade, third or fourth grade, but I brought a pocket knife to school, and I was showing it off to some girl.

   11. TNTrevor Noah18:22

       You sh- you know, I brought a pocket kn-

   12. DADaBaby18:23

       [laughs]

   13. TNTrevor Noah18:23

       I got, I got expelled for bringing a knife to school.

   14. DADaBaby18:25

       I'm so glad they didn't expel me. [laughs]

   15. TNTrevor Noah18:27

       I, oh, I got expelled.

   16. DADaBaby18:28

       They suspended me for a day. [laughs]

   17. TNTrevor Noah18:29

       Yeah. That is wild.

   18. DADaBaby18:30

       I showed it to a girl and, uh, and, and she told on me. They suspended me for a day.

   19. TNTrevor Noah18:34

       Oh, I got expelled for that one.

   20. DADaBaby18:35

       Yeah. They didn't-

   21. TNTrevor Noah18:36

       Damn

   22. DADaBaby18:36

       ... uh, the knife was already gone when she told on me. Thank God she waited probably to the end of the day to tell on me-

   23. TNTrevor Noah18:41

       [laughs]

   24. DADaBaby18:41

       ... 'cause I probably would've got expelled too. [laughs] But, um, and that would've, that would've messed up my, my, uh, my little school record-

   25. TNTrevor Noah18:48

       Yeah

   26. DADaBaby18:48

       ... because I was, I was straight As like all the way until like- Uh, high s- I mean, nothing, nothing less than a B for sure. I didn't get a C till maybe high school

   27. TNTrevor Noah18:58

       You know what, that is one of the paradoxes. So I don't know what it was like growing up where you grew up.

   28. DADaBaby19:03

       Mm-hmm.

   29. TNTrevor Noah19:03

       Where we grew up, w- I found there was a, there was a conflict, there was a clash between the streets and school.

   30. DADaBaby19:09

       Right.
8. 19:34 – 24:58

   Fear as a daily condition: domestic violence, death, and becoming self-sufficient

   1. DADaBaby19:34

      Yeah, it was there. It was, it existed the entire time

   2. TNTrevor Noah19:35

      Oh, this is just a daily thing?

   3. DADaBaby19:37

      It, violence was in my wor- was in my world as when I'm three or four, like I see like my, like it's in, it's in the household. Like I see my uncles fighting each other, my-

   4. TNTrevor Noah19:48

      Damn

   5. DADaBaby19:48

      ... uh, my brothers, you know what I mean? Like with me, like every da- like it was, it was like that. Like, you know, I was the, I was the baby boy. Like I was the one, I'd, they'd lock me in the closet, bang on the doors.

   6. TNTrevor Noah20:00

      Oh, wow.

   7. DADaBaby20:00

      Act like it's... Yeah, act like Jason's here, the boogeyman's here, these types of things. Like it's, yeah, like I was, I used to piss in the bed because I was scared to get up to go to the bathroom. You know what I'm saying? Like it was that type of thing.

   8. TNTrevor Noah20:11

      Right. Right.

   9. DADaBaby20:12

      We're all sharing a room, but violence is, yeah, it was, it was very much there. Like while my mom's out working all these long, hard hours-

   10. TNTrevor Noah20:18

       Yeah

   11. DADaBaby20:19

       ... like my brother, he's, but he's probably 10 at the time, 20, 30, uh, older kids in the house, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, like it was a lot going on.

   12. TNTrevor Noah20:29

       Do, did you ever see a dead, did you ever see a dead body growing up?

   13. DADaBaby20:31

       I've definitely been around si- yeah, shootings and f- and all that for sure.

   14. TNTrevor Noah20:35

       Yeah.

   15. DADaBaby20:35

       The first time death probably was around me, um, a certain situation had happened, uh, with one of my family members and, and I just remember it like it was yesterday that we were like sat down and told, "When you go to school," 'cause we're little kids.

   16. TNTrevor Noah20:51

       Yeah.

   17. DADaBaby20:52

       "You don't speak about this to nobody."

   18. TNTrevor Noah20:55

       Wow.

   19. DADaBaby20:55

       "You don't ever bring this up to anybody." That's the... I literally never have, you know what I'm saying? Like to this day.

   20. TNTrevor Noah21:00

       Wow.

   21. DADaBaby21:00

       You know what I mean? But I, that's the first time I remember it, and I had to be maybe like, um, f- how old was I? Think I was in middle school. I don't think I was in elementary school. I think I was in middle school, but it was early in middle school.

   22. TNTrevor Noah21:11

       Yeah.

   23. DADaBaby21:11

       Had to be like sixth grade, seventh grade. Mm-hmm. Sixth grade, seventh grade, it was somewhere went along.

   24. TNTrevor Noah21:16

       Do, do you, do you think you had a full comprehension of what that was?

   25. DADaBaby21:19

       No, absolutely. No, absolutely.

   26. TNTrevor Noah21:21

       Yeah.

   27. DADaBaby21:21

       Yeah, I knew exactly what that was, but just in terms of violence, like-

   28. TNTrevor Noah21:24

       Were you scared ever?

   29. DADaBaby21:26

       I was scared all the time.

   30. TNTrevor Noah21:27

       Wow.
9. 24:58 – 27:46

   The role of his father (from a distance) and the brother he lost

   1. TNTrevor Noah24:58

      Right. How, how did your, how did your anger manifest itself?

   2. DADaBaby24:59

      Without the support of a father.

   3. TNTrevor Noah25:01

      Uh-huh.

   4. DADaBaby25:01

      That's the difference, too. Like I'm the baby boy-

   5. TNTrevor Noah25:03

      Yeah

   6. DADaBaby25:03

      ... and I'm the one whose father is in his life at a distance.

   7. TNTrevor Noah25:06

      Okay. Okay.

   8. DADaBaby25:06

      Right.

   9. TNTrevor Noah25:06

      So your brothers didn't have that.

   10. DADaBaby25:08

       No.

   11. TNTrevor Noah25:08

       Oh, okay. Okay.

   12. DADaBaby25:09

       And growing up, like you can see, like you see the difference between me and my brothers, you know what I'm saying?

   13. TNTrevor Noah25:14

       Do you think that was a defining factor?

   14. DADaBaby25:15

       My oldest brother committed suicide in 2020 So when you say, like I remember, you know, maybe like five minutes ago in the conversation when you say, you know, like some people they, they crumble or it-

   15. TNTrevor Noah25:25

       Yeah

   16. DADaBaby25:25

       ... or you know, these types of, of elements in, in their environment and just them, their upbringing destroys them. Like you see the difference like between, you know what I mean?

   17. TNTrevor Noah25:34

       Mm-hmm.

   18. DADaBaby25:34

       How I dealt with it and-

   19. TNTrevor Noah25:35

       Mm-hmm

   20. DADaBaby25:35

       ... you know, like what I was able to, blessed enough to be able to turn it into as opposed to, you know, like it ultimately being like my brother's demise. You know what I'm saying?

   21. TNTrevor Noah25:43

       Right. Do, do you think your dad was the defining factor?

   22. DADaBaby25:45

       Absolutely.

   23. TNTrevor Noah25:46

       You think that made the difference?

   24. DADaBaby25:47

       Absolutely.

   25. TNTrevor Noah25:48

       What do you think it was about your dad being in your life, even from a distance-

   26. DADaBaby25:51

       Mm-hmm

   27. TNTrevor Noah25:51

       ... that made the difference?

   28. DADaBaby25:53

       Just always just putting something on my mind and just showing me something different, like always, like always. And I don't, you know, I, I, I'ma keep having to like go back to saying like I can't discredit like the job that my mother did.

   29. TNTrevor Noah26:05

       No, no, of course. Yeah.

   30. DADaBaby26:06

       She did amazing.
10. 27:46 – 34:14

    Success doesn’t erase danger: home invasion and the logic of being armed

    1. TNTrevor Noah27:46

       Your music career is, is public.

    2. DADaBaby27:49

       Mm-hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah27:49

       Your music career is well known, you know, so I, I won't delve into that too much. What I'd love to understand is behind the scenes.

    4. DADaBaby27:55

       Right.

    5. TNTrevor Noah27:56

       As DaBaby, you start blowing up.

    6. DADaBaby27:59

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TNTrevor Noah27:59

       Your music starts growing. You start building up a fan base. You start making money. You start, you start experiencing success.

    8. DADaBaby28:05

       Mm-hmm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah28:06

       What, what, what confuses me is how violence still stays a part of your world.

    10. DADaBaby28:11

        Absolutely.

    11. TNTrevor Noah28:12

        You know, it, it, it, it ... This is something I've learned changes depending on where you're from and, and the hood that you're in-

    12. DADaBaby28:17

        Mm-hmm

    13. TNTrevor Noah28:17

        ... is like, is how you respond to conflict and how conflict is, is, is expected to be dealt with.

    14. DADaBaby28:24

        Absolutely.

    15. TNTrevor Noah28:24

        You know? So from-

    16. DADaBaby28:25

        That's the, that's the, the-

    17. TNTrevor Noah28:26

        Right. So in South Africa, for instance-

    18. DADaBaby28:28

        ... the disconnect for sure

    19. TNTrevor Noah28:28

        ... yeah, in South Africa we have d- we have different hoods, you know? So we had like Alexandra was one township, and then Soweto is where my grandmother's from, and you have Thembisa, et cetera. And we'd, we'd even know. We'd go like, "Oh, cats from that hood-

    20. DADaBaby28:39

        Mm-hmm

    21. TNTrevor Noah28:39

        ... they'll stab you."

    22. DADaBaby28:40

        For sure.

    23. TNTrevor Noah28:40

        "Cats from this hood will break a bottle on your head."

    24. DADaBaby28:42

        Right.

    25. TNTrevor Noah28:42

        "Cats from this hood will, will shoot you." Like we'll even say like, "Those guys shoot."

    26. DADaBaby28:46

        Right. You gotta know.

    27. TNTrevor Noah28:46

        "Those guys stab. Those guys ..." But you almost know what type of violence is either expected-

    28. DADaBaby28:51

        Absolutely

    29. TNTrevor Noah28:52

        ... or, or, or probably going to happen to you in, in those worlds.

    30. DADaBaby28:54

        Mm-hmm.
11. 34:14 – 39:45

    Parenting in a violent world: the Walmart shooting and how kids process trauma

    1. TNTrevor Noah34:14

       Let me ask you this though, based upon what you see as, as, as a, as a beautiful segue to this question.

    2. DADaBaby34:21

       Mm-hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah34:22

       You are a parent and you're a proud parent.

    4. DADaBaby34:25

       Absolutely.

    5. TNTrevor Noah34:27

       You talk about being a father.

    6. DADaBaby34:28

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TNTrevor Noah34:28

       You talk about what it means to you.

    8. DADaBaby34:29

       It's my favorite thing to be.

    9. TNTrevor Noah34:30

       Oh, yeah?

    10. DADaBaby34:31

        Mm-hmm.

    11. TNTrevor Noah34:31

        And there is, there is a, you know, there is a valid argument that i- it is about the environment and it is the world that you're in.

    12. DADaBaby34:41

        Mm-hmm.

    13. TNTrevor Noah34:41

        What is the world that you wanna see, that you're creating-

    14. DADaBaby34:45

        Mm-hmm

    15. TNTrevor Noah34:46

        ... for your child? Like what, like what is, what is that world?

    16. DADaBaby34:49

        A world-

    17. TNTrevor Noah34:49

        Like how, h- and how different or how do you make that world different, you know? 'Cause I'm assuming-

    18. DADaBaby34:54

        Absolutely

    19. TNTrevor Noah34:54

        ... I'm assuming you don't want your daughter knowing that as a reality. I'm assuming you don't want your daughter thinking of that as a possibility.

    20. DADaBaby34:59

        Not necessarily.

    21. TNTrevor Noah35:00

        You want her to be aware of it, I'm assuming.

    22. DADaBaby35:01

        Absolutely, and that's the word I was going to use.

    23. TNTrevor Noah35:02

        Right.

    24. DADaBaby35:03

        Like it's just being aware of the world-

    25. TNTrevor Noah35:05

        Uh-huh

    26. DADaBaby35:05

        ... that she exists in, which she already is. Like when, you know, when, when I got into the situation and a guy was shot and killed in Walmart by me, my daughter was right there. She was right there, one years old.

    27. TNTrevor Noah35:17

        How did, how did she process that?

    28. DADaBaby35:18

        She didn't. She didn't. Her, she probably doesn't even remember it. Her older brother definitely-

    29. TNTrevor Noah35:25

        Uh-huh

    30. DADaBaby35:25

        ... probably remembers it, you know what I'm saying? He's, she's one so he had to be, what, five at the time.
12. 39:45 – 43:26

    ‘Why not just leave?’: fame, magnification, and being tested as a rapper

    1. TNTrevor Noah39:45

       Right. I'm gonna ask you a question that, that may be ignorant, but I know a lot of people will ask it-

    2. DADaBaby39:50

       Mm-hmm

    3. TNTrevor Noah39:51

       ... because they're not familiar with the world. A lot of people would say, "But DaBaby, why don't you leave that world? Why don't you go-"

    4. DADaBaby39:57

       I did. [laughs]

    5. TNTrevor Noah39:58

       "Why don't you go live in another neighborhood?"

    6. DADaBaby39:59

       Right.

    7. TNTrevor Noah40:00

       "And just escape it all."

    8. DADaBaby40:01

       Mm-hmm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah40:01

       "There's no shootings in Westchester, DaBaby."

    10. DADaBaby40:03

        Right.

    11. TNTrevor Noah40:03

        "There's no shootings in my part of Connecticut. Why don't you escape that world?" What, what would you... How would you respond to that question?

    12. DADaBaby40:09

        I hadn't made it out of the city yet.

    13. TNTrevor Noah40:10

        Okay. All right.

    14. DADaBaby40:11

        Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying?

    15. TNTrevor Noah40:12

        Well, there you go.

    16. DADaBaby40:12

        Yeah, yeah. When that-

    17. TNTrevor Noah40:12

        Okay. Well, there you go

    18. DADaBaby40:13

        ... situation took place, like I hadn't made it out of the city. But, you know, to, to put it into perspective, like I've been, you know, in, in the middle of, of shooting incidents on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.

    19. TNTrevor Noah40:28

        I hear you.

    20. DADaBaby40:29

        You see what I'm saying?

    21. TNTrevor Noah40:29

        I hear you. Yeah.

    22. DADaBaby40:29

        Like that is where you wanna move to.

    23. TNTrevor Noah40:31

        Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

    24. DADaBaby40:32

        Like it... And that's what I'm saying. Like it's like you never, you never know, you know, when violence-

    25. TNTrevor Noah40:37

        Right

    26. DADaBaby40:38

        ... is right there in front of you.

    27. TNTrevor Noah40:38

        Yeah.

    28. DADaBaby40:39

        Like you just simply don't know. It's all about the type of day somebody's having or the way... It's more so about how you move throughout these different environments.

    29. TNTrevor Noah40:46

        Right.

    30. DADaBaby40:46

        You know what I'm saying? That's what it's all about. It's about knowing how to move no matter, you know, where you're at.
13. 43:26 – 47:54

    Rolling Loud: what he said, what he meant, and why the backlash exploded

    1. TNTrevor Noah43:26

       And there's a level of ignorance that you move into it with. DaBaby- ... blows up in hip-hop.

    2. DADaBaby43:33

       Mm-hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah43:33

       Becomes an icon, becomes somebody who's setting trends.

    4. DADaBaby43:36

       Mm-hmm.

    5. TNTrevor Noah43:36

       You know? You're, you're not, you're not just a music maker, you're a trend creator.

    6. DADaBaby43:41

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TNTrevor Noah43:42

       You then accelerate that growth into a world where you are now on mainstream media, the SNLs, you know, the Rolling Stones, you're on covers, you are-

    8. DADaBaby43:52

       The Grammys with you

    9. TNTrevor Noah43:52

       ... the Grammys with me, right.

    10. DADaBaby43:53

        You know what I mean?

    11. TNTrevor Noah43:54

        You're, you're in this world.

    12. DADaBaby43:55

        Six nominations. Like-

    13. TNTrevor Noah43:57

        Doing your thing, right? And all of that comes to a halt, or m- a lot of it, 'cause not all of it really.

    14. DADaBaby44:04

        Mm-hmm.

    15. TNTrevor Noah44:04

        A lot of it comes to a halt when one day you're on stage, and in the middle of a performance you start saying things to the crowd-

    16. DADaBaby44:14

        Mm-hmm

    17. TNTrevor Noah44:15

        ... you know, about AIDS and gay people, and, and, and I mean, you just im- as, as I would say it with friends if I was talking colloquially, I'd be like just shooting off at the mouth. Just, you know-

    18. DADaBaby44:24

        Right

    19. TNTrevor Noah44:24

        ... ju- just going ... And that sets into effect a series of dominoes-

    20. DADaBaby44:32

        Oh, it did immediately

    21. TNTrevor Noah44:35

        ... you know. [camera clicking]

    22. DADaBaby44:35

        You didn't show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that'll make you die in two, three weeks, put a cellphone light up. Fellas-

    23. TNTrevor Noah44:43

        Lights up

    24. DADaBaby44:43

        ... fellas, if you ain't sucking dick in the parking lot, put your cellphone lights up.

    25. TNTrevor Noah44:46

        Let's be real about this shit. [upbeat music]

    26. DADaBaby44:48

        Yeah, keep it fucking real.

    27. TNTrevor Noah44:50

        So let's, let's, let's break this down in, in steps and in stages. You know, because when things are happening to us, they often happen so fast that we cannot process what is happening.

    28. DADaBaby44:58

        Mm-hmm.

    29. TNTrevor Noah44:59

        And I think from the public's point of view, oftentimes people consume something, and then there's another story, and then you move on, and there's no real processing of anything.

    30. DADaBaby45:07

        Right.
14. 47:54 – 57:42

    Culture, accountability, and redemption: public punishment vs. pathways to change

    1. TNTrevor Noah47:54

       If you have grown up in hip-hop-

    2. DADaBaby47:57

       Mm

    3. TNTrevor Noah47:57

       ... I will be honest, I will be a person who says this, and maybe this will now bounce back on me.

    4. DADaBaby48:01

       Hopefully not.

    5. TNTrevor Noah48:01

       I'll be honest. No, no, but I will say this. In hip-hop there is a lot of language that is used, there are a lot of ideas that are used that-

    6. DADaBaby48:07

       Absolutely

    7. TNTrevor Noah48:08

       ... it's like, it's like surface level, and we have to admit is also homophobic. There's a lot of homophobia and racism. And, and I'm not trying to make you solve all of that.

    8. DADaBaby48:16

       Right. For sure.

    9. TNTrevor Noah48:16

       I want to talk to DaBaby-

    10. DADaBaby48:17

        For sure

    11. TNTrevor Noah48:17

        ... not everybody about everything.

    12. DADaBaby48:18

        Mm-hmm.

    13. TNTrevor Noah48:19

        Right? 'Cause I think you're one individual who is part of something.

    14. DADaBaby48:21

        Mm-hmm.

    15. TNTrevor Noah48:22

        But you c- you can't deny, you know, whether it's, you know, Black community in Africa and in, in, in, um, North America. Um, and I mean even the White community. I mean, you know, it's oftentimes Black people get singled out.

    16. DADaBaby48:34

        Mm-hmm.

    17. TNTrevor Noah48:34

        But I feel like homophobia is something that has been rampant throughout time, and then slowly has been evolving over the past maybe two decades really in, in, in our lifetimes.

    18. DADaBaby48:43

        Mm-hmm.

    19. TNTrevor Noah48:43

        You look at from the '80s to now, there's been a huge jump, and it's still not complete.

    20. DADaBaby48:47

        Absolutely.

    21. TNTrevor Noah48:48

        But in, in that moment it feels like to me, correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels like to me you're on stage, you're saying something that feels reflexively funny, and just, like, engaging with the audience at that-

    22. DADaBaby48:58

        Absolutely

    23. TNTrevor Noah48:58

        ... 'cause as you said, they engage with you, right?

    24. DADaBaby49:00

        Absolutely.

    25. TNTrevor Noah49:00

        Okay. They engage with you in this moment.

    26. DADaBaby49:02

        Mm-hmm.

    27. TNTrevor Noah49:02

        You're having a good time. It does go outside of that bubble.

    28. DADaBaby49:07

        Mm-hmm.

    29. TNTrevor Noah49:07

        Right? And as you said now, you're aware of the context outside of that.

    30. DADaBaby49:12

        Mm-hmm.
15. 57:42 – 1:07:16

    What now for DaBaby: therapy, film/TV ambitions, grief, and rebuilding

    1. TNTrevor Noah57:42

       ... and deal with what has happened." And that, and that, that intrigues me. And so now you've explained that to me as a person. Be- before, before I let you go though, um, I'd love to know where you go from here. What now? You know, you s- you know, summer came around.

    2. DADaBaby57:59

       Mm-hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah57:59

       You, you had a song on the, on the Billboard Hot 100.

    4. DADaBaby58:01

       Mm-hmm.

    5. TNTrevor Noah58:01

       You know, you're still making good music.

    6. DADaBaby58:03

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TNTrevor Noah58:03

       You're still a fantastic artist.

    8. DADaBaby58:05

       Thank you so much.

    9. TNTrevor Noah58:05

       You know, I hope for you as a human being, genuinely, that you'll continue to grow. I do think you should look into therapy.

    10. DADaBaby58:10

        No, for sure.

    11. TNTrevor Noah58:11

        From one brother to another.

    12. DADaBaby58:12

        No, for sure, for sure.

    13. TNTrevor Noah58:12

        I promise you it'll change... And for your kids.

    14. DADaBaby58:14

        It's something I've been on-- I've, I've been, you know, leaning towards.

    15. TNTrevor Noah58:14

        So can I... I'll, I'll, I'll share this with you real quick before-

    16. DADaBaby58:17

        Mm-hmm

    17. TNTrevor Noah58:17

        ... before I ask you about the future, is, um, so my, my mother was shot by my stepfather, right? She survived, thank God. But one of the biggest things I regretted, and I always talk to my mom about this, is the fact that myself and my two younger brothers never went to therapy to deal with it.

    18. DADaBaby58:34

        Right.

    19. TNTrevor Noah58:35

        My youngest brother was, I don't know, maybe six years old when it happened.

    20. DADaBaby58:39

        Mm-hmm.

    21. TNTrevor Noah58:40

        Mistakenly, my mom thought he doesn't fully process and understand it.

    22. DADaBaby58:43

        How old were you?

    23. TNTrevor Noah58:45

        Uh, I was 20. I was in my 20s.

    24. DADaBaby58:47

        Okay.

    25. TNTrevor Noah58:48

        I was in my 20s. Um, maybe even th- touching 30. Yeah, but 20s, I think. Late 20s. And then the, the middle brother, the one who drove my mom to the hospital, he was, he was a teenager at the time. And one of... Honestly, one of my greatest regrets is that we didn't know at the time how powerful and, and impactful therapy could be in helping us not just deal with, but unearth some of the traumas that we hadn't dealt with.

    26. DADaBaby59:11

        For sure.

    27. TNTrevor Noah59:11

        You know, some of the angers, some of the fears, some of the... You know?

    28. DADaBaby59:14

        Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

    29. TNTrevor Noah59:14

        And it, it... Don't get me wrong, it's a scary thing. It's a crazy thing. And also therapy has a stigma attached to it.

    30. DADaBaby59:18

        Mm-hmm.

Episode duration: 1:07:17