Dua Lipa and DaBaby’s “Levitating” remix is on the decline, according to a new report from Billboard. The report found that on July 27, shortly after DaBaby’s homophobic comments on Rolling Loud Miami, 70.2% of radio stations playing “Levitating” opted for DaBaby’s remix over the Future Nostalgia original. On August 2, that number had dropped to 49.5%, according to the Billboard.
Billboard cited MRC Data for the airplay characters and spoke to a number of radio programmers on the subject of shooting Dua Lipa’s original track instead of DaBaby’s remix. The massive radio chain Audacy is said to have taken the remix “in view of the homophobic statements by DaBaby” straight out of the airwaves.
Billboard notes that the drop in airplay also occurred after Dua Lipa spoke out against DaBaby in a July 27 Instagram story. “I am surprised and appalled by DaBaby’s comments,” she wrote. “I really don’t acknowledge this as the person I’ve worked with. I know that my fans know where my heart is and that I am 100% with the LGBTQ community. We need to come together to combat the stigma and ignorance surrounding HIV / AIDS. “
DaBaby’s “Levitating” remix perceives a decrease in airtime, but is currently number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The combined airplay for both versions of the song dropped from an audience of 12.3 million on July 20 to just over 12 million on August 2, as pointed out by Billboard (via MRC Data).
After DaBaby’s inflammatory remarks on Rolling Loud, he released the music video for “Giving What It’s Supposed to Give,” with a sign that read “AIDS” in his hand. The clip ended with the message: “Don’t fight hate with hate. I apologize for being who you want the freedom to be you. ”The rapper has subsequently been pulled from a number of festivals including Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, Austin City Limits, iHeartRadio and Music Midtown Music. On August 2, DaBaby posted an apology for his comments.
