Rapper DaBaby’s (Jonathan Lyndale Kirk) fans who listened to his version of Spotem Gottem’s viral single, Beatbox — released on Friday (February 19) — were left scratching their heads over the part of the rapper’s lyrics that appeared to include a rude reference to the YouTube star JoJo Siwa.
In a line from the freestyle rap, DaBaby referred to the teenage Internet star JoJo Siwa by the b-word (see video below).
“Turn me up, n***** gon’ see why / N****, you a b****, JoJo Siwa (B****),” DaBaby rapped, while holding up a photo of Siwa on his phone.
What appeared to fans to be a JoJo Siwa diss in DaBaby’s lyrics left fans puzzled and confused.
Many took to Twitter to ask and debate why the 29-year-old North Carolina rapper appeared to be picking on the 17-year-old former Dance Moms star.
The celeb gossip writer Perez Hilton was among Twitter users who first drew people’s attention to the curious line in DaBaby’s rap lyrics.
Twitter users rallied around JoJo Siwa
Many Twitter users thought the notion that DaBaby had a beef with JoJo Siwa was ridiculous and tried to laugh it off. But others preferred to take DaBaby’s seemingly offensive reference to Siwa at face value and decided to turn on the social media heat.
Some social media users even suggested, mostly as a joke, that Siwa would soon release her own DaBaby diss track.
DaBaby was only rhyming and word-playing, some argued
However, some rap fans offered an explanation they thought could account for the baffling reference to the lively and easy-going 17-year-old YouTuber in DaBaby’s freestyle lyrics.
For instance, Genius Lyrics explained that DaBaby inserted JoJo Siwa’s name only as a word-play and for rhyming. They pointed to the fact that the previous words “see why” sounded like “Siwa” (homophones).
The website went on to explain that DaBaby also mentioned JoJo Siwa to diss his opponents. He wanted to suggest they were behaving like a teenage girl.
“DaBaby compares the tendencies of his opposition to JoJo,” Genius Lyrics explains. “In response, he promises to make them remember not to mess with him. Here, ‘Siwa’ functions as a homophone with ‘see why.'”
The latest development comes after Monsters and Critics reported that Siwa was allegedly swatted at her home in Los Angeles soon after coming out as gay.