So Sick Edits

Watch DaBaby’s Fiery Nod to Protest Brutality Protests at the 2020 VMAs

DaBaby made his Video Music Awards debut Sunday with a medley performance of some of his recent hits, with references to both the Covid-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality.

Performing on a virtual stage via greenscreen, DaBaby got in formation with a group of masked dancers to perform part of his song “Peep Hole,” before he was seen riding in the back of a police car, driven by two officers in Covid-19 face masks, while two of the masked dancers ran alongside him. Joined by his whole dance crew once more, DaBaby hopped onto the cop car to perform his Roddy Ricch feature “Rockstar,” and was quickly engulfed in flames.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, rapper is up for four awards at this year’s VMAs, including Artist of the Year and Best Hip-Hop Song for “Bop”; the video for that track is also up for Best Choreographer, while DaBaby’s Camila Cabello collaboration “My Oh My” is up for Best Cinematography.

Earlier this month, DaBaby’s hit “Rockstar” returned to the Number One spot on the Rolling Stone singles chart. The song — which received a Black Lives Matter remix in June — had previously reached the top spot in May, June and July.