DaBaby performing in Atlanta, Dec. 2021.
Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesA battery case against DaBaby in Las Vegas has been dismissed, according to online court records.
The case was dismissed with prejudice — meaning it can’t be brought again — on Dec. 1. The charge stemmed from a Nov. 2020 incident during which DaBaby (real name Jonathan Kirk) allegedly hit a Las Vegas driver during a ride. Along with the dismissal of the charges, Kirk was ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to his accuser, Timothy Cobb.
Lawyers for Kirk, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement, “Mr. Kirk denied the allegations and came to court prepared to fight the case at trial. In court, the case was dismissed with prejudice.”
Kirk has faced several legal issues in the past, most notably a 2018 incident where he fatally shot a 19-year-old man in a North Carolina Walmart. Kirk claimed he was acting in self-defense, and he was ultimately not charged in the man’s death; he was, however, found guilty of a misdemeanor weapons charge.
In 2020, Kirk was arrested and questioned over an alleged robbery in Miami after an altercation with promoters at a venue where he was set to perform. The promoters had reportedly promised Kirk $30,000 for the appearance, but he was allegedly only given $20,000; a verbal and physical altercation erupted over the discrepancy with Kirk allegedly punching one of the promoters. Kirk was charged with battery in the incident, though those charges were eventually dropped.
The dismissal of the Las Vegas battery case comes at the end of a tumultuous 2021 for Kirk. The rapper faced intense scrutiny this summer after making misogynistic, homophobic, and ill-informed comments about AIDS victims at Rolling Loud Miami. While DaBaby lost a handful of major festival slots in the backlash, he maintained plenty of support and recently kicked off a North American tour with the support of Rolling Loud. In November, Kirk was involved in a live-streamed fracas with DaniLeigh, the singer and mother of his child (charges were filed against DaniLeigh, but none against Kirk).
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
