DaBaby has launched a mental health platform in honor of his late brother Glenn Johnson, who died by suicide in 2020.
Announced during Suicide Prevention Month on Thursday (September 26), the North Carolina rapper’s initiative is titled DaBabyCares and is dedicated to “raising awareness, dismantling the stigma surrounding mental health, and providing essential resources for both youth and adults facing mental health challenges.”
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He also partnered with Mental Health America of Central Carolinas for a free downloadable resource toolkit titled “Youth Mental Health 101 Resource Guide.”
In a post to Instagram, Baby said: “To keep it real I been thrown off mentally & spiritually since we lost big bruh. The only thing kept me strong was the kids! Every child in our bloodline a SOULJA, But damn that kids need to be kids.”
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He continued: “With that being said I know from experience that the majority of mental health issues come from unchecked childhood trauma & in honor of my brother, my nieces & nephew, and anybody who done lost a loved one to suicide I wanted to utilize my platform to provide the resources and create a safe space where it’s REALLY NEEDED for the ones struggling with mental health. Specifically targeting Black Males & the Youth!”
For more information, head to DaBabyCares.com.
Following Johnson’s death, DaBaby was initially vocal about his grief and used Instagram to connect with his fans.
In one of his Instagram Stories, DaBaby quoted a line from his 2017 song “INTRO,” which goes “My brother be thinkin’ that we don’t love him and let him struggle like we ain’t family/Like I won’t give up all I got to see you happy, n-gga.” He later encouraged his 15 million Instagram followers to “check on your people.”
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DaBaby also confessed he was seeking therapy to help deal with the numerous tragedies he’s faced over the last two years, including the death of his father in 2018.
“#MentalHealthAwareness,” he wrote on X (then Twitter).”If you can’t get over depression GET HELP, you see a loved one struggling get them help, they refuse the help, MAKE em get treated anyway. You suffer from PTSD take that shit serious & get help. I’m bouta get a therapist my damn self! #LongLiveG.”
Baby also planned on making time to see a therapist for himself to address the trauma he’s endured throughout his life. Baby, who lost his father in 2018, was involved in a fatal shooting at a North Carolina Walmart, which left a 19-year-old dead. He was ultimately sentenced to one year of probation.
“You suffer from PTSD take that shit serious & get help,” Baby continued. “I’m bouta get a therapist my damn self! #LongLiveG.”
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Baby had been visiting polling stations after coordinating free transportation for voters to get around North Carolina when he heard the news. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police responded to an alleged “assault with a deadly weapon” call on Tuesday around 1:39 p.m. local time. Johnson was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival as the result of his self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Johnson posted a video to social media earlier Tuesday looking emotionally distraught while brandishing a handgun and speaking about how he’d been “wronged” in the past. He’s reportedly survived by his four children.
