Pump It Up! host Dee Barnes shot to notoriety when she became the first female Hip Hop journalist to have a broadcast television show. Launched in 1989, the show featured in-depth interviews with prominent Hip Hop artists such as Ice Cube, Ice-T, Will Smith, Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane and, of course, N.W.A.
Everything changed in 1991 when she was brutally attacked by Dr. Dre during a Hollywood record release party. Subsequently, her career came to a screeching halt and her days were suddenly filled with court appearances. Barnes filed criminal charges against Dre and a civil suit followed. They ultimately settled out of court in 1993.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ugiueA-R7o
Now, Barnes has found herself in a precarious situation — homelessness. With nowhere else to go, the former Delicious Vinyl artist reluctantly launched a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to raise enough money to secure a place to live. It wasn’t an easy decision.
“What made me finally say enough I’m going to ask for help is that quote, ‘You can overcome anything in life, but you must first be willing to live in your truth,” she tells HipHopDX. “I realized that I had come too far and had been through too much to just give up without trying.
“I had never asked for public help before, but I then remembered a long time ago while I was going through the assault trial in 1991 people were sending me checks for my legal fees. I never cashed any of them — not one — but knowing I had that support kept me strong enough to continue to face each court date. Right now, I am officially homeless. My goal with the campaign is to regain stability, which is imperative for survivors of any trauma.”
In the past, Dre had mostly brushed off the incident as “no big thing.” Eminem even raps about it on 1999’s “Guilty Conscience” featuring Dre, reducing her to nothing more than a pop culture reference or piece of Hip Hop trivia.
But during an episode of HBO’s The Defiant Ones, which revolved around Dre and record exec Jimmy Iovine, he talked about his history of abusing women and seemingly addressed the assault, admitting he was “out of his fucking mind.”
He also referred to it as “a major blemish” on who he is as a man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShGUDafLzoc&feature=youtu.be
Despite Dre’s public apology, the effect the attack had on Barnes still impacts her life today. Not only does she continue to have migraines 28 years later, but she’s also felt blackballed by an industry she continues to support.
“As far as the subject matter of my past history with Dr. Dre and my current situation, I will say any time a women tells her account of abuse from a public figure, there is always extreme backlash,” she explains. “There are too many examples of this — the Hollywood actresses who found themselves jobless after taking a stand against [Harvey] Weinstein, the women who gave up their dreams of comedy after incidents with comic Louis C.K.
“But most recently, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and the [Justice Brett] Kavanaugh hearings. After her testimony, she’s had to have security due to death threats, change her job, move her family, et cetera. Women are punished first by the crime committed against them and then for holding abusers accountable for their actions and speaking out against domestic violence and sexual assault. Survivors should be able to hold people in positions of power accountable for their actions without losing their own power. Times up.”
Until Barnes is able to get back on her feet, she’s hoping the Hip Hop community will band together and help her through this tumultuous time. To donate to her GoFundMe page, check out the link here.
Vote for Andrew Young 2020. Each American will receive $1000 and no one will have to be homeless. Dr Dre should send her like $50000 as atonement
Andrew Yang
that’s just stupid, then there won’t be any money left for the country
Anyone who thinks Congress would pass $1000 a month to every American is a fucking retard. Anyone who can do basic math understands why our nation can’t afford to hand out money LMAO. I really hope y’all aren’t that fucking gullible…..
The government already is. They shell out way more than that actually and not just to poor people. The poor people get the crumbs in food stamps and shit. Middle class people get it in forms of tax credits and shit. Rich people and businesses get it in government subsidies just for being rich like what Amazon was trying to get with that New York headquarters they were building. When people wake up and realize this, we can actually fix the problem.
Maybe just one of those 70 million you have to USC Dre, would have went well to old chokey/roll down the stairsy. Just saying.
Man it’s sad to hear these types of things, these people were big influencers in my youth.
Has to be hard publicly admitting you’re homeless and I sympathize. What I don’t understand is how she is still using “trauma” as a calling card. Just hard to understand that an event that happened nearly 30 years ago is still playing a factor in your life.
May be hard to understand if you’ve not gone through it. Trauma leaves a lasting impact in one’s life. It leaves echoes in your life so anytime someone raises a hand near you or says a certain word or whatever the queue or trigger may be, you’re instantly taken back to that traumatic moment. Even thirty years down the road it can feel like it happened yesterday. Even with years of therapy it can still seem like it was yesterday. And in her case, it’s gotten her blackballed from the whole hip hop industry so it’s had far more ripple affects than trauma on a normal person not in the public spotlight would have had. Imagine getting beat up and in turn getting punished for it and getting your whole career erased for speaking up. That just doesn’t happen to men so it’s pretty much impossible for us to understand.
Says the same person who doesn’t think she has to work a 9-5 because her child support should take care of the whole family plus some. Fuck off!!!!!!
Once again, nobody said she shouldn’t work a job. Keep creating your own narrative and then reacting to it. It’s a sign of delusion. I’d be concerned.
Ive had my ass beaten wrongfully before. It didn’t scare me for life… Or even for a week. If your so scarred from being a victim, then buy a pistol and keep yourself safe. So, she’s homeless, but can go on the internet and shit lol. No sympathy from me. Go to work.
This is why I don’t go with TI’s bullshit that we protect white celebs and destroy black celebs. Dre got virtually no blowback for this. No one seems to care that Fab just punched the teeth out of his wife either.
Bitches Ain’t Shit.
And you are?
I’m your Step-Father.
Bitch stfu and stop being so damm sensitive. Fab wife was out of line and got what she deserved.
The blowback for Blacks is jail…Blacks go to jail social warrior,Black celebrities do jail time pretty regularly
RNs, blacks get away with crimes. Look at Shitcago and that bitch Kim Foxx letting Jussie “fake beating” Smollet get off easy. Black privilege.
Can start by getting a 9-5. Same people she is asking to donate are most likely workin 9-5s.
Yeah, because she hasn’t tried that I’m so sure. You have no idea what her situation is or if she is working. You can work a 9-5 in Cali and still be homeless and broke. That’s the sad truth.
Hahaha you really think she’s trying to get a 9-5????? Haha man I feel sorry for you. You’re the same person who’ll prob donate money to her.
She actually already has a job fool. I know someone that knows her. So keep trying son. And even if I did donate (which I haven’t), good on me, it means I’m a good person and not a selfish douche.
She has a job. I know someone who is friends with her. You’re basically writing someone’s reality for them and then judging them based on something you made up. That’s a token sign of ignorance. And who cares if I did donate money (I didn’t)? If I did it means I’m a generous and caring person. You should try it sometime, it might get you further in life.
Well move somewhere thats not so fuckin expensive to live..: who says she have to live in Cali
Sometimes it’s just not that easy to relocate somewhere else.
If you’re working 9-5 in Cali, and still homeless, you’re a fucking moron. I’be been on my own since 19 and I was able to make it in Los Angeles and go to college. I’m in my thirties now and I’m a home owner. Barnes is just tryin a come up. This chick is trying to bank off this Metoo farce. Look who she referenced: Harvey casting couch queens and that Blasey-Ford liar. She knows idiots donate on Go fund Me and is exploiting her past abuse/run in w Dre’s fist.
More melodramatic “poor me I’m a victim” nonsense. I’m sorry you got beat up but it was 30 years ago, if you are still so traumatized that you can’t work from it, than you should be institutionalized receiving round the clock psychological help…… but we all know she isn’t. She realized “Me Too” was a thing now and figures it was her golden opportunity to get some sympathy handouts.
Spoken like a true moron who hasn’t even gone through something as traumatic as an assault/ domestic violence. YOU HAVE NO CLUE.
Nobody said she can’t work. But it’s definitely effected her ability to get work in hip hop, not because of the trauma but because of being blacklisted by everyone due to Dre’s connections. You must have a hard time reading by how inaccurately you processed and assessed this article.
Millions of people aren’t hip hop pioneers though. First FEMALE hip hop journalist is a big deal. Your male/white privilege is probably blinding you from recognizing that. Try seeing shit from someone else’s point of view for once.
First female hip hop journalist to have her own VIDEO SHOW. She laid the foundation for so many women in hip hop.
still waiting on those privileges
Dre got a few spare bedrooms I bet…
Take it right back down how u talking about this an we went to court on it?
Wait what did she do with those legal fee checks she didn’t cash?
Threw them away? If not they’re definitely expired.
Dr. Dre, you got the bread…help that sister get back on her feet. That is the least you can do.
What actions is she facing the consequences for? What the hell are you talking about?
Dee is cool but for the past 10 years I saw her bad mouthing Dre on social media. Instead of forgiving and moving on she kept a grudge. I once held a grudge for 5 years was angry but it got me nowhere. I forgave, moved on earned a better paying career. Im not trying to diss her. Like the contributer who posted below Dre got out of horrible situations himself.
I wish her the best and nothing but love. And using that love to get better, get money as in a new career and prosper!
Didnt dre hit her off … With some bread …
I feel bad for Barnes, but she on some low-key Me Too mess. That mess was over in ’93. Where’s Barnes’ family? I feel that we all need help, but this lady did her thing and we all know the bills need to be paid. #facts
Where does she charge her cell phone? She stays tweeting.
??♀️??♀️
She at the burger king all day charging that shit
She’s black.
Read the article… Help, if you can… If you can’t help, and you don’t have anything positive to say, scroll on by. It’s so simple. ? (And don’t forget to bow down to your Powerful Source and beg ’em not to let you ever become homeless, and be relevant enough, for your hardships to become public too.) This is not up for discussion either, talk to yourselves. FOH!
Dummy!!
Been homeless, never asked anyone for sh*t, got a job and my sh*t together. Pretty simple… And i got my a** whipped plenty of times back in the day, guess I PTS too smh
Dr. Dre ain’t shit. He’s a bitch
Dre must have knocked this bitch senseless because everyone know Kavanaugh is an American hero and Ford testimony was staged.
Body slammin’ bitches make Dre a bigger man
Wayment, she still talking about what happened in 91?
Bum beyatch needs to get a job!! I guess begging issa job
I believe in helping as long as she is helping herself…i don’t care if she is working the drive through at McDonald’s…she should be doing something instead of waiting for a hand out
What a woman…i’ll take her in no problem
so many questions that need answers… Why does she only need $5,000? Where area does she live in that she cannot afford? What did she do with her settlement money from Dre?
If you’ve the time to make a campaign on the internet and reach a hip-hop blog, you’ve the time to drop your ego and apply for a job. No-one really knows your face anyway, so the industry blackballing doesn’t apply if you look elsewhere….but she’s already raised 30,000, so I guess her ploy worked. That’s a hell of a lot more than some underprivileged, undereducated people will ever see in their lives….
That’s what I say and everybody is hiring now
Come look Me up in Savannah, GA. I don’t have money to spare but, I’ve a warm bed, clean house and food. That has to mean more than money when one is homeless.
Can I give my kidney.. ? Like we don’t need both of ours do we? Where can I help.?