Dee Barnes, journalist who was brutally assaulted by Dr. Dre, faces homelessness and posts fundraiser
Dee Barnes who made a name for herself in the early 90s as a hip-hop journalist and who was infamously brutally assaulted by Dr. Dre, opened up about the hardships she’s now facing that compelled her to start a GoFundMe to combat an upcoming eviction.
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Barnes has fallen on hard times and said she’s experiencing “extreme financial hardship” and started the GoFundMe campaign this month avoid being homeless, Deadline reports.
“”Standing in our own truth not the definitions or the expectations is powerful, and this is my TRUTH…Yes, I did post the link to my PayPal, CashApp and GooglePay accounts asking for help because I am in the process of being evicted. This page was created as an emergency fund to stop the process and the subsequent legal fees. Even though I am facing extreme financial hardship, I keep my head up. I know who I am, I know my worth and I know I’m not alone. Everyone is dealing with their own different struggles. Some of us less fortunate than others. It may sound cliche but things will turn around in your favor, this is the balance of life ups and downs, so stay strong, and count your blessings, not your problems. I have the sincerest gratitude for your help and thank everyone for your love and support.” ❤”
Barnes had a modest goal of $5,000 but has since raised $16,000 and the campaign started trending after talk show host Wendy Williams spoke about Barnes. Williams, who is experiencing her own batch of troubles, also offered Barnes a seat at the table to come on the show and discuss her situation and help her out through her platform.
Barnes advocacy for #MeToo is poignant given that she experienced a public and painful attack at the hands of Dr. Dre and many believe the incident sidelined a once promising career.
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In the 90’s Barnes hosted a popular hip-hop show on Fox called Pump It Up! and Dr. Dre reportedly attacked Barnes at an album release party in early ’91 because he was upset about a piece that aired the previous November involving N.W.A.
Dr. Dre plead no contest to assault charges, and the two settled out of court.
Barnes said previously when she saw the movie Straight Outta Compton, she noticed that pivotal and defining moment was left out.
“When I was sitting there in the theater, and the movie’s timeline skipped by my attack without a glance, I was like, ‘Uhhh, what happened?’ Like many of the women that knew and worked with N.W.A., I found myself a casualty of Straight Outta Compton’s revisionist history.”
In 2015, in response to the whitewashing of Dr. Dre’s history of abuse in the movie, the music mogul issued a formal apology to, in his words, “the women I’ve hurt,” in an exclusive statement to the New York Times.
“I apologize to the women I’ve hurt,” the producer/MC told the paper. “I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.”
“Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life,” Dre added. “However, none of this is an excuse for what I did. I’ve been married for 19 years and every day I’m working to be a better man for my family, seeking guidance along the way. I’m doing everything I can so I never resemble that man again.”
Barnes, in a follow-up essay on Gawker, accepted Dre’s apology, saying, “Who cares why he apologized? The point is that he did.”
