Dee Barnes is continuing to criticize the Recording Academy for honoring Dr. Dre in the wake of his known physical abuse against herself and his ex-girlfriend, singer Michel’le.
Dee Barnes is continuing to criticize the Recording Academy for honoring Dr. Dre in the wake of his known physical abuse against herself and his ex-girlfriend, singer Michel’le. Last year, Barnes spoke with Rolling Stone after Dre became the first recipient of the award named in his honor.
“The Grammys Call Dr. Dre an Icon. Dee Barnes Calls Him an Abuser,” the article was titled.
It saw Barnes reflect on the physical assault she suffered at the hands of the Aftermath and Beats Electronics CEO back in 1991 when his rap group NWA was knee-deep in a rap rivalry with former member Ice Cube. Barnes was just doing her job as a journalist when she hosted an episode of the show “Pump It Up!” that focused on the feud. However, Dr. Dre responded by assaulting her at a record release party in Hollywood.
“Everybody wants to separate the art from the artist, and sometimes that’s just not possible. Most people without a knowledge of [Dr. Dre’s] history are going to say, ‘Oh, he must deserve that. He must be such a great person for them to put an award in his name.’ But they named this award after an abuser,” she told the magazine last year.
“It wasn’t just a one or two-time thing; these are choices. The first time, it’s maybe a mistake. The second time, okay. The third time, it’s a choice. I’m not saying he is the same person now, though. I don’t know. I’m not around him anymore. I haven’t talked to him. But to name an award after someone with that type of history in the music industry, you might as well call it the ‘Ike Turner Award.’”
Barnes also made it clear that she took no issue with Jay-Z attending the Grammys to accept the award. She supports his win. Instead, she takes issue with the award being named after a man who physically abused women in the past.
“It wasn’t a slamming it was a call out! They gave him the mic and he rightfully called them out. You can’t do that from home on the couch. FORGIVE HIS BROOKLYN! #GRAMMYs,” she wrote in another tweet.
“The @RecordingAcad does not care about #ViolenceAgainstWomen,” she tweeted.
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Source: Black Enterprise
