February 6, 2024
Dee Barnes Speaks Out After Jay-Z Takes Home Grammy Named After Her Abuser Dr. Dre
Dee Barnes is continuing to criticize the Recording Academy for honoring Dr. Dre in the wake of his known physical abuse against her and his ex-girlfriend, singer Michel'le.
While Jay-Z was taking home the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the Grammys on Sunday night, the moment only reminded journalist Dee Barnes about the physical assault she suffered at the hands of the LA-born hip-hop mogul 30 years ago.
Barnes is continuing to criticize the Recording Academy for honoring Dr. Dre in the wake of his known physical abuse against her 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 doing her job as a journalist when she hosted an episode of “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.'”
Now, one year later, Jay-Z went viral for his scathing read against the Recording Academy while becoming the second recipient of the Grammy named after Barnes’ abuser. As a result, Barnes took to Twitter to resurface her 2023 Rolling Stones interview and continue her tirade against the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
“JayZ received an award named after an #abuser and defended his wife in his speech while his daughter stood by his side. #GRAMMYs 2024,” she wrote in one tweet.
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.
On Monday, Feb., 5, Barnes followed up with a final message that reshared her 2023 Rolling Stones interview and accused the Recording Academy of turning a blind eye to “Violence Against Women.”
“The @RecordingAcad does not care about #ViolenceAgainstWomen,” she tweeted.
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