Known as the first female hip-hop journalist to have a broadcast television show in the early 90's, Dee Barnes is now taking to the internet to help gain financial support after being evicted from her home. The former “Pump It Up!” host launched a GoFundMe campaign last month to help raise money for her eviction battle, where as of Wednesday (March 27) she had raised over $22,000.
Although that figure is four times what her initial target was, the Los Angeles-based journalist revealed that the help came too late and that she’s now officially homeless, though she plans to use the funds to help get back on her feet. From there, however, she referenced the infamous trial in 1991 when Dr. Dre reportedly assaulted her, following an interview she conducted with Ice Cube after he left N.W.A.
“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,” she recently told HipHopDX, before adding that “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.”
The well-documented assault led to Barnes filing a lawsuit against Dre for $22.75 million, though the matter was eventually settled out of court. The manager of NWA, Jerry Heller, had once called the incident "disgraceful" and blamed it over "excessive drinking," while it was also referenced during Eminem's collaboration with Dre on "Guilty Conscience."
Prior to that, she was one half of the West Coast female hip hop duo, Body and Soul, who ironically earned a Grammy nomination for the Dr. Dre-produced West Coast Rap All-Stars and their 1990 posse cut, "We’re All in the Same Gang."
Source: okayplayer.com
