Dee Barnes
| Dee Barnes | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dee Barnes |
| Also known as | D Zire Sista D |
| Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, Reggae Hip Hop, West Coast hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, TV Host Journalist |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Delicious Vinyl |
| Associated acts | Body & Soul |
Dee Barnes (stage name D Zire) is an American rapper and former television personality who performed in the West Coast hip hop female duo Body & Soul and hosted a radio show on KDAY, prior to gaining wider fame as the host of Fox’s hip hop show Pump It Up!.
Body & Soul’s 1989 debut single "Dance To The Drummer’s Beat", released on Los Angeles-based record label Delicious Vinyl, heavily sampled the Herman Kelly and Life song of the same name. Its b-side, "Hi-Powered", was produced by Def Jef. The same year another track produced by Def Jef would be released: "We Can Do This", on the label showcase This Is Delicious – Eat To The Beat. Body & Soul’s greatest recording would apparently be their last—as part of the Dr. Dre-produced West Coast Rap All-Stars and their 1990 posse cut, "We’re All in the Same Gang", which earned them a Grammy Award nomination.
In 1992, Barnes hosted the hip-hop special "Sisters in the Name of Rap", a 75-minute revue of live performances taped at the Ritz in New York. The show featured an all female line up with such artists as Queen Latifah and MC Lyte.[1]
Dr. Dre incident
After her 1990 interview with Ice Cube in which the rapper discusses his leaving N.W.A. at the height of their feud,[2] the group, feeling they had been negatively portrayed, sought retaliation. On January 27, 1991 Dr. Dre encountered Barnes at a record release party in Hollywood. According to Rolling Stone reporter Alan Light:
He picked her up by her hair and "began slamming her head and the right side of her body repeatedly against a brick wall near the stairway" as his bodyguard held off the crowd with a gun. After Dre tried to throw her down the stairs and failed, he began kicking her in the ribs and hands. She escaped and ran into the women’s rest room. Dre followed her and "grabbed her from behind by the hair again and proceeded to punch her in the back of the head."[3]
N.W.A. promoter Doug Young claims that he attempted to intervene to restrain Dre, but that he was punched in the mouth by Dre's bodyguard.[4]
N.W.A.’s MC Ren later said "bitch deserved it". and Eazy-E echoed with "yeah, bitch had it coming". As Dr. Dre explained the incident: "People talk all this shit, but you know, somebody fuck with me, I’m gonna fuck with them. I just did it, you know. Ain’t nothing you can do now by talking about it. Besides, it ain’t no big thing—I just threw her through a door." Barnes sued in February 1991, telling reporter Alan Light: "They’ve grown up with the mentality that it’s okay to hit women, especially black women. Now there’s a lot of kids listening and thinking it’s okay to hit women who get out of line."[3] In February, Barnes filed assault charges and brought a $22.75 million lawsuit against Dr. Dre, who pleaded no contest to the assault. He was fined $2,500, placed on two years’ probation, and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and produce an anti-violence public service announcement.[5] The lawsuit was settled out of court.[6]
Jerry Heller, then manager of NWA, called the incident "disgraceful" in his book and said that he was "left to clean up the mess" afterwards.[6] He claimed that Dr. Dre was generally non-violent and that the attack was a result of excess drinking.[6]
References
- ↑ "Sisters in the Name of Rap". Entertainment Weekly. April 24, 1992. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ↑ Rose, Tricia. 1994. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. p. 179. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6275-0
- 1 2 Light, Alan. "Beating Up the Charts." Rolling Stone, 8 August 1991. p66.
- ↑ Rap Reviews editorial: Why Dr. Dre Can't Be Given a Pass on Dee Barnes
- ↑ Noel, Peter. 1998. "Revenge of the Mad Rappers."The Village Voice. November 24, 1998.
- 1 2 3 Jerry Heller, Gil Reavill, 2006. Ruthless: A Memoir. p. 336. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. ISBN 1-4169-1792-6