Journalist Dee Barnes says Dr Dre Grammy award named after an ‘abuser’
Dre Dre pleaded guilty to assault and battery against the journalist and presenter in 1991
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Dee Barnes has said that the Grammys awarded an “abuser” when they named an accolade after Dr Dre.
Dr Dre was given the new award, titled the Dr Dre Impact Award, at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday night (5 February).
Barnes has since claimed that the Recording Academy “named this award after an abuser,” given that Dre pleaded no contest to assault and battery against her in 1991. There have been several other claims of violence made against him by multiple women, which he has denied.
In her own words, Barnes told Rolling Stone about how the recent honouring of Dre made her feel, as well as the impact of his abuse.
“I’m not saying he is the same person now,” said Barnes. “I don’t know. I’m not around him anymore. I haven’t talked to him.”
She continued: “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 went on to allege that she has been cast out of society as a result of coming forward about the abuse, in order to stop any further disruption to Dre’s reputation.
She claimed that she wasn’t able to attend events like the Grammys because “they have to keep one of us out of sight while they’re honouring another because one of us makes the other look bad.”
“I shouldn’t have to suffer by not being able to exist in a space and in a culture that not only did I grow up in but that I contributed to in a major way,” she said.
Barnes also told the publication how she feels that her entire person is linked to the incident, while Dre is celebrated in spite of that.
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“My whole history has been erased — as an artist, as a music journalist, and as a television host. All some people see is the [1991] incident. Whereas with him, it’s like, “Look at all the shiny stuff over here!”
The Independent has contacted Dre’s representatives for comment.
The Grammys has faced criticism in the past for celebrating copntroversial figures including Chris Brown, Louis CK and Dave Chappelle, who were all nominated at this year’s ceremony.
Brown was previously sentenced after assaulting his ex girlfriend Rihanna, while Louis CK admitted to sexual misconduct against several women. Chappelle won a Grammy for a Netflix special that sparked accusations of transphobia.
On Tuesday, Brown apologised to Robert Glasper after an outburst following his loss to him at the Grammys.