Dee Barnes
Encyclopedia
Denise "Dee" Barnes is an American
rapper and former television personality, whose stage name was D Zire, performed in the West Coast hip hop
female duo Body & Soul, and hosted an influential 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, taped at the Ritz in New York.
in which the rapper discusses his leaving N.W.A.
at the height of their feud, the group, feeling they had been negatively portrayed, sought retaliation. On January 27, 1991 Dr. Dre would encounter Barnes at a record release party in Hollywood. According to Rolling Stone
reporter Alan Light:
N.W.A.'s MC Ren
later said "bitch deserved it", and Eazy-E
"yeah, bitch had it coming, and I'm 'bout to rib you." 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." In February, Barnes would file assault charges and bring a $22.75 million lawsuit against Dr. Dre, who pleaded no contest
to the assault. He was fined $2500, placed on two years' probation, and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and produce an anti-violence public service announcement
. The lawsuit was settled out of court.
The assault was yet another reason Bronx rapper Tim Dog
went after N.W.A. on his 1991 diss song "Fuck Compton" - "Dre, beatin' on Dee from Pump It Up!?/Step to the Dog and get FUCKED UP!" - and Eazy-E
would later refer to the incident on his various disses of Dr. Dre and Death Row Records
, including "Real Muthaphuckkin G's
," "It's On," and "Wut Would U Do." It was again notably referenced in the 1999 Eminem
duet with Dr. Dre, "Guilty Conscience
." The song is an interplay between Slim Shady and Dre as the two sides of peoples' consciences - Dre being the "good" conscience - with Slim Shady rapping "are you gonna take advice from somebody who slapped Dee Barnes?"
. The incident was also mentioned on Game's 'Doctor's Advocate' album on the title track.
The incident was #37 on Spin
magazine's "100 Sleaziest Moments in Rock".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper and former television personality, whose stage name was D Zire, performed in the West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music that originates in the westernmost region of the United States, as opposed to East Coast hip hop, based originally in New York alone...
female duo Body & Soul, and hosted an influential radio show on KDAY
KDAY
KDAY in Redondo Beach and KDEY in Ontario are a pair of synchrocasting radio stations based in South Los Angeles that airs an Classic hip-hop format aimed at African Americans in the 18-49 range. The station is owned by Magic Broadcasting, LLC and broadcasts at 93.5 MHz on the FM dial...
prior to gaining wider fame as the host of Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
show Pump It Up!.
Body & Soul's 1989 debut single "Dance To The Drummer's Beat", released on Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based record label Delicious Vinyl
Delicious Vinyl
Delicious Vinyl is an American independent record label founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in Los Angeles. Throughout its history, the label has had distribution deals with [Island Records/[PolyGram]], Warner Music Group, EMI, Red Ant, Rhino and Universal Music Group.-Early...
, heavily sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
the Herman Kelly and Life
Herman Kelly and Life
Herman Kelly & Life were a short-lived funk musical group who released records on the Miami, Florida based T.K. Disco, Alston, and Electric Cat labels in the late 1970s. Their 1978 song "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" later appeared on the breakbeat compilation "Ultimate Breaks and Beats", and has...
song of the same name. Its b-side, "Hi-Powered", was produced by Def Jef
Def Jef
Def Jef is the stage name of Jeffrey Fortson , an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA....
. 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
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
-produced West Coast Rap All-Stars
West Coast Rap All-Stars
"We're All in the Same Gang" is a 1990 single by the West Coast Rap All-Stars, a collaboration of West Coast hip-hop artists that assembled for this song that promoted an anti-violence message.Produced by Dr. Dre, the song featured rapped verses from:...
and their 1990 posse cut
Posse cut
A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.Tracks described as posse cuts by Rolling Stone include A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario", "Tha Shit" by The D.O.C., "Doin' Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, and "Set It Off" by Snoop Dogg...
, "We're All in the Same Gang", which earned them a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination.
In 1992, Barnes hosted the hip-hop special Sisters in the Name of Rap, taped at the Ritz in New York.
Dr. Dre incident
After her 1990 interview with Ice CubeIce Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
in which the rapper discusses his leaving N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
at the height of their feud, the group, feeling they had been negatively portrayed, sought retaliation. On January 27, 1991 Dr. Dre would encounter Barnes at a record release party in Hollywood. According to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
reporter Alan Light:
N.W.A.'s MC Ren
MC Ren
Lorenzo Jerald Patterson , better known by his stage name MC Ren, is a rapper who formed part of the group N.W.A. His moniker is derived from his first name .-Early life:...
later said "bitch deserved it", and Eazy-E
Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
"yeah, bitch had it coming, and I'm 'bout to rib you." 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." In February, Barnes would file assault charges and bring a $22.75 million lawsuit against Dr. Dre, who pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to the assault. He was fined $2500, placed on two years' probation, and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and produce an anti-violence public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
. The lawsuit was settled out of court.
The assault was yet another reason Bronx rapper Tim Dog
Tim Dog
Tim Dog is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York who rose to prominence during the early '90s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the celebrated "diss" record "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra, with member Kool...
went after N.W.A. on his 1991 diss song "Fuck Compton" - "Dre, beatin' on Dee from Pump It Up!?/Step to the Dog and get FUCKED UP!" - and Eazy-E
Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
would later refer to the incident on his various disses of Dr. Dre and Death Row Records
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...
, including "Real Muthaphuckkin G's
Real Muthaphuckkin G's
"Real Muthaphuckkin G's" is a 1993 song by West Coast rapper Eazy-E from his album It's On 187um Killa. It is a "diss song" to former N.W.A. bandmate Dr. Dre and his then-new protégé Snoop Doggy Dogg. It is also one of the few songs that Eazy-E ever produced in the studio.It peaked at #42 on the...
," "It's On," and "Wut Would U Do." It was again notably referenced in the 1999 Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
duet with Dr. Dre, "Guilty Conscience
Guilty Conscience
"Guilty Conscience" is a song released in 1999 by rap artist Eminem featuring his mentor, Dr. Dre. It was the third single from his major label debut album, The Slim Shady LP, also released in 1999...
." The song is an interplay between Slim Shady and Dre as the two sides of peoples' consciences - Dre being the "good" conscience - with Slim Shady rapping "are you gonna take advice from somebody who slapped Dee Barnes?"
. The incident was also mentioned on Game's 'Doctor's Advocate' album on the title track.
The incident was #37 on Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine's "100 Sleaziest Moments in Rock".