Dee Barnes surfaced…giving “Beats By Dre” a whole new meaning-far over a pair of headphones, and the world is listening intently (and intentionally).
In case you didn’t know who that was, she is the woman at the center of the January 27, 1991 incident where at a listening party for rap duo BWP-Bytches With Problems known for their mainstream hit Two Minute Brotha and my fav B side cut of theirs-the brazen: Is The P* Still Good. (It’s so ironic, I’m a major music/hip-hop-oligist who just two months ago–was looking them and some other 90s rap girls up to see what they were doing now…wow…didn’t know this all took place at BWPs listening party though…learned something new).
But back to the subjects.
For Dee Barnes, Bytches With Problems’ listening party is where all hell broke loose as, in the eyes of Dr. Dre and the remaining members of NWA who, at the time, were mid-war with rapper Ice Cube (who’d left the group), Pump it Up!’s Dee Barnes put herself in the middle of something on behalf of [the now-at the time-former NWA member] Ice Cube by which the members of NWA saw as complete and uttered disrespect.
If you know rap history, this rap war between Ice Cube and NWA was beyond the wax that you can even hear the hurt in Ice Cube’s voice rapping about. Regardless whose side your were on, whereas playing and loving NWA’s music and Ice Cube’s music was one thing; pitting them together (after Cube left the group) was a whole other separate thing and like trying to mix oil and water.
If you ever needed a 5+ minute frame of reference of the feel of what Ice Cube v. NWA were fighting about, you can press play and I will meet yous post-song and continue:
With regard to Dee Barnes, what had-happened was, during a spot on her Fox TV show Pump It Up! the segment was dedicated to NWA who (like I explained) at this very moment in time, were not cool with [now former] group member Ice Cube. But somehow in there, much the NWAs surprise and chagrin, Ice Cube got inserted into their segment live and in front of millions. And well, with ego, wax wars, testosterone, immaturity, (millions at stake) and millions of people watching it all; Ren, Dre, Cube, and Eazy E didn’t find it to be too funny.
The recollection.
Since the January 27, 1991 incident, for months, rumors about what happened circulated and
