While the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton is currently enjoying massive success, rapper and music journalist Dee Barnes believes the film left out some crucial details; namely, all the violence against women perpetrated by the group members and specifically Dr. Dre.
Barnes, who was allegedly viciously assaulted by Dr. Dre in 1991 over a segment she hosted on the Fox show Pump It Up!, spoke about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the legendary rap figure in an essay published on Tuesday to Gawker.
Barnes, who agreed to view Straight Outta Compton and give her thoughts on the film, immediately recalled the roadside beating of unarmed Black woman Marlene Pinnock by California Highway patrolman Daniel Andrew back in June.
"That must have been how it looked as Dr. Dre straddled me and beat me mercilessly on the floor of the women's restroom at the Po Na Na Souk nightclub in 1991," Barnes wrote.
"That event isn't depicted in Straight Outta Compton, but I don't think it should have been, either," Barnes continued. "The truth is too ugly for a general audience. I didn't want to see a depiction of me getting beat up, just like I didn't want to see a depiction of Dre beating up Michel'le, his one-time girlfriend who recently summed up their relationship (during an interview with VladTV) this way: "I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat on and told to sit down and shut up."
Check out the full essay to hear more from Barnes on the rampant misogyny she experienced around NWA, plus why she believes Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray whitewashed the group's history.
Source: Gawker
