The reason Dr Dre got into a savage brawl in 1991
Dr Dre is a legendary hip-hop figure. Notably, in the 1990s, by sampling George Clinton and the popular P-Funk music of the ’70s and ‘80s, he pioneered a new style of hip-hop, G-Funk, and it quickly became a formidable force in the genre.
Dr Dre is seen as a relatively pleasant person who has contributed immensely to hip-hop culture with his ingenious production. However, there was a darker side to him during the early days of his career, and on one occasion, he was involved in a savage Los Angeles streetfight.
In 1991, Dr Dre had just left NWA and was entering into a partnership with notorious West Coast gangster Suge Knight, who had big plans for Dr Dre and his affiliates after forming Death Row Records. However, Dre was in a feud with Ice Cube at the time.
The feud between the former crewmates was vicious, and after the release of Ice Cube’s scathing ‘No Vaseline’ diss track, Dr Dre was not happy with how he was being perceived in hip-hop.
In 1991, television presenter Dee Barnes interviewed Ice Cube on Fox. During the interview, the ‘It Was A Good Day’ rapper dissed Dr Dre repeatedly without the host’s intervention. The host let the lyricist say whatever he wanted, and Dre was furious with Barnes.
As a direct result of the interview, Dre went on a mission to find Barnes and, outside a Hollywood club, got into a streetfight with her. Dre beat her, assaulted her and did a lot more, which damaged his image for a while.
Following the incident, Barnes spoke to Rolling Stone and detailed how “Dre picked her up” and “began slamming her face and the right side of her body repeatedly against a wall near the stairway” as his bodyguard held off the crowd. After Dre tried to throw her down the stairs and failed, he began kicking her in the ribs and hands.”
After this, Dr Dre allegedly followed her to the bathroom and “grabbed her from behind by the hair and proceeded to punch her in the back of the head.” Dre is said to have then fled the scene with his bodyguard.
In the minidocumentary about him and Jimmy Iovine, The Defiant Ones, Dre addressed the situation and stated, “I have this dark cloud that follows me and it’s going to be attached to me forever. It’s a major blemish on who I am as a man.”
He continued, “Any man that puts his hands on a female is a fucking idiot. He’s out of his fucking mind, and I was out of my fucking mind at the time. I fucked up, I paid for it, I’m sorry for it, I apologise for it.”
Dr Dre has always been embarassed about his actions and throughout his career has showed his contrition about the brawl. However, its ramifications have lasted and he has had a shaky even slightly worrisome relationship with women since this incident.
That said, in an interview with Ms Magazine, Barnes said she wants to be remembered for her show and contribution to hip-hop, telling the interviewer, “I want people to remember the show and not just the incident, which has taken over the conversation, and it really shouldn’t. But many people remember that. I also hear comments all the time [diminishing my legacy] like, ‘She just interviewed a couple of rappers’ and ‘It was a local show.'”