Dee Barnes wants the world to know that Straight Outta Compton is a movie based on reality rappers, but it fails to stay true to the reality of the entire story.
Barnes recently opened up about being severely beaten by Dr. Dre during an attack in 1991. Dr. Dre reportedly attacked her at an album release party because her show “Pump It Up!” featured a segment where Ice Cube ridiculed his former group members. However, Barnes’ executive producer decided to air the footage even after Barnes revealed her disapproval. It eventually led to her being beaten in a restroom by Dr. Dre.
In the op-ed piece published by Gawker, Barnes shares her thoughts on the movie Straight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre’s abusive past, and the group’s misogynist lyrics.
On believing she would die while being beaten by Dr. Dre:
“My life changed that night. I suffer from horrific migraines that started only after the attack. I love Dre’s song “Keep Their Heads Ringin” — it has a particularly deep meaning to me.”
On Dr. Dre’s abusive past against women:
“Dr. Dre should have owned up to the time he punched his female label mate Tairie B at a Grammy party in 1990. He should have owned up to the black and blue scars he gave to his collaborator Michel’le. And he should have owned up to what he did to me. That’s reality.”
On Straight Outta Compton’s lack of positive women:
“With the exception of short scenes with mother figures and wives, the rest of the women in the film were naked in a hotel room or dancing in the background at the wild pool parties. Yo Yo, a female rapper who worked with Ice Cube after he left N.W.A., was nowhere to be found. Nor are women who worked with Dre later in his career, like Jewell and the Lady of Rage.”
Overall, Barnes makes several interesting points about N.W.A.’s story and how the director, writers and producers of the film failed to show the dark side of the group. It’s an important aspect of their lives that never made it to the big screen.
