Back in the day, En Vogue was one of the most popular R&B groups of the 90s. But despite the fame, the group’s former lead singer Dawn Robinson has revealed they did not have the fortune to match.
During an exclusive interview with The Jasmine Brand on Monday, Feb. 22, Robinson detailed some of the pitfalls they faced on their road to fame. According to Robinson, she and the rest of the ladies were only paid a mere $0.02 per album.
She recalled their discussion with MC Hammer while on tour.
Robinson said, “MC Hammer was like ‘Okay you guys are the biggest things on the charts right now and you’re making two cents a record, there’s something wrong with this picture.’”
The famed singer went on to reveal how he ultimately helped them reach a turning point.
She added, “He paid for us to go to his attorney and he paid for the whole day. ‘Sit there and ask questions take your contracts and you guys ask questions.’ Because to him it didn’t make any sense that we were the biggest things on the charts but we were making such little money. That blew him away.”
Robinson’s admission comes as she prepares for her new “autobiographical.” While her account will include details about her life and years in the music industry, she has made it clear that her material will not be a tell-all memoir but rather a book focused on highlighting the truth.
Robinson said, “All of the stuff that I talk about is true. Sometimes when you tell your truth it’s going to look like I’m talking about them in a negative way and it is not that at all. This is how I lived it, this is what I witnessed, this is what happened.”
