Former En Vogue vocalist Dawn Robinson criticized producer Jermaine Dupri for his comments regarding her homelessness.
Robinson went viral when she admitted on her official YouTube channel that she had been living out of her car for the past three years. After moving back in with her parents until it became unbearable, then taking it to the streets, Robinson said she embraced the “car culture” where groups of people live in SUVs, trailers and automobiles.
What Jermaine Dupri said about Dawn Robinson
Legendary producer and songwriter Jermaine Dupri, who has written blockbuster hits for the likes of Kriss Kross, Da Brat, Usher and Mariah Carey, expressed incredulity about a homeless woman who claims she has an assistant.
“Having an assistant is not something you should even think about if you don’t have no money,” Dupri said, adding, “Because ain’t no god—n way she got an assistant and she ain’t got no money. Ain’t no way. She might not have all the money in the world, but she definitely not broke with an assistant.”
The En Vogue vocalist, who also had a short fruitful stint with Lucy Pearl led by legendary Raphael Saadiq, fired back at Dupri during her interview on “Way Up with Angela Yee” on Tuesday, March 25.
Dawn Robinson fires back at Jermaine Dupri
“They saw what they wanted to see, they didn’t see what I said,” Robinson said.
“I’ve only met him once in my life, if that,” she said, adding that she has never even shaken his hand. “So I was shocked. He doesn’t know my story, so he’s assuming. Instead of reaching out to me directly and saying, ‘Hey, you know I heard about your situation, what do you need? Are you OK?’ or ‘Hey, I don’t know her story but she’s being very brave.’ Like, be quiet.”
“I was shocked. Usually artists don’t — you know what I mean — he’s a producer but he’s still an artist. We don’t attack each other like that,” Robinson continued with Yee. “You would swear that he knows me directly, like he knows my story and why. It’s like, where are you coming from? It was a shock, but I’m like some people have to just be negative and he doesn’t know my story.”
Dawn Robinson clarifies that she chose the ‘car life’
Robinson addressed people calling her “homeless” and “destitute” and saying “she needs money” after her description in her social media video of being unable to afford an apartment.
“I did research. It’s crazy, it’s like they’re like it’s almost like people think that I was just like thrown into car life,” she explained.
“Like she’s just homeless. Like, no, I made a choice. I could have stayed at the hotels or I could have worked it out even with my manager to stay with him.”
