That Time Dr. Dre Beat Up A TV Show Host (Video)

With the release of the film "Straight Outta Compton," there's been a lot of reminiscing about the influence of N.W.A. and the challenges they faced early in their career. But of all of the stories from that period of the band, this is one that everyone concerned would probably like to forget.

Just after Ice Cube left N.W.A. (he says he left over money, the band said they booted him because of his complaining), the rapper appeared on a weekly rap & hip-hop television series called "Pump It Up." Hosted by rapper Dee Barnes, Ice Cube talked about his music and why left N.W.A. Looking at the interview now, it seems fairly innocuous, although Cube's explanation of why he uses the word "Bitch" so much in his music is fascinating.

But as it turned out, the other members of N.W.A. were unhappy with the interview and the way they were portrayed in the segment. Dr. Dre and a bodyguard crashed a January 1991 record release party hosted by Barnes and assaulted her while the crowd watched, according to a Rolling Stone piece:

According to a statement issued by Barnes, 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. She escaped and ran into the women's restroom. Dre followed her and "grabbed her from behind by the hair and proceeded to punch her in the back of the head." Finally, Dre and his bodyguard ran from the building.

Far from denying the attack, the members of N.W.A. insist that, as Ren says, "she deserved it – bitch deserved it." Eazy agrees: "Yeah, bitch had it coming."

"Coming like a motherfucker," Ren continues, "she shouldn't have done that." Barnes says that she was against running the piece in the first place, but Ren disagrees. "She's lying," he says. "She had something to do with it. She sure was in that scene with [Ice Cube]."

And Dre himself says: "People talk all this shit, but you know, somebody fucks with me, I'm gonna fuck with them. I just did it, you know. Ain't nothing you can do now by talking about it. Besides, it ain't no big thing – I just threw her through a door."

Barnes later filed a $22.5 million lawsuit against Dr. Dre, who pled no contest to the charges. The case was settled out of court with Barnes receiving an unknown settlement. Dre also was fined $2,500 for court costs, placed on two years probation and 240 hours of community service.

Here is the clip which apparently sparked the attack: