After Dawn Robinson revealed that she's facing homelessness, Jermaine Dupri has cast doubt as to whether the singer's plight is a financial struggle or just a personal choice. During an Instagram Live session on Thursday (March 13), Dupri spoke to Robinson's allegation of living in her car for almost three years. But he said he was skeptical, noting that she still has an aide.
"If you don't got no money, having an assistant shouldn't even be a thought," Dupri added. "It switched my whole vibe of what I was watching because ain't no g###### way she's got an assistant and she ain't got no money."
His comments provoked instant debate, with many questioning whether Robinson's plight is as dire as she describes or whether she's opted into a minimalist lifestyle.
Robinson, a powerhouse vocalist from the En Vogue golden years, recently spoke about her struggles on YouTube. She told us she had lived in her car for almost three years after several calamities left her without stable housing.
She said that while most of the COVID-19 pandemic she had spent staying with her parents, a few months later, she returned once to Los Angeles on the advice of her co-manager at the time, who had initially been offered to get her a place to stay. Instead, she found herself trapped in a hotel for eight months, a predicament that her manager claimed ended up costing more than $3,000 per month more than his rent.
Asked how she has been able to support herself, Robinson disclosed that she's relying on three other people, her "forever mother-in-law," as Robinson calls her. And even with the instability, she said she felt "free" and revels in the unconventional lifestyle she has found herself in.
Robinson's emotional confession, however, did little to sway Dupri. "She said she has been living in her car for three years," he said. "Ain't no three years of an assistant sticking around if they ain't getting no money."
He even suggested that her status could be linked to the "van life" phenomenon, in which people voluntarily live out of their vehicles as part of a minimalist, travel-friendly lifestyle. "She decided to be in the car," Dupri said.
Robinson's case has generated mixed responses, with social media polarizing over whether she genuinely requires financial help or her lifestyle is based on choice. R&B singer Monica and other industry figures have also received calls from fans to help out financially.
There are also rumors that Top Dawg Entertainment's CEO, Top Dawg, has volunteered to pay Robinson's rent for an entire year. Plus, her ex-husband, Andre "Dre" Allen, has reportedly offered her work to get back on her feet.
Whether Dupri's skepticism is earned or not, Robinson's story resonates, and fans are anxious to see if the industry will embrace her or continue walking this pathway on her terms.
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