Dawn Robinson, former member of the iconic R&B group En Vogue, finally is speaking out and clarifying her statements about her choice to live in her car.
After speaking publicly in a YouTube video, she also was able to vent about one of her peers — wondering why would he say anything when the two of them don’t know each other.
The former Lucy Pearl vocalist hit back at producer Jermaine Dupri’s comments about her living situation during her Zoom interview on “Way Up With Angela Yee” on Tuesday, March 25.
“They saw what they wanted to see, they didn’t see what I said,” Robinson said before digging into Dupri’s remarks from earlier this month.
“I’ve only met him once in my life, if that,” she continued, noting they never even shook hands.
“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,” Robinson continued.
The 58-year-old singer has been making headlines since taking to social media to declare she’s been living in her car for the past three years, something she’s now characterizing as a lifestyle choice that was deliberate rather than forced upon her.
The So So Def producer questioned the authenticity of Robinson’s account of her situation during an Instagram Live session, particularly focusing on her mention of having an assistant amid what she described as financial hardship.
“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 during her interview with Yee.
Adding, “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.”
During his Instagram Live, Dupri specifically questioned one detail that caught his attention, stating, “Having an assistant is not something you should even think about if you don’t have no money.”
The producer didn’t hold back his skepticism, adding, “Because ain’t no godd-mn 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.”
Robinson maintained during her interview with Yee that her car lifestyle was a personal choice, not totally a result of financial destitution despite people who concluded, “‘she’s homeless’ and ‘she’s destitute’ and ‘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.”
The former En Vogue singer, who left the popular R&B group in 1997 before their third album “EV3” was released, emphasized that people misinterpreted her situation.
Social media reactions have been mixed since Yee posted clips from the interview on Instagram.
Some defended Robinson, with one commenter stating, “She’s right about Jermaine Dupri, his lil short ssa.”
Another supporter wrote, “She was very clear in her communication and explained that she RESEARCHED this. She went in eyes wide open and the internet made a victim of her.”
Others sided with Dupri’s assessment, including one that said, “So yeah JD said what a lot of us did. She’s choosing “car life”….bet. And he said it with no malice whatsoever.
Another pointed out, “Denial is something else. A car is not a home. There’s not an address to report they can’t send you mail to your passenger door.”
Robinson’s ex-husband, Andre “Dre” Allen, has reportedly offered her employment in the hospitality industry to help stabilize her finances, though he expressed doubt she would accept due to her ego.
“Angela, would you work with your ex?” Robinson asked the host. “He has to take my shine because he doesn’t have shine of his own.”
The singer, who briefly reunited with En Vogue in 2005 before departing again in 2011, maintains her unconventional living situation has been a journey of self-discovery rather than hardship.
“My car is right now temporarily my room, my home, but I’m building my life from here,” Robinson affirmed, standing by her decision despite the public scrutiny she invited with her video and high-profile reaction from industry peers like Dupri.
Meanwhile, Robinson has cautioned fans against unauthorized fundraising efforts on her behalf, emphasizing she hasn’t solicited financial assistance.
As she continues building her life on her own terms, the industry watches from the sidelines with curiosity about the next chapter for the former En Vogue star.
