By Solé Scott
Editor-in-Chief
Three weeks after the Grammys premiered, I am still thinking about an award that seems to be accepted yet is scandalous.
The Grammys presented the Dr. Dre Impact Award for the second year in a row and that is a contradiction in itself.
Andre Romelle Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre is a producer and rapper best known for being an original member of N.W.A and his first two solo albums.
Dr. Dre is a known abuser who physically assaulted his first wife Michelle and reporter Dee Barnes in 1991.
“I apologize to the women I’ve hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives,” Dre said.
The first recipient of the award was Jay-Z in 2024, which was questionable right off the bat. As we all know, Jay-Z has been in controversy surrounding his relationships with young women and is now being accused of raping a minor with Diddy after the 2000 VMA awards.
As of Feb. 14, the anonymous accuser dropped the case.
They are not the only ones that Hollywood has turned a blind eye to.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, known for his hit show “Seinfeld” does not have a clean past whatsoever.
Seinfeld openly dated a 17-year-old girl named Shoshana Lonstein from 1993-1997. Disgustingly there is a picture of him picking her up from high school when he was 38 years old.
In a playboy interview, Seinfeld defended his relationship.
“Shoshana is a person, not an age. She is extremely bright. She’s funny, sharp, and very alert. We just get along. You can hear the click,” Seinfeld said.
People magazine featured them on the cover of the May 1994 issue with the title “Look Who’s In Love.”
Rapper Tyga is another predator who seems to have had a flourishing career after getting with underage Kylie Jenner.
The pair made their relationship public on Jenner’s 18th birthday in which he gifted her a $450,000 Ferrari.
Mind you this man was 25 years old about to turn 26 and a father, yet news outlets such as Teen Vogue were gagging over the expensive gift. We have entirely lost the plot.
Another music mogul that does not have a clean record is Russell Simmons, who started a relationship with model Kimora Lee when she was 16 years old. Simmons was 34 years old.
In 2017, Simmons was accused of by multiple women of sexual assault. Since then, he has denied these allegations and guiltily escaped to Bali in 2018, where he still lives today.
Woody Allen is still active in his career considering all of the allegations that have surrounded him since the 80’s.
His ex-wife Mia Farrow and children Ronan Farrow and Dylan O’Sullivan Farrow have spoken out about Allen’s abuse.
This is an old one, but still prevalent as popular director Roman Polanski drugged and raped a 13-year-old and when he was due to be sentenced, he fled to France where he has been since 1978.
Polanski is still active in Hollywood even though he was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019. He has not stepped foot on American ground since the late 1970’s.
“The Pianist”, which stars Adrien Brody won him an Academy Award for best Director in 2003 amongst other coveted achievements.
Are we not living in the “Me Too movement era?” Or is that just for certain figures?
Picking and choosing who to allow to flourish and who not to considering their gross past is damaging and quite frankly disrespectful to victims of abuse.
Hollywood is glossing over abuse yet continues to advertise that the city and their industries are not in favor of those behaviors.
My point is Hollywood is still awarding those with abusive predatory backgrounds a platform, especially since none of them have been “cancelled” or punished.
As long as these heinous practices continue, then I do not want to hear speeches at award ceremonies speaking out against the industry without name dropping. At this point it is all performative and I will continue to call it out each and every time.
