NEWS
Dawn Robinson is best known for her tenure in the R&B group En Vogue. Her recent revelations, however, have made her a social media talking point. The singer revealed that she has been living out of her car for the past three years. She claimed the experience has made her feel "free," both other music industry veterans were perplexed. Jermaine Dupri poked holes in Dawn Robinson's story, claiming that she couldn't be homeless while still having a personal assistant. Well, the singer decided to respond.
Robinson went on Way Up with Angela Yee to discuss Dupri's comments. She clarified upfront that she does not know the producer well. "I've only met him once in my life, if that, so I was shocked," Robinson asserted. "He doesn’t know my story, so he’s assuming." The En Vogue singer then criticized Dupri for making his issues public, instead of contacting her directly. "Instead of reaching out to me directly and saying, 'Hey, you know I heard about your situation, what do you need? Are you OK?," she noted. "Or 'Hey, I don’t know her story but she’s being very brave.' Like, be quiet."
Dawn Robinson stood by her initial claim, which is that she merely chose to live out of her car after doing research. She told Angela Yee that she's grown frustrated with peers and fans who believe she is living in a car against her will, or due to lack of money. "They're like it's almost like people think that I was just like thrown into car life," the En Vogue singer 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."
Dawn Robinson still posts regularly on YouTube, which is where she initially made her living situation known. In a recent social media teaser, the singer praised supporters while knocking down "leeches" who merely want to criticize her. Given her harsh words against Jermaine Dupri, one can assume that Dupri qualifies under the latter camp. "Oh, and ignore the trolls who are trying to attach themselves to my story lol," she wrote. "Leeches do that."
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso honored Shyne with a key to the city during a ceremony held at the East Flatbush Young Men’s Mentorship Expo on Saturday. The recognition highlighted both his influence in hip hop and his contributions as a public figure and advocate. Reynoso also declared April 25, 2026 as “Shyne Day” in Brooklyn.
“Shyne embodies what is possible when a community believes in its young people, and the magic that can happen when young people are given the resources they need to thrive. East Flatbush raised Shyne, and it only made sense to present him with the Key to Brooklyn as we team up to deliver hope and opportunity to dozens of young men today,” Reynoso said at the event, as caught by BK Reader.
Shyne also addressed the crowd. “This is the community that raised me, and it’s important for me to pass that love forward,” he said. “There couldn’t be a better way to celebrate this milestone than coming back home and pouring into the next generation.” He also revealed that everyone in attendance would receive complimentary tickets to his 25th anniversary concert on May 2 at the Kings Theatre.
The show will mark 25 years since the release of his self titled debut studio album, which arrived on September 26, 2000. Even while Shyne was incarcerated at the time, the project debuted and reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart. It moved close to 160,000 units in its opening week.
Earlier this week, Shyne posted a video of himself standing outside the Kings Theatre on Instagram while promoting the upcoming performance. "Can’t wait to see you this Saturday, May 2 @kingsbklyn as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Shyne Album…..the celebration will continue @crownhilltheatre where I will meet, take pictures and party with you, my loyal supporters, who’ve made Shyne a Rap Legend," he captioned the post. Fans filled the comments with fire emojis in response.
