Cousins! Beloved songwriter and producer The Dream is the face of a new lawsuit where he is being accused of rape, sex trafficking, sexual battery, and manipulation!
According to reports from KTLA 5, the suit was filed in California federal court today by his former mentee Chanaaz Mangroe also known by her stage name of Channii Monroe.
The singer claims that she was issued promises of a successful music career but was instead lured into a life of, “abusive, violent and manipulative relationships filled with physical assault, violent sexual encounters, and horrific psychological manipulation,” taking place in 2015.
Channii accuses Dream of forcing her into sexual acts without her consent and recording the alleged encounters on video. She says that he threatened to use the recordings in efforts to silence her.
According to the issued suit, Channii forwarded details of the alleged encounter. She recalls working with Dream in a studio located in a house with a dark room and says that he locked the door while.
Channing claims that the eight-time Grammy award winner told her that sex was part of the process and that he would only stop having sex with her aggressively if she said she loved him.
“The plaintiff claimed that over the course of a year Gesteelde-Diamant pressured her and forced her to use drugs and alcohol excessively, had sex with her that was violent beyond her consent, raped her at times and kept her locked in a room for long stretches,” reads the suit.
Channii alleges that The Dream violently controlled her into dieting and exercising, while prohibiting her from contacting others.
She also claims that he made promises to her at the time of the alleged sexual encounters, such as opening for Beyoncé for her upcoming tour.
What Dream did to me made it impossible to live the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter,” said Channii within forwarded statement.
“Ultimately, my silence has become too painful, and I realized that I need to tell my story to heal. I hope that doing so will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”
Within the suit, Channii also mentioned The Dream’s record label Contra Paris and Epic Records. She has accused them of allowing his “depraved behavior” by signing her “despite the fact that he never intended to truly support her career trajectory, but instead wanted corporate funding to assist in his trafficking venture.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter Channii was paid 35,000 in advance, however The Dream allegedly received $150,000 for the execution of her contract.
Channii was dropped by Epic record in 2016 for failure to deliver music in which she stated was controlled by the accused producer.
“She was left in the dark throughout the entire process despite both Contra and Epic Records having a signed contract and owing corporate responsibilities to her, and despite agents of both entities knowing that Ms. Mangroe had been the subject of Dream’s violent and coercive manipulation, which they knew or should have known were predicated of fraudulent promises of record contracts, Grammys, and opening for Beyoncé,” court documents read.
Channii has since hired Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith A. Firetog, the same attorneys that represented Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in her 2023 lawsuit against Diddy that settled the next day.
“These claims are untrue and defamatory,” the statement said. “I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people realize their career goals. As someone committed to making a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”
“This is yet another horrific example of how men in the music industry use their power and influence to manipulate and harm others.”
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