The-Dream, a well-known singer and producer, has been accused of rape and sexual battery by his former protégée, Chanaaz Mangroe. In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Mangroe alleges that The-Dream engaged in an abusive and sexually violent relationship with her, which hindered her attempts at launching a successful music career. Despite the difficulty of speaking out about her trauma, Mangroe hopes that sharing her story will help prevent future abuse and aid in her healing process. The-Dream, whose real name is Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant, has not responded to these allegations as of yet.
According to the lawsuit, Mangroe was lured into the relationship under false pretenses by an associate of The-Dream, who promised to help her with her music career. Instead, she found herself in a situation filled with physical assaults, violent sexual encounters, and psychological manipulation. The lawsuit alleges that The-Dream made false promises to Mangroe, including sponsoring the extension of her international visa and creating hit songs for her if she became a part of his “sanctuary,” which he described as based on art. The reality, however, was far from what was promised, as The-Dream used her for his own desires, resulting in violent sexual acts and psychological torture.
The lawsuit details disturbing incidents where The-Dream allegedly locked Mangroe in a dark room at a recording studio and forced her to have sex with him. He also controlled her whereabouts, tracked her movements, and physically abused her, including choking her to the point where she may have lost consciousness. Furthermore, Mangroe was forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, recorded during a sexual encounter without her consent, and threatened with the distribution of the footage. The abuse reportedly culminated in rape and forced sexual acts in public spaces.
Despite efforts to pursue a music career, Mangroe’s experience with The-Dream eventually led her to be signed to his record label, Contra Paris LLC, and a distribution deal with Epic Records. However, after raising concerns about The-Dream’s behavior, she was ultimately dropped from the label in July 2016. The lawsuit names both Contra and Epic as defendants, alleging that they facilitated The-Dream’s abusive behavior and failed to protect Mangroe from harm. Efforts to obtain comments from Sony Music Entertainment and Contra were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Attorneys for Mangroe, Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith Firetog, have compared this case to others in the music industry where prominent figures have used their power and influence to manipulate and harm others. They draw parallels to their representation of singer Cassie Ventura in a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of similar behavior. The lawyers state that The-Dream, like Combs, used his standing in the industry to subject Mangroe to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. As these allegations come to light, it sheds a troubling spotlight on the pervasive issue of abuse of power within the music industry.
