The-Dream Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The-Dream, a rapper, songwriter and producer who has worked with Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Rihanna, has been accused of rape and sex trafficking.
In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, June 4, The-Dream (real name Terius Gesteelde-Diamant), was accused by a woman named Chanaaz Mangroe of trapping her in an “abusive, violent and manipulative relationship filled with physical assaults, violent sexual encounters and horrific psychological manipulation.”
The court filing, per multiple outlets, alleges The-Dream told Mangroe he would shepherd her singing career after he reached out to her on Instagram in 2014, even offering her a spot as a tour opener for Beyoncé, which never came to fruition.
Mangroe said The-Dream began controlling her life, going so far as to make her “check in” with him multiple times a day while isolating her at a hotel.
While Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals through the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was […]
She further alleges The-Dream began committing “violent acts” against her in 2015, including being locked “in a dark room adjacent to a recording studio, violently having sex with her and then leaving her alone, naked in the dark, for hours on end, returning to again have sex with her and demand that she tell him she loved him.”
The-Dream Amy Sussman/WireImage for Parkwood/Getty Images
The lawsuit notes several other instances of rape and abuse, as well as allegations that The-Dream used Mangroe as a means of sex trafficking. Mangroe said he forced her to have sex with multiple men across different states and, in one instance, made her “perform oral sex on him” while another man watched.
“Choosing to speak out about the trauma I survived has been one of the most difficult decisions of my life, but ultimately, 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,” Mangroe said in a statement. “Ultimately, my silence has become too painful, and I realized that I need to tell my story to heal.”
The-Dream has denied all the allegations.
In a statement to The New York Times he said, “These claims are untrue and defamatory. 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.”
It’s Beyoncé’s rodeo, and everyone’s invited! Beyoncé, 42, dropped Cowboy Carter on Friday, March 29, the second installment in the trilogy that began with Renaissance in 2022. The country-flavored album lassoed in stars from all across the music world to help make it one of the year’s biggest pop culture events. From Dolly Parton to […]
The-Dream has built a prolific career in the music industry, perhaps most notably as a credited producer or songwriter on the last five Beyoncé albums, including nine songs on this year’s Cowboy Carter.
His songwriting credits also include Britney Spears’ “Me Against the Music,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”
The-Dream has also released seven studio albums of his own, most recently 2020’s Sextape 4. In total, he has been nominated for 21 Grammy Awards, winning eight.
