The many allegations Trey Songz has faced to this day, from rape to domestic violence
Though the Me Too movement and all of its fallout was a storm that swept through Hollywood, unearthing many buried cases of sexual assault misconduct, the music business somehow came out of it largely unchanged. Among the many left unprosecuted to this day is American singer and actor Trey Songz, who still has a thriving career despite the number of allegations made against him and his alleged misconduct.
This week, yet another in a long series of sexual assault allegations has arisen against Songz—former University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) basketball player Dylan Gonzalez is accusing him of raping her. Guess it’s time we truly talk about Songz’s more-than-sketchy and predatory past with women.
SCREENSHOT has previously investigated artists such as Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) and Drake who have both shown concerning pasts of predatory behaviour with young teens. Meanwhile, Tory Lanez has also been condemned online for his actions towards fellow black rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the ongoing case alleging that he shot her in the foot. Despite numerous confirmations from Stallion herself and her pleas against the misogynoir she has faced for speaking out, Lanez is seemingly unscathed. That being said, the uncovered news about Songz is a little different. We’re not just looking at a handful of dodgy tweets here, we’re faced with a recent accusation of rape made against him.
Songz—real name Tremaine Aldon Neverson—is mostly known for his R&B slow jam dominance after his debut in the early 00s. He has a commendable number of hits to his name including ‘Say Ah’, ‘Bottoms Up’ featuring Nicki Minaj and ‘Heart Attack’, which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2013. Just a friendly reminder that after going through the following list of the various allegations made against him, you’ll most definitely want to avoid all of his songs. Oh, we’re about to dive in indeed.
Recent rape accusation
In a recent lengthy post to social media, Gonzalez wrote about the post-traumatic stress she has endured following Songz’ alleged rape in a Las Vegas hotel. Under the hashtag #BeStrongNotSilent, Gonzalez detailed the assault which occurred some years ago.
In a sincere expression of solidarity with other victims of sexual assault, Gonzalez empathically wrote, “I stand with you and encourage all those who have suffered abuse to speak out and come forward. Suppression of our voices only emboldens our oppressors, and you cannot heal what you do not reveal.”
Gonzalez—who first accused Songz of being a rapist on 31 December 2021 via Twitter—has also retained the legal services of attorneys Ariel Mitchell and George Vrabeck and is considering taking possible legal actions against the singer.
Trey Songz and Keke Palmer
One of the most notable allegations made against Songz is actress Keke Palmer’s claim made back in 2017. She stated he used “sexual intimidation” to force her appearance in the music video for the remix of ‘Pick Up the Phone’, despite continuous refusal. She said she was so scared that she actually hid in a closet while waiting for her Uber. Songz used the footage of her for the video anyway.
The fallout stands as yet another example of misogynoir against black women—especially artists and celebrities with a public platform like Palmer. Songz swiftly dismissed Palmer’s claims on Twitter, which left many to ignore and disregard her brave asseveration, where he infamously stated “Babygirl buggin’.” Songz maintained that Palmer consented to appearing in the video, saying, “She saw the cameras and the lights, heard action.”
What is the most troubling here is the sheer amount of routine dismissal, gaslighting and lack of empathy extended towards Songz’s victims. Palmer in particular, as a dark-skinned black woman, faced waves of misogynoir and online harassment from all areas, including the black community, at the time, for jeopardising the image of a fellow black artist.
Even fellow industry members showed little faith in her story. In a now routinely-circulated clip from Palmer’s interview on The Wendy Williams Show, she laudably checked Wendy, addressing her disappointment for Williams’ remarks, after the host previously implied that she was confusing events and took the side of Songz instead.
Nonconsensual urination on women
In August 2020, Songz was also accused of urinating on a woman without her consent and not letting her leave his hotel room. The woman, named Aliza, OnlyFans model and a friend of socialite Celina Powell, appeared on the popular No Jumper podcast on 13 August 2020 with Powell. The two shared stories with host Addam22, talking about instances of sexual encounters they had with famous stars.
During the podcast, Aliza said, “I got peed on too. I didn’t know what happened; he just did it,” adding, “He’s psycho. He took my phone and my purse away for like a whole day, held it over the balcony and was like ‘Bitch if you try to leave I will drop this shit.”
Songz denied Aliza’s claim on Twitter later that week on 19 August 2020.
I usually stay quiet on this but I feel that in many ways the movement to fight for the women who actually have suffered harassment and abuse on various levels, has been hijacked by those who find it convenient for themselves to come up as they seek to destroy someone’s life.
— TreySongz.eth (@TreySongz) August 19, 2020
More strange patterns with bodily fluids
Songz’s alleged misconduct with Aliza is not the only time bodily fluids have appeared in headlines alongside his name. In March 2021, without a care for the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world, the singer was caught on video spitting in the mouths of two fans, sparking outrage and disgust online.
In July 2021, American actor and writer Karrine Steffans, known for not shying away from elucidating her scintillating encounters with famous entertainers, sat down with comedienne Lala Milan for her podcast The Salon with Lala Milan, confessing that Songz “tried to pee” on her on her birthday.
Domestic violence
In March of 2018, the musician turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department where he faced a charge of domestic violence. Songz was accused of hitting Andrea Buera during an NBA All-Star Weekend afterparty in February at his rented home in the Hollywood Hills.
Rolling Stone reported that Buera—who had previously dated the singer—filed a police report after the alleged incident took place, which left her needing medical care for her injuries. She also filed for a restraining order against the singer, according to the publication. She further claimed in a press conference that he punched her and knocked her to the ground, upset over her talking to one of his friends.
For weeks my lawyers & Mgmt have asked me not to comment on this and I initially agreed but this morning I feel that my fam, the women that raised me, my friends & fans especially the youth need to hear from me. I am being lied on and falsely accused for someone’s personal gain
— TreySongz.eth (@TreySongz) March 19, 2018
Songz took to Twitter and posted, “I am being lied on and falsely accused for someone’s personal gain.” 18 months after the alleged event took place, the lawsuit was dropped by Buera. Only four months after this, Songz was sued for $10 million for sexual battery by a Georgia woman. The unnamed woman alleged that on New Years day 2018, while in Miami’s E11even Nightclub, the singer tried to “forcefully place his hand under her dress, without her consent,” and attempted to “insert his fingers into Jane Doe’s vagina without her consent or permission,” the lawsuit read, according to Complex. The suit also detailed that another woman confided in the Jane Doe victim that she was also subjected to assault by Songz. Per documents obtained, this second victim said that Songz “touched her butt without consent.” The suit was settled out of court in April 2021 and Jane Doe withdrew her complaint.
Oh but wait, there’s much more…
Songz has found himself in hot water on multiple other occasions. The myriad of proceedings date back as far as 2012, when an assault charge was put forward against him by a woman named Donna McIntosh-Inoe. According to McIntosh-Inoe, Songz threw a wad of cash in her face outside a strip club in Queens, New York, which gave her a black eye. The singer was charged with misdemeanour assault and harassment.
In December 2017, another incident involving Songz taking place in a strip club was reported in Philadelphia, which resulted in a female fan suing the singer. She claimed that after attempting to take his picture in a car park, he allegedly slapped her phone out of her hand and into her face, causing her glasses to break.
According to Complex, Songz was also said to have hit a woman’s car in New York City during an argument and promptly fled the scene. In January 2021, he was arrested at an NFL match in Kansas City, Missouri after being involved in a scuffle with police—which, by the way, wasn’t his first run-in with law enforcement as he was charged with felony assault against an officer and sentenced to probation back in 2017. This time however, Songz was not charged following the incident.
As I’m sure you’ve already guessed by now, the charges just kept on coming as in May 2021, vehicles got in the mix. The artist apparently hit a woman’s car during an argument, hurting her hand in the process and fleeing the scene afterwards, duh. May must have a special meaning for Songz and his lawyers since he was also sued for battery after purportedly punching a bartender at a Hollywood concert on the same month of 2019.
Denial, denial, denial
Songz, who is no stranger to responding to arrest rumours, various types of allegations and Twitter reckonings, is a master at denying things that are simply unjustifiable. It then comes as no surprise that the singer’s go-to move was once again performed, this time in response to Gonzalez’s recent accusations. For once however, it was Songz’s representatives who had to deny them, telling TMZ: “Trey and his team are confident in the legal process and that there will be an abundance of exonerating information to come over the next few weeks.” Yeah, right…
