Music

Raphael Saddiq Shades Dawn Robinson, Says Her Homeless Claims Are ‘Not Real'

The musician said Lauryn Hill would've been a better fit for Lucy Pearl than Robinson.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Raphael Saadiq performs during the 74th NBA All-Star Game as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE
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Raphael Saddiq repeatedly threw shots at his former Lucy Pearl bandmate Dawn Robinson during a concert in Oakland over the weekend.

As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Saddiq was performing on Saturday (June 8) during his No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits mini tour, where he called out Robinson.

The R&B musician first suggested that Lauryn Hill would have been a better fit for Lucy Pearl than Robinson, although the eight-time Grammy winner has had tension with the Fugees for decades.

"Actually, I’d rather have Lauryn," Saddiq told the Oakland audience.

Saddiq also reflected on Robinson's sudden departure from Lucy Pearl, similar to how the vocalist first left En Vogue in the mid-1990s. "I couldn’t believe it. We did an album in six months, but toured for less than a month," he said.

Saddiq also sang a rendition of Lucy Pearl's biggest hit, "Dance Tonight," saying the group "didn't need" Robinson, before landing a final blow about Robinson claiming to be homeless. "That shit about her living in her car is not real," Saddiq proclaimed.

In a YouTube vlog from earlier this year, Robinson revealed that she'd been living in her car for close to three years after rough living arrangements with her parents and a former manager. The singer has rebuffed help and input from her ex-husband and other people in the music industry.

Lucy Pearl, who released one album, was originally composed of Saddiq, Robinson and A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad from 1999 to 2001.

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