Twitter was ablaze this past week as model and singer Justine Skye brought domestic violence allegations to the public after she and a group of friends were violently assaulted on Monday evening. Skye, who had publicly mentioned being in an abusive relationship in the past but left the name of the attacker unspoken, alleged that ex-boyfriend, Harlem rapper Sheck Wes, and his friends stalked and attacked her friends and her current boyfriend. In the viral tweet, Skye alleges that Sheck Wes not only abused her in the past, but that he also used to beat the girlfriend that he had before her.
Rapper Sheck Wes of the 2018 chart topping hit “Mo Bamba” took to Twitter to deny the allegations the next day. He argued that the claims of abuse were lies and that he wouldn’t allow them to go unchecked and destroy his reputation. The rapper stated plainly that he had never beaten any women and that he never jumped Skye and her friends the night before.
Skye responded by posting a video of Wes illegally entering her property by jumping over her gate and trying to speak with her. Wes denies assaulting her on that occasion and claims that he was trying to take back some of his property after the break up. Skye went on to tweet a chilling exchange over text messages of her seeking help. The artist’s fan bases have been going back and forth all over social media, raising concerns about each of the celebrities and their public responses to the assault and abuse allegations. Some are criticizing Sheck Wes for the alleged abuse while others are criticizing Justine Skye for making “false” allegations.
Many Sheck Wes supporters are arguing that, in the wake of the recent Chris Brown allegations, that people should not believe any allegations against the rapper while several of Justine Skye’s supporters are arguing that her claims are believable as they were made months before she ever named him as her abuser.
Supporters and commentators are also recalling the young singer’s interview with The Breakfast Club on November 19th of the previous year wherein Skye talked about being in an abusive relationship but would not mention the name of her attacker. In that interview, Skye states to Charlamagne tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee that her reason for not reporting the alleged abuse was because she “didn’t think that people would care.” She went on to comment on the culture of hip hop and the music industry saying that “... in rap culture people don’t care. It doesn’t matter what the artist did. It’s about how talented they are.”
Her comments have brought up an honest and concerning issue within rap culture and the hip hop community. If an artist is marketable, past crimes seem to go unnoticed or are disinteresting to the music industry. Many artists such as Tekashi 69, Kodak Black, Tay K 47, and the late XXX Tentacion rose to fame and maintained record deals despite accusations of past and present sexual assault, domestic violence, and possible murder charges. Many are discussing the implications of this culture that turns a blind eye to attackers and how to move beyond it.
While the allegations have yet to be confirmed by police, or by Sheck Wes and his team, Justine Skye maintains her claims and filed for a restraining order against the rapper.