Dawn Richard Says She Was Threatened Into Dirty Money and Shut Out of Danity Kane

Dawn Richard is offering clarity on years of speculation surrounding her career path and her complicated relationship with Danity Kane.

Speaking on the Cocoism podcast, the singer addressed assumptions that she willingly walked away from the group to join Diddy’s Dirty Money, explaining that the reality involved contractual control and fear rather than choice.

According to Richard, the decision was never hers to make. “People say, ‘Oh, you chose Dirty Money over Danity Kane,’ and it’s like, no, I was bought out of a contract, and I was told I couldn’t leave,” she shared. She revealed that the circumstances were serious enough that she felt pressured into silence at the time. “I was threatened, but I didn’t tell everybody that. I just did what I had to do to get out of it, because I didn’t feel like that was everybody’s business.”

Richard acknowledged that her decision not to publicly fight back allowed a different story to take hold. “People gonna believe whatever the fuck they gonna believe anyway,” she said. “If I don’t go every day online screaming, then the narrative gets picked. They only believe whatever the one person says.”

She also addressed her absence from Danity Kane’s Untold Chapter tour, which recently launched with Aubrey O’Day, D. Woods, and Aundrea Fimbres. Richard made it clear she was not included in the plans.

“I wasn’t involved; I was iced out of this one,” she explained, while stressing that she refused to turn the situation into public conflict or claim authority over the group, even though she helped shape its identity.

Despite the disappointment, Richard said she has come to terms with the distance.

She described herself as “saddened by the reality” and admitted she no longer believes the group will reunite creatively in the future. Still, she continues to honor what Danity Kane meant to her, reminding fans that she previously stated she “will always be a yes to Danity Kane” and that “that chapter lives in my forever.”