Denise “Dee'' Barnes is a recording artist, a seasoned music journalist, and an esteemed on-air personality. As the former host of the Fox Network’s trailblazing music video show Pump It Up, Barnes filmed on-location interviews with various Black music icons, including Salt-N-Pepa, Bell Biv Devoe, LL Cool J, Boyz II Men, Public Enemy, and Ziggy Marley, among many others. Barnes also hosted the historical hip hop concert Sisters In The Name of Rap, with an all-women lineup featuring Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Yo-Yo.

Internationally respected for her deep-rooted commitment to promoting positive values, Dee released music with the group Body & Soul on Delicious Vinyl Island Records. Her labelmates were Tone Loc, Young MC, Def Jef, The Brand New Heavies, and The Pharcyde. The group's participation in We're All in the Same Gang, a GRAMMY ®-nominated collaboration of West Coast hip hop artists, was a testament to their shared mission to promote an anti-violence and anti-gang message.

Barnes has appeared in many music videos for artists such as Lenny Kravitz and Mary J. Blige. She’s also appeared in movies such as the Hudlin Brothers’ House Party and Dr. Giggles, directed by Manny Coto. Notably, Barnes formed a production company, Eastside Entertainment, with actor/comedian Ricky Harris. Here, Barnes worked as an executive producer and created national commercials and music videos for Snoop Dogg, Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and broad range.

For more than 30 years, Barnes has had a significant influence on the hip hop industry. Her life, skills, and the cultural touchstone moment that centered her as a survivor of violence against women, have been covered by innumerable grassroots, industry, and pop media outlets, ranging from AllHipHop.com and Black Enterprise to Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and countless others. Most recently, Barnes was featured in two episodes of Netflix’s Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop (2023). The former host of The Frequency with Dee Barnes (on Roland Martin’s Black Star Network) is working on a memoir and other digital media projects where she’ll unveil never-seen-before footage and documents from hip hop’s golden era. As an archivist, Barnes has amassed an enviable collection of pristine memorabilia from the giants of hip-hop culture, alive and deceased—most of which are licensable.