D’ussé Palooza Host Christopher “Chris Stylezz” Samuels Accused of Sexual Misconduct

News - 3 years ago

Robyn Mowatt Robyn Mowatt is a Staff Writer at Okayplayer where she…
Chris Stylez attends the 4th Annual TIDAL X: Brooklyn at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on October 23, 2018 in New York City.

Seventeen women have shared their stories about Chris Stylez on social media.

D’ussé Palooza is heralded as a staple event in New York City.

The hip-hop themed party that, has garnered thousands of partygoers and traveled throughout various cities in the US, is a damn good time. If you’ve ever been, you know there are hints of debauchery lurking within the depths of the party. What started off as Henny Palooza evolved into D’ussé Palooza two years ago. Partnerships with Roc Nation and Jay-Z’s D’ussé are notable accomplishments for the event which typically features celebrity guests and hosts.

On Monday, April 27 a host of the NYC staple, Christopher “Chris Stylezz” Samuels was accused of sexually assaulting, manipulating, and coercing numerous women. At the moment, 16 women have come forward anonymously sharing stories of experiences with Samuels.

One additional woman, Cheyenne Skyy shared an in-depth experience she had with the host. In a tweet Skyy detailed she was out one evening with Samuels and a friend who was intoxicated. She explained she thought she was receiving a ride home, but instead he attempted to coerce her into having sex with him at his apartment. When this didn’t happen, he barely spoke to her and then dropped her off on a street corner in Brooklyn at 3 a.m.

A few of the documented moments included Samuels gaslighting his victims in addition to preying upon them. Specific women who spoke out detailed experiences that took place while he was a student at SUNY College Old Westbury. He has also been accused of exposing himself.

According to an anonymous Twitter account, roughly a month ago, Rory Farrell, D’ussé Palooza’s General Manager, was tipped off about the disturbing accounts from women about their encounters with Samuels.

Following the allegations, D’ussé Palooza released an official statement via Twitter making it clear Samuels was being placed on indefinite leave. “We are aware of the allegation made against one of our staff members. We are currently conducting an internal investigation around this allegation. Until the investigation has been concluded, that staff member has been placed on indefinite leave.”

A statement released a bit after the above tweet read, “After further consideration, we have decided to sever ties with the staff member who was initially put under internal investigation. Effective immediately, said staff member is no longer a part of the Palooza team and will not host any of our events going forward.”

Chris also went live on Instagram Tuesday evening to address the allegations. During one moment, he admitted he disrespected “a lot of people.” He shared during the video that he was wrong for what he did but denies that he raped any of the women that have come forward. Samuels later declared during the video that he implores the victims to go to the authorities.

On Wednesday, April 29, the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Rory, who is a co-host, spoke candidly about the allegations. He began by sharing that he is friends with Samuels and isn’t upset listeners are expecting him to speak on the incidents.

Rory shared:

“My initial thoughts are with any woman who has been a victim in this. I pray you find peace in all actions that took place. I hear you. From my point of view, that’s not behavior I condone, it’s not behavior I enable, it’s not behavior I’ve participated in or behavior I’ve even seen in my life and that’s my stance on that portion. “

He also went on to add that he prides himself on creating a safe space for women at D’ussé Palooza. He then added, “We go above and beyond to try to make it a safe place.” Joe also asked if he was apologetic to the women who have dealt with the experiences to which he responded, “Sure. It’s extremely unfortunate. I pray there’s peace. I am going to actively help where I can because I do consider that person family. I think [he] needs some help in how he behaves with women and treats women.”

Farrell later added he confronted Chris about the aforementioned screenshots from the anonymous page before the 17 incidents were shared on social media on Monday. “It was a real confrontation about what was going on and real conversations. I was not aware of the degree this went to, I was aware of one situation.”

Listen to The Joe Budden Podcast episode below, they begin speaking on the allegations at  7:19.

Late in the evening on Wednesday, April 29, a social media user, @mssherryblossom came forward with a story of sexual assault at the hands of Kameron McCullough, a founder of D’ussé Palooza.

In detail, she shared that following a Henny Palooza party, McCullough hugged her and then proceeded to pull up her crop top and expose her breasts. The alleged victim also shared that there were still men on stage who vividly saw the incident take place as the party had just ended.

Additionally, she wrote that after the alleged assault she shared that he’d regret what he did. To which he answered, “I won’t regret it today and I won’t regret it when I awake tomorrow.” She also alleges she called McCullough the following day about what took place and he denied it had ever happened.

The alleged victim wrote the following in her caption, “I do not care if I’m the only story to come out about the founder: Kam. My point is to seek a public apology and public accountability for the way you publicly humiliated and sexually assaulted me at your HennyPalooza event.”

Read her entire post below.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

‼️THIS IS MY TRUTH‼️ (The founder of Hennypalooza reintroduced sexual assault into my life. I had been a teen survivor of it & his decision changed that for me.) _____ When I saw the twitter post #Dussepalooza posted….. my heart sank and when I read the accounts of the 40+ other women come out about various sexual assaults, rape and coercions…I couldn’t help but wonder: if I would have said something about what happened to me years ago, if in fact that “sexual assault culture” / “toxic male masculinity culture” wouldn’t have been cultivated. Had I said something in its infancy would they have been able to keep an environment for men to think and act the way they are currently being accused of, including the founder. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I do not care if I am the only story to come out about the founder: Kam …. my point is to seek A PUBLIC APOLOGY + PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY for the way you PUBLICLY HUMILIATED + SEXUALLY ASSAULTED me at your HennyPalooza event. I AM someone’s DAUGHTER. I AM someone’s MOTHER. I AM someone’s FIANCÉ. I DID NOT DESERVE what you did to me that day. I didn’t want what you did to me nor did I ask for what you did to me. It was WRONG‼️ I am hoping that you do what’s right….you didn’t before but you can change that by taking responsibility and apologizing publicly now. ________ For those who will hate me for exposing this. That’s between you and your higher power. For those who will continue to still support me. Thank you. For those women who have come forward, thank you. Ive been set free from the mental jail I placed myself in for someone else’s bad decisions. It WASNT MY FAULT‼️ For those women scared to come forward, it’s okay sis. It’s okay. I hope our strength helps you find yours. ——- I have watched several YOUNG SUCCESSFUL BLACK men be outed the past 48hrs for what they’ve been doing to so many black women. Breaking TRUST & VIOLATING our bodies and rights for NOTHING! A laugh? A thrill? Just because? I will no longer be complicit in my silence. SILENCE DOESNT FIX THE ISSUE‼️BE A PART OF THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE‼️ #dussepalooza #hennypalooza #sexualassault #rapeculture #toxicmasculinity

A post shared by Sherry Blossom (@mssherryblossom) on

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