While the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton is a legit box office smash, the movie has faced heavy criticism for leaving out certain key facts – specifically, Dr. Dre‘s history of assaults on women.
Earlier this week, journalist Dee Barnes published a harrowing first-hand account of an incident, in 1991, in which Dre “mercilessly” beat her in a nightclub bathroom, and slammed the film for failing to so much as address it.
Barnes also made mention of other women allegedly assaulted by Dre, including his former partner Michel’le, “a quiet girlfriend who got beat down and told to sit down and shut up.”
Overnight, Dre finally acknowledged the noise surrounding him, and issued an apology via the New York Times, owning up to what he did and expressing regret.
He said:
“Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life. However, none of this is an excuse for what I did. I’ve been married for 19 years and every day I’m working to be a better man for my family, seeking guidance along the way. I’m doing everything I can so I never resemble that man again. I apologise to the women I’ve hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.”
Dre is currently employed as a consultant by Apple, and overnight, they also issued a statement-slash-vaguely weaselly justification explaining their take on the situation:
“Dre has apologized for the mistakes he’s made in the past and he’s said that he’s not the same person that he was 25 years ago. We believe his sincerity and after working with him for a year and a half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed.”
via New York Times
Photo: Jason Kempin via Getty Images
