Apple and Beats co-founder Dr. Dre released statements on Friday regarding the rapper’s contentious past. With the recent opening of the film “Straight Outta Compton,” which tells the origin story of Dre’s hip-hop group N.W.A., several questions have arisen regarding abuse allegations from the 1990’s.
During the decade, Dr. Dre was accused of assaulting several women, including his girlfriend at the time and former television host Denise “Dee” Barnes. Since its debut, members of the media have been questioning why the events were missing from the Compton film, and today, Dre commented on the matter.
Speaking with The New York Times, 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 apologize to the women I’ve hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.”
Apple also provided a statement to The Times:
“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.”
Already known for producing and rapping on some of hip-hop’s biggest albums, Dr. Dre co-founded premium headphone-maker Beats Electronics with high-profile record label executive Jimmy Iovine in 2006. In 2014, Apple purchased the company, along with its newly-launched streaming service, for $3 billion.
As part of the acquisition, Dre signed on at Apple as a “top consultant,” and he currently hosts a weekly show on Beats 1 Radio called “The Pharmacy”. Earlier this month, the rapper released his first full album in more than 15 years, Compton, which is believed to have sold close to 300K copies during its first week.
Source: The New York Times