Following a week of controversy surrounding his assault of journalist Dee Barnes and said assault’s elision from the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, producer and mogul Dr. Dre has finally issued a response to the New York Times.
“Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life,” Dre told reporter Joe Coscarelli. “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.”
He added: “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.”
In addition to his public assault of Barnes following a segment on her show “Pump It Up!” in which Ice Cube disparaged his former bandmates (he pleaded no contest to charges of assault and battery), Dre has also been accused of punching his onetime labelmate Tairrie B and being physically abusive to ex-girlfriend Michel’le, with whom he has a son.
Apple, which purchased Dre’s company Beats for $3 billion last year and currently hosts his radio show The Pharmacy on its Beats1 radio station, also offered a statement to Mr. Coscarelli: ““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.”