Between the unmitigated success of "Straight Outta Compton" and of its soundtrack, Dr. Dre has had a huge month. But theses successes have stirred up memories of the grisly assaults on women he allegedly perpetrated in the early '90s, while he was a member of N.W.A. Many have questioned their omission from the film, especially given that his assault on Dee Barnes was included in the original script.
Today Dr. Dre addressed the issue in a statement released 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. 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."
Though he has been reticent regarding the allegations in the past, he's been more willing to discuss them since the release of "Straight Outta Compton." In his Rolling Stone cover story with Ice Cube, he said “I made some fucking horrible mistakes in my life. I was young, fucking stupid. I would say all the allegations aren’t true—some of them are. Those are some of the things that I would like to take back. It was really fucked up. But I paid for those mistakes, and there’s no way in hell that I will ever make another mistake like that again.”
[via]