Straight Outta Compton has been a hit at the box office since its release last week and things are still trending upward. But with success, also comes a lot of backlash and a lot of it has been centered towards Dr. Dre and the fact that his misogyny towards women in his hey day was left out of the film. For the past few weeks, females like Dee Barnes, Michel’le, and Tairrie B have been advocates for Dre’s past, speaking out in their own terms about what it was like to be victims of his abuse and the repercussions of it all these years later.
Barnes actually called the film “revisionist history” and wrote her own editorial on Gawker about her experience during the ’90s dealing with Andre. She was punched in the face and slammed against a wall at a party in 1991, after a segment that appeared on her show Pump It Up! Dre was charged with assault and battery, sentenced to community service paid a fine of $2500 and made domestic violence PSA at the time while the civil suit was settled out of court.
Now, in the midst of the film’s success, he is issuing another apology to the “women he’s hurt” and says he was different back then than he is now, but says its still no excuse for his actions:
“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, Dre’s new home is publicly backing him on the issues as well and say they believe his sincerity and are witnesses of his change in life.
OS REWIND: Dr. Dre – Compton [Album Stream]
OS REWIND: 5 Things We Would Change From Dr. Dre’s “COMPTON” Album
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