Entertainment
Dr. Dre Apologizes to the ‘Women I’ve Hurt’
In this Nov. 5, 2014 file photo, Dr. Dre attends the WSJ. Magazine 2014 Innovator Awards at MoMA in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)
Joe Coscarelli, THE NEW YORK TIMES
(The New York Times) — For Dr. Dre, this summer was meant to be a victory lap in a successful career. “Straight Outta Compton,” a biopic about his hip-hop group, N.W.A., topped the box office last week with a $56.1 million opening. “Compton,” his first album in 16 years, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard chart. Last year, the music company that Dr. Dre helped establish, Beats, was sold to Apple for $3 billion, making him the self-proclaimed “first billionaire in hip-hop.”
But critics charge that the movie, which was co-produced by Dr. Dre, glosses over N.W.A.’s record of misogyny and ignores Dr. Dre’s history of physically abusing women. In a sign that the uproar was threatening not only his reputation but also his business dealings, Dr. Dre, who has previously spoken dismissively or vaguely about the decades-old episodes, confronted them on Friday in a statement to The New York Times. While he did not address each allegation individually, 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.”
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