Entertainment
Dr. Dre Apologizes to the ‘Women I’ve Hurt’
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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