Apple’s Dr. Dre apologizes for past abuse of women, Apple issues statement

“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 allegations [including criminal charges, that Dr. Dre physically abused women], which are decades old, confronted them on Friday in a statement to The New York Times,” Joe Coscarelli reports for 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.’ 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.'”

“Apple, where Dr. Dre, 50, now works as a top consultant, also issued a statement: ‘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,'” Coscarelli reports. “In interviews with The Times this week, the women at the center of the allegations — the hip-hop journalist Dee Barnes; Michel’le, an R&B singer and Dr. Dre’s former girlfriend; and Tairrie B, a onetime labelmate — spoke about the abuse.”

“‘I’ve been talking about my abuse for many, many years, but it has not gotten any ears until now,’ said Michel’le, who was romantically involved with Dr. Dre from the late-’80s until the mid-’90s. (They have an adult son),” Coscarelli reports. “During that time, she said, he was often physically abusive, hitting her with a closed fist and leaving ‘black eyes, a cracked rib and scars.’ Michel’le said she never pressed charges because, ‘We don’t get that kind of education in my culture.’ She added, ‘Opening up and finding out there were other women like me gave me the power to speak up.’ Tairrie B (her real name is Theresa Murphy) said that Dr. Dre punched her twice in the face at a Grammys after-party in 1990 after she recorded a track insulting him.”

“At a panel for ‘Straight Outta Compton’ this month, the film’s director, F. Gary Gray, was asked why the film omitted Ms. Barnes’s story, in which Dr. Dre confronted her at a party in 1991 about an N.W.A. segment on her Fox show ‘Pump It Up!'” Coscarelli reports. “According to a statement Ms. Barnes issued at the time, Dr. Dre began punching her in the head and “slamming her face and the right side of her body repeatedly against a wall.” (Charged with assault and battery, he pleaded no contest. He was sentenced to community service and probation, fined $2,500 and ordered to make a domestic violence P.S.A.; a civil suit was settled out of court.) Since the attack, Ms. Barnes said that she has had trouble finding work in the entertainment industry: ‘His career continued, where mine dwindled. People side with the money.'”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Sickening. Gives a sad, new meaning to “Beats by Dr. Dre” (change the name, Apple!) and stains Apple Inc. by association.