Apple's Dr. Dre apologizes for past abuse of women, says he's a changed man
Newfound attention to crimes committed by Dr. Dre 25 years ago have led both the entrepreneur and Apple to issue statements, in which the Beats cofounder said he is sorry for committing violence against women when he was younger.
In light of the release of the movie "Straight Outta Compton," which chronicles the rise to fame of Dr. Dre's rap group N.W.A., a number of women who say they were beaten by Dr. Dre in the past came forward with their stories.
Most notably, television personality Dee Barnes was attacked by Dr. Dre at a record release party in 1991 --?an act which he admitted to, pleading no contest to assault charges and settling a civil suit out of court. Barnes told her story in a guest post on Gawker this week.
With Dr. Dre's past abuse of women gaining attention, he and Apple were both compelled to issue statements to The New York Times. For his part, Dr. Dre said he is a changed man, and he deeply regrets his actions committed when he was younger.
"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," Dr. Dre said. "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 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."
Dr. Dre became an executive at Apple last year when the company bought his Beats headphone business and the Beats Music service for $3 billion. It has since used that acquisition to debut the Apple Music subscription service, as well as Beats 1, a live worldwide radio station on which Dr. Dre has a weekly program called "The Pharmacy."
"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," Apple said in a statement to the Times. "We believe his sincerity after working with him for a year and a half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed."
In addition to Barnes, R&B singer Michel'le, who used to date Dr. Dre, has also come forward with allegations of abuse. She has also been joined by singer Tairrie B., who says she was assaulted by Dr. Dre at the 1990 Grammy Awards.
Dr. Dre played a part in the "Straight Outta Compton" film, which set records last week when it opened $60.2 million. The movie's popularity helped bring his past crimes to light, and Michel'le told the Times that she's thankful her story is finally being heard.
During her time with Dr. Dre, she said she suffered "black eyes, a cracked rib and scars." She never filed charges.
"Opening up and finding out there were other women like me gave me the power to speak up," she said.
In light of the release of the movie "Straight Outta Compton," which chronicles the rise to fame of Dr. Dre's rap group N.W.A., a number of women who say they were beaten by Dr. Dre in the past came forward with their stories.
Most notably, television personality Dee Barnes was attacked by Dr. Dre at a record release party in 1991 --?an act which he admitted to, pleading no contest to assault charges and settling a civil suit out of court. Barnes told her story in a guest post on Gawker this week.
With Dr. Dre's past abuse of women gaining attention, he and Apple were both compelled to issue statements to The New York Times. For his part, Dr. Dre said he is a changed man, and he deeply regrets his actions committed when he was younger.
"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," Dr. Dre said. "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 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."
Dr. Dre became an executive at Apple last year when the company bought his Beats headphone business and the Beats Music service for $3 billion. It has since used that acquisition to debut the Apple Music subscription service, as well as Beats 1, a live worldwide radio station on which Dr. Dre has a weekly program called "The Pharmacy."
"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," Apple said in a statement to the Times. "We believe his sincerity after working with him for a year and a half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed."
In addition to Barnes, R&B singer Michel'le, who used to date Dr. Dre, has also come forward with allegations of abuse. She has also been joined by singer Tairrie B., who says she was assaulted by Dr. Dre at the 1990 Grammy Awards.
Dr. Dre played a part in the "Straight Outta Compton" film, which set records last week when it opened $60.2 million. The movie's popularity helped bring his past crimes to light, and Michel'le told the Times that she's thankful her story is finally being heard.
During her time with Dr. Dre, she said she suffered "black eyes, a cracked rib and scars." She never filed charges.
"Opening up and finding out there were other women like me gave me the power to speak up," she said.
Comments
Maybe if he said he was donating his profits from the film to women's abuse support groups, his sincerity might be viewed as even deeper.
....all because some commenter on here was critisizing and judging him.
I see more abuse towards males than females. A LOT MORE.
I can garauntee if he was a female celebrity no one would have remembered or cared. She wouldn't have had to explain hersefl 25 YEARS later. They might have even made fun of the man she hit calling him a "p***y" or "clown".
Yet doesn't the Compton film sort of leverage and monetize that time of his life?
Maybe if he said he was donating his profits from the film to women's abuse support groups, his sincerity might be viewed as even deeper.
Subliminally proves my point here.
As long as "real" discrimination or in this case physical abuse hasn't occurred recently (10 yrs), I'm willing to give second chances. Actions speak louder than words.
....all because some commenter on here was critisizing and judging him.
I see more abuse towards males than females. A LOT MORE.
I can garauntee if he was a female celebrity no one would have remembered or cared. She wouldn't have had to explain hersefl 25 YEARS later. They might have even made fun of the man she hit calling him a "p***y" or "clown".
Subliminally proves my point here.
What?
I did not see this coming. /s
I see more abuse towards males than females. A LOT MORE.
Srsly?
I mean sure, men can be victims of domestic abuse too, but more? A lot more? I don't think that's even remotely approaching true, either in quantity or severity.
Can people truly change? Should we forgive them? Should we feel the same way about Jared Fogle in 20 years? This is business and I certainly don't check the background of everyone I buy from to make sure they are less moral than I would like, so where does one draw the line?
Absolutely people can change, and I'm sure he has.
But he is monetizing, in 2015, a time he's saying he was not very proud of, and this is why some of the women who were abused back then are speaking up. If there was no movie, there is no news.
And depending upon the severity of the behavior, even a changed person (Fogle) will get no sympathy 20 years from now.
Actually, once jailed, Fogle is about to find out what a real Foot Long is all about...
Jared will serve his time. He will always be a sex offender.
As for other convicts, I think we have to give them second chances once their time is served.
1) It's a biopic, what is is suppose to do? I don't know how much of the movie covers his personal life over his music career, but why shouldn't he monetize when it's a story in which he's the key factor. If you disagree with the material of the film you can vote by not paying to see it. I guess he could have pretended he had no youth, no fame or money in that youth, or that didn't make bad choices during that time, but I'd say it's better to embrace mistakes so you can learn from them.
2) Is Andre Young any worse than Steve Jobs who denied he even had a daughter who was living on welfare when he was a multi-millionaire? I'm guess most would say physical abuse is absolutely worse than emotional abuse, but we also have to look at Dre hiting an adult (who may or may not have started the physical altercation) and it being in the heat of the moment, as compared to the slow and long emotional trauma that can happen to child by disregarding a human being whom you didn't care was in harms way or not. And not just anyone but your own flesh and blood. Did Jobs change? If so, can Dre also not have changed? If Dre is forever a "thug" and a "hood' (as some like to refer to him here when his name pops up) then shouldn't those same people see Jobs as always being a bad person and whose products they should have never bought and Pixar movies they should have never watched?
He won't be getting Subway in prison but he'll be getting the D-Train.
Personally I separate art from the artist. If you judge the art by the reputation or rumours or even known facts about the artist I suspect a high percentage of good art will disappear. A tortured soul can produce great art but will not necessarily qualify as a good human being.
I definitely draw lines though eg Bill Cosby, but then I never liked him or his work so I am open to the possibility that I am guided as much by my prejudice as by my moral compass.
Should Apple have gone into business with Dre knowing about his high profile aggressions against women? I just don't know. If it was not publicly known, but known to Apple would that have made a difference?
Edit --- just to respond to Solips comment above, when I say 'artist' I would definitely include Jobs. I.e. Art in a very broad sense.
That doesn't read well. Sure, he's always sex offender because that designation follows you for life, just as once you're a convicted felon you are a felon who can never vote, etc. Does that mean Fogle will always be a pervert that isn't safe to be around children, will look to hire underage prostitutes and look at child porn if he can get away with it, and deceivers to have his gonads removed? I think so, but I think that particular crime is part of his brain's make up, not an issue of circumstance like certain felonies, being caught with an ounce of weed in 1990. Kind of amazing that small drug offenses can land you in jail longer than rape crimes in this country due to the war on drugs.
Jared will serve his time. He will always be a sex offender.
As for other convicts, I think we have to give them second chances once their time is served.
Exactly. I'm not a fan of Dr. Dre at all. However, he fessed up, accepted full responsibility, paid for his crimes, and moved-on. As far as society should be concerned, he should be allowed to make something of himself. Do people honestly expect people that get in trouble with the law to never be allowed to be productive citizens for life?
That being said, what Dr. Dre did is pretty despicable. Beating women just brands him coward. Period. What Jared did was different. Robbing the innocence of a child (apparently several times) is inexcusable. Child molesters will forever have a special place in Hell. Besides, all those years he worked to build up his brand, and his family have been flushed down the toilet. He will have nothing when he gets out. That will be his permanent prison. He may end up having to make sandwiches at Subway to make ends meet.
Srsly?
I mean sure, men can be victims of domestic abuse too, but more? A lot more? I don't think that's even remotely approaching true, either in quantity or severity.
You injected the word "domestic", not the OP.
Just last week a co worker of mine had his ex girlfriend punch him twice and spit on him over an argument. I believe the younger female generation (these are early 20s I am writing about) feel more empowered that they can abuse men and get away with it. But when a man so much as touches a woman incorrectly it is abuse and gets all the headlines. I've seen plenty of women slap and hit men on the bus I've taken to work. Just because you personally don't see it doesn't mean it is not happening, a lot.
1) It's a biopic, what is is suppose to do? I don't know how much of the movie covers his personal life over his music career, but why shouldn't he monetize when it's a story in which he's the key factor. If you disagree with the material of the film you can vote by not paying to see it. I guess he could have pretended he had no youth, no fame or money in that youth, or made some really stupid choices during that time, but I'd say it's better to embrace mistakes so you can learn from them.
2) Is Andre Young any worse than Steve Jobs who denied he even had a daughter who was living on welfare when he was a multi-millionaire? I'm guess most would say physical abuse is absolutely worse than emotional abuse, but we also have to look at Dre hiting an adult (who may or may not have fought back) and it being in the heat of the moment, as compared to the slow and long emotional trauma that can happen by disregarding a human being whom you didn't care was in harms way or not, and not just anyone but your own flesh and blood. Did Jobs change? If so, can Dre also not have changed? If Dre is forever a "thug" and a "hood' (as some like to refer to him here when his name pops up) then shouldn't those same people see Jobs as always being a bad person and whose products they should have never bought and Pixar movies they should have never watched?
He won't be getting Subway in prison but he'll be getting the D-Train.
I'm not calling Dre a thug at all. He's turned into an extremely successful businessperson.
He's making the movie in 2015 about a bad period of his life. That was his choice, not an obligation, and it was to profit from it. So Dre brought this attention back to that time.
Between profiting from it and leaving that part of the history out probably tipped the abused over the line to call attention to what happened back then.
My only point was he could have said he was donating profits from the film to groups that help abused women as part of, what he says, is a life long cathartic process to make amends. Would have been smart, that's all.
Too late for Bill Cosby, then
Lol, here are the last four grafs from a NYT article on this today....
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.”
Still, she rejects those who say coming forward again now is opportunistic. “What opportunity?” she said. “Show me the opportunities.”
She added, “They brought up the past” by making the film. “Not me.”
Michel’le agreed. “They told their story,” she said. “I’m telling mine.”