Apple has broken its silence on Dr. Dre's alleged assault of female TV host Dee Barnes in 1991.
Both Apple and Dr. Dre have issued statements to The New York Times after rising criticism that the recent film "Straight Outta Compton" — which tells the story of Dre's N.W.A. rap group — failed to mention the alleged assault.
"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 its statement.
"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."
Dre issued a similar statement, highlighting his remorse:
“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.”
Andre Young, or Dr. Dre as he's famously known, became one of Apple's newest hires last May when the company purchased Beats Electronics for $3 billion, which he cofounded with renowned record executive Jimmy Iovine.
The New York Times describes Dre's position at Apple as a "top consultant."
Dee Barnes, the woman who Dre allegedly assaulted in 1991, hosted a show about hip-hop on Fox called "Pump It Up!" Barnes recently wrote a column for Gawker in which she recollected her experience and reflected on the film.
Dr. Dre is said to have attacked Barnes because of a segment that aired on her show in late 1990 in which rapper Ice Cube, previously part of N.W.A., insulted his former colleagues.
The interview angered Dr. Dre so much that he was prompted to attack Barnes in the bathroom of a nightclub.
Barnes described the events to Gawker:
"Dr. Dre straddled me and beat me mercilessly on the floor of the women’s restroom at the Po Na Na Souk nightclub in 1991.
"That event isn’t depicted in Straight Outta Compton, but I don’t think it should have been, either. The truth is too ugly for a general audience. I didn’t want to see a depiction of me getting beat up, just like I didn’t want to see a depiction of Dre beating up Michel’le, his one-time girlfriend who recently summed up their relationship this way: “I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat on and told to sit down and shut up.”
Dr. Dre pleaded no contest to assault and settled the civil lawsuit Barnes filed against him.
