Dr Dre apologises ‘to the women I’ve hurt’

Apple defends rapper’s apology saying ‘he’s not the same person he was 25 years ago’

LOS ANGELES: Apple Inc came to the defence of rapper and Beats co-founder Dr Dre on Friday, following his apology “to the women I’ve hurt,” as reports of his past altercations with women resurfaced around the release of NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton.

Apple, which acquired Dre’s headphone and music-streaming company Beats Electronics last year for $3 billion, making him an executive, said the company believed in the rapper’s sincerity. “Dre has apologised for the mistakes he has made in the past and has said that he’s not the same person he was 25 years ago,” Apple said in a statement. “After working with him for a year-and-a-half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed.”

Dre, 50, a founding member of Compton rap collective NWA., the subject of Universal Pictures’ box-office hit Straight Outta Compton, apologised for his actions from 25 years ago, which included an incident with female presenter Dee Barnes. “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,” said the rapper, whose real name is Andre Young.

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He said he has been married for 19 years and is “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 apologise to the women I’ve hurt ... I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2015.

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