Dr. Dre addressed abuse claims made by women in his past saying he feels great remorse towards his actions and behavior during his younger years.
"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," the 50-year-old rapper said in a statement Friday, as per The New York Times.
"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," he added.
The former N.W.A. member's move came after hip hop journalist Denise "Dee" Barnes and Dr. Dre's ex-fiancé and former R&B singer Michel'le spoke out about omitting parts of the rapper's life where he physically assaulted women in the recently released movie "Straight Outta Compton," which should document the lives of the seminal rap group before they made it big in the hip hop industry.
Gawker released an essay by Barnes accusing Dr. Dre of beating her and three other women up, an incident that she said is missing in "Straight Outta Compton." She also went to recount her dreadful experience in the hands of the rapper, specifically the January 1991 attack by Dr. Dre.
"The truth is too ugly for a general audience," Barnes wrote. "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. ... But what should have been addressed is that it occurred."
Michel'le, on the other hand, admitted to VladTV that Dr. Dre indeed abused her physically during their 6-years relationship, an event in the hip hop artist's life which she also claimed was not featured in the N.W.A. biopic, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Why would Dre put me in it? If they start from where they start from," she stated. "I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat up and told to sit down and shut up."
"When he gave me my very first black eye, we laid in the bed and cried. He was crying and I was crying because I was in shock, hurt and in pain. I don't know why he was crying, but he said 'I'm really sorry.' That was the only time he ever said he was really sorry. And he said, 'I'll never hit you in that eye again, okay?'" she told The Breakfast Club recalling her ex-fiancé's abusive behavior.
Meanwhile, tech giant Apple, where Dr. Dre works as a consultant after it acquired the rapper's Beats company, also released a statement. CNN has learned the company addressed the issue saying, "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."
