Ever since the release of the N.W.A’s commercially successful biopic, Straight Outta Compton, critics have questioned the ommission of Dr. Dre’s history of misogyny and abuse towards former girlfriends and women in the industry.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the entrepreneur expressed regret for his mistakes but could not offer any credible explanation for his past misdeeds.
Dr. Dre would not give an explanation as to why fights with journalist Dee Barnes, Ruthless Records female rapper Tairrie B, and mother of his first child Michel’le weren’t addressed in the film.
But Dre acknowledges the abuse, admitting he’s made some mistakes.
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“I made some f-ing horrible mistakes in my life,” says Dre. “I was young, f-ing stupid. I would say all the allegations aren’t true – some of them are. Those are some of the things that I would like to take back. It was really f-ked up. But I paid for those mistakes, and there’s no way in hell that I will ever make another mistake like that again.”
In an op-ed for Gawker, Dee Barnes said she was pleased there wasn’t an actress depicting her getting beat up and thrown down the stairs in the 1991 encounter, but wishes there was some mention of it.
She also noted that the female voices of Ruthless Records were ignored in the film. Although the movie was about the success of N.W.A, the careers of Michel’le, Tairrie B, and “Supersonic” group JJ Fad also helped Eazy-E’s label reach mainstream status.
Barnes wrote:
“I believe that if Eazy were alive, neither Tairrie B., nor JJ Fad wouldn’t have been ignored in the movie. Eazy was the straight shooter of the group and he just would have kept it more real. JJ Fad was a trio of female rappers from Rialto, California, whose debut album was released by Ruthless in order to establish and legitimize the label. It was commercially successful and featured the mega hit “Supersonic,” produced by Arabian Prince, who appears only briefly in Straight Outta Compton. JJ Fad’s success paved the way for the release of the Straight Outta Compton album. It’s a very pivotal moment that was erased from N.W.A.’s story. It’s easy for them to be dismissive of women, because they don’t respect most women.”
According to Barnes, she was able to make peace with Eazy a few months prior to his death. As for Dre, she’s seen him a handful of times since their incident and the two remain cordial.
“He should have owned up to the black eyes and scars he gave to his collaborator Michel’le. And he should have owned up to what he did to me. That’s reality. That’s reality rap. In his lyrics, Dre made hyperbolic claims about all these heinous things he did to women. But then he went out and actually violated women.”
