Dr. Dre On Abuse Allegations: "I Apologize to the Women I’ve Hurt"

Dr. Dre issued an apology "to the women I've hurt" in response to growing allegations that he beat women. Journalist Dee Barnes and Dre's former girlfriend Michel'le have both been speaking out about abuse they suffered from Dre, a topic that was not covered in the Straight Outta Compton film.

Dr. Dre apologizes to the ‘women I’ve hurt’ https://t.co/GjVen5djLL pic.twitter.com/fioD3zAkqN

— New York Times Arts (@nytimesarts) August 21, 2015

"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," Dre said in a statement to the New York Times. "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."

Barnes wrote an essay for Gawker about her -- and other women's -- abuse by Dre, explaining that it was going on during the events of the Straight Outta Compton movie, but it was not addressed on screen.

Barnes wrote that Dre beat her on the floor of a nightclub restroom in 1991. She also wrote that she is glad that the movie did not depict Dre's beatings, as it was not something she wanted to see.

In an interview, Michel'le said she wasn't surprised she was not featured in the film and she also addressed her abuse.

"I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat up and told to 'Sit down and shut up,'" she said.

This is not the first time this summer that Dre expressed regret over his past. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he called himself "young" and "f*cking stupid" and said there are things he wishes he could take back. But he vowed that he has grown and will not act like that ever again.

Despite the late attention to these allegations, Straight Outta Compton has been a hit in theaters. It topped the box office during its opening weekend and it's being said that a sequel is in the works. This new movie would be about Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.