AP
Apple and Dr. Dre have commented on allegations of the rapper's past acts of violence against women in a pair of statements to The New York Times.
Dre, who faced criminal charges two decades ago for allegedly assaulting Dee Barnes, a TV show host in a nightclub, told the Joe Coscarelli of the Times: "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."
Apple, where Dre has worked as a top consultant since the company bought Beats last year, added that Dre is a changed man.
"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 a statement to the Times. "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."
While Dre has publicly commented on the darker side of his past before, this is the first time Apple has commented on the allegations.
The decision to address Dre's past now likely has to do with the recent release of "Straight Outta Compton," a biopic about the early days of the rap group N.W.A. that made Dre famous. The film has received largely positive reviews, but has also been criticized for ignoring the allegations from the women in Dre's early life.