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face at a Grammys after-party in 1990 after she recorded a track insulting him.
She connected with Ms. Barnes through Facebook last year. “I said, ‘Hey girl, I think we have something in common, and we’ve never talked about it,’ ” Ms. Murphy said.
Ms. Barnes recalled being brought to tears by that message and a subsequent hourslong phone conversation with Ms. Murphy, but did not expect to wage a public campaign against Dr. Dre, she said.
“The initial conversation was like group therapy, to heal our wounds,” Ms. Barnes said.
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This process is not only helping Michel’le, Dee Barnes, Tarrie B, and other women and men in those same situations, it’s also helping Dr. Dre man up to his part in the alleged incidents and be an example to other men who may have also made some horrific choices regarding domestic abuse and violence against women.
Here’s what Dr. Dre told New York Times today regarding his past abusive behavior:
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“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. 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.”
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Was what Dr. Dre said enough? Some say yes, some say no. Would those women have gotten a public apology if word would not have spread and threatened to possibly affect Dre’s business dealings? We do not know the answer to that either. People do change though…it’s possible. So all we can do at this point is acknowledge that this is a step in what appears to be the right direction on Dre’s part. His timing does seem a little suspect, but his actions after this apology will help us determine if Apple Inc. (the company where Dr. Dre is a top consultant) made him do it, or if he’s being genuine to himself and to those women. Respect to Dr. Dre for at least publicly owning up to his past faults.
This reminds me of a phrase that the late Dr. Maya Angelou always said: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them…the first time.”
