Following the release of his first album in 16 years, Compton, Dr. Dre is finally coming clean.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the hip hop mogul addresses the long-standing accusation that in 1991 he slapped Dee Barnes, a TV personality and one half of the hip-hop duo Body & Soul. He even touches on the more recent reports that he physically abused his ex-fiancée and R&B Divas star Michel’le.
“I made some f—king horrible mistakes in my life,” he admits in the cover story. “I was young, f—king 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.”
As for his reputation for being aloof and distant, he shares, “I have social anxiety. I don’t like being in the spotlight, so I made a f—king weird career choice.” He laughs. “That’s the reason for my mystique and why I’m so secluded and why everybody knows nothing about me. I think it added to the character in the movie because people get a chance to see behind the curtain.”
You can check out the full interview in the latest issue of Rolling Stone that hits stands this Friday — the same day the biopic Straight Outta Compton hits theaters.