Dr. Dre Lost A Ton Of Money In His Divorce From Ex-Wife Nicole Young

The following article includes mentions of domestic abuse.

When you think of old-school hip-hop, Dr. Dre is one of the first rappers to come to mind. Born Andre Young, the "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" artist started rapping in the '80s and eventually formed the band, N.W.A. By the time he met his now-ex-wife, Nicole Young, Dr. Dre was already well established in the hip-hop world. The two met in the mid-'90s while Young was still married to basketball player Sedale Threatt. However, Dr. Dre wooed her away and he and Young tied the knot in 1996. Young then gave birth to their son Truice in 1997 and their daughter Truly in 2001.

In 2000, Young filed for divorce from Dr. Dre, with irreconcilable differences stated as the reason in the court documents, TMZ reported. By that time, their children were already adults so child support was out of the equation. However, according to sources, the former couple didn't sign a prenup and Young ended up walking away a multi-millionaire.

It was the case of the missing prenup. Although sources from Nicole Young's side said a prenuptial agreement didn't exist between her and Dr. Dre, according to the hip-hop mogul, they had both signed one prior to getting married but he had torn it up, per The Blast. In the official documents, Dr. Dre "destroyed the agreements as a grand gesture of his love for Nicole and his desire to have a marriage free of any financial restrictions governing their respective rights and responsibilities."

Ultimately, after a year and a half of duking it out in court, Dr. Dre was ordered to give Young $50 million at the time and another $50 million the following year, NBC News revealed. She also got to keep her jewelry, as well as four luxury vehicles. She was, however, ordered to vacate their shared Malibu house and pay for her own lawyers. While $100 million is a jaw-dropping amount, Dr. Dre's net worth was valued at a whopping $820 million at the time so he was far from broke. However, allegations by Young unfolded during the divorce that tarnished his name.

Dr. Dre and Nicole Young's divorce had its fair share of messy moments but shocking allegations of physical assault on the "Deep Cover" rapper's end were astonishing, to say the least. As reported by ET, Young stated in the court documents that Dr. Dre held a gun to her head and punched her on two separate occasions. She also claimed that she suffers from PTSD due to his "long-term abuse." She went on to say, "I have also offered extensive and painful testimony about Andre's relentless campaign of abuse and control over me for more than half of my life. It is misleading, revolting, and insulting for Andre to suggest that I have not been abused because, as a victim of relentless abuse and isolation, I did not create and maintain a contemporaneous record of abuse inflicted on me."

While Dr. Dre has refuted those allegations, he was previously accused of physically abusing his exes Michel'le Toussaint and Dee Barnes, per E! News. Dr. Dre addressed the claims by stating to the New York Times, "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." He went on to apologize "to the women I've hurt," adding, "I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.