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Marion Hugh Knight Jr., better known as Suge Knight, (born April 19,
1965) is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former
CEO of Death Row Records. He had many nicknames, such as"Sug". Death Row Records
rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic
in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including Tupac
Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Outlawz and Tha Dogg Pound, Death Row Records
stagnated after Knight's incarceration on parole violation charges in September
1996. Contents
Early life
Marion (Suge) Hugh Knight was born in Compton, California. His nickname, Suge,
derives from "Sugar Bear," a childhood nickname. He attended Lynwood High
School in nearby Lynwood, California where he was a football and track star,
graduating in 1983. From 1983 to 1985, he attended El Camino College on a
football scholarship. In 1985, he transferred to the University
of Nevada, Las Vegas, and played there for two years.
After college, Knight did not get drafted by a NFL team, but was cut during
training camp by the Los Angeles Rams. However, he became a replacement player
during the 1987 NFL players' strike, and playing two games for the Rams.
Later, he found work as a concert promoter and a bodyguard for celebrities
including Bobby Brown.
Knight was arrested in October 1987 for domestic violence - he assaulted his
girlfriend and cut off her ponytail on the street. On Halloween Night 1987,
Knight was arrested in Las Vegas for auto theft, carrying a concealed weapon and
attempted ***. He had allegedly shot a man three times while stealing his car.
He pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge and received two years' probation.
Two years later, Knight formed his own music-publishing company. His first big
profit in the business came when Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle) agreed to sign
over royalties from Van Winkle's smash hit "Ice Ice Baby" because the song
included material written by Knight's client Floyd "Earthquake" Brown. Knight
and his bodyguards confronted Van Winkle several times. According to Van
Winkle, on one occasion Knight took him out on the balcony of a hotel room, and
implied that he would throw Van Winkle off the balcony unless he signed the
publishing rights to the song over to Knight, which Van Winkle did; Knight used
Van Winkle's money to help fund Death Row Records. The claim was resolved
in court.
Knight next formed an artist management company and signed prominent West Coast
hip-hop artists The D.O.C. and DJ Quik. Through the former, he met several
members of the seminal gangsta rap group N.W.A.
In 1991, Knight had a son, Taj, who is said to be living in Atlanta with his
mother, Davina Barnes. In 1993, a second son, Andrew, was born on April 19,
Knight's birthday. Andrew now lives in the Greater Los Angeles as well as his
mother, Tia. Knight also has daughters named Posh and Bailei, the latter with R&B
singer Michel'le.
Death Row Records
Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. wanted to leave both N.W.A. and their label, Ruthless
Records, run by Eazy-E, another member of N.W.A. According to N.W.A's manager
Jerry Heller, Knight and his henchman (a.k.a. the Hebrew Hammer) threatened
Heller and Eazy-E with lead pipes and baseball bats to make them release Dre,
The D.O.C., and Michel'le from their contracts. Ultimately, Dre and DOC co-founded
Death Row Records in 1991 with Knight, who vowed to make it "the Motown of the '90s."
Initially, Knight fulfilled his ambitions: he secured a distribution deal with
Interscope, and Dre's 1992 solo debut, The Chronic, has sold over three million
copies. It also made a career for Dre's protégé, Snoop Dogg, whose debut
album Doggystyle was another multi-platinum album.
Meanwhile, Death Row had begun a public feud with 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell,
and when Knight traveled to Miami for a hip-hop convention in 1993, he was
apparently seen openly carrying a stolen gun. The following year, he opened a
private, by-appointment-only nightclub in Las Vegas called Club 662, so named
because the numbers spelled out MOB, which stands for Money over ***, on
telephone keypads. In 1995, he ran afoul of activist C. Delores Tucker, whose
criticism of Death Row's glamorization of the "gangsta" lifestyle may have
helped scuttle a lucrative deal with Time Warner.
Addition of Tupac Shakur and MC Hammer
Knight's feud with East Coast impresario Sean Combs (known as Puff Daddy at the
time) progressed when Knight insulted the Bad Boy label founder on air at the
Source Awards in August 1995. Openly critical of Combs's tendency of ad-libbing
on his artists' songs and dancing in their videos, Knight announced to the
audience, "Anyone out there who wanna be a recording artist and wanna stay a
star, but don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in
the videos, all on the records, dancing, come to Death Row."
The same year, Knight offered to post a bail ($1.4 million) for Tupac Shakur if
the troubled rapper agreed to sign with Death Row. Shakur agreed, setting the
stage for his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me and the songs "California Love"
and "How Do U Want It".
MC Hammer's (Stanley Kirk Burrell) relationship with Suge Knight dates back to
1988. With the success of Hammer's 1994 album, The Funky Headhunter (featuring
Tha Dogg Pound), Hammer signed with Death Row Records by 1995, along with Snoop
Dogg and his close friend, Tupac. The label did not release the album of
Hammer's music (titled Too Tight) while he had a career with them, although he
did release versions of some tracks on his next album. However, Hammer
did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa"
(along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy). After the death of Shakur in
1996, Burrell left the record company. He later explained his concern about
this circumstance in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network since he was
in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death. Hammer released 2Pac's "Unconditional
Love", on his Family Affair album, in 1998.
The television film Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story aired on VH1 in 2001,
depicting the friendships between Hammer (played by Romany Malco), Shakur (played
by Lamont Bentley) and Knight (played by Anthony Norris).
Loss of Dr. Dre and Tupac
The label suffered a major blow when Dr. Dre, frustrated with the company's
increasingly thuggish reputation and Knight's violent inclinations, decided to
leave and form his own label. A stream of Dre-dissing records followed, but
things turned tragic in September 1996, when Shakur was murdered in a drive-by
shooting in Las Vegas.
When Shakur's East Coast rival, The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls), was
murdered in a similar shooting in March 1997, speculation arose that Knight was
involved and that B.I.G.'s death was a revenge killing; although former
Death Row artists like Snoop Dogg would later state that Knight was involved in
Tupac's *** as well. Subsequent investigations exposed a web of
connections between Death Row Records, gang members who worked there, and LAPD
officers who sometimes worked security for the label. Author Randall Sullivan
claimed that the majority of clues found by investigators assigned to B.I.G.’s
killing “pointed... directly at Mikey g sixx”. Mario Ha’mmonds, a convicted
felon who shared a cell block with Knight at California Men's Colony in San Luis
Obispo, California in the late 1990s, claimed that Knight took credit for the
***, and quoted him as saying, “My people handled the business. They took
care of him.... ” No one has been charged in connection with the crime,
however, and Knight has denied any involvement.
Tupac Shakur's bodyguard, Frank Alexander, produced a documentary about the
***, Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake, in which he stated that it would be
inconceivable that Knight, who was the driver of the car in which Tupac was
killed, and a large man, would put himself in the path of bullets if he knew
they were coming. In the documentary, Alexander also states that he has no
reason to suspect Suge Knight, and that Knight treated the security people "very
well" at all times. In addition, Cathy Scott, who worked closely with the LAPD
during her career as a journalist, stated on the same documentary that "The LAPD
found no evidence whatsoever that implicated Suge Knight." She also said, "You
can be sure that if the LAPD had ANY evidence that Suge Knight was involved in
Tupac's killing they would have arrested him." Cathy Scott wrote a book entitled
The Killing of Tupac Shakur. On a website entitled Archived Letters Scott writes
back to a fan of her book, stating, "Thanks very much for your note. Re: your
question about Suge Knight, there never was any evidence — or even alleged
evidence —linking Suge to Tupac's *** in any way, shape or form. He was never
a suspect. The Biggie and Tupac documentary was based solely on one disgruntled
ex-cop's theory. He despised Suge and wanted to see him go down." The book Tupac:
A Thug Life, released in 2005, includes the conspiracy theories and controversy
surrounding Shakur's ***.
In 2006, nine years after the "Biggie Smalls" ***, the LAPD formed a task
force to finally solve the case. According to its principal investigator, LAPD
Detective Greg Kading, Duane "Keefe D" Davis, a member of the "Crips" street
gang, confessed to riding in the car involved in the Las Vegas drive-by shooting
of Tupac Shakur. Keefe D claimed they had been offered "a million
dollars" by Puffy Combs for the killing of Tupac and Suge Knight. While in
Las Vegas he and a group of fellow Crips accidentally crossed paths with a
limousine carrying both Knight and Shakur. The fatal shots were fired by Orlondo
"Baby Lane" Anderson because he was on the side of the car closest to the
limousine. In retaliation, Suge Knight hired Wardel "Pouchie" Fouse to hit Puffy
Combs' most valuable star, Biggie Smalls, a hit accomplished following a party
at the Peterson Automotive Museum. Pouchie later survived one assassination
attempt but died in a drive by shooting a year following the first attack.
Despite the task force's findings, charges were never brought and the task force
was wound down and disbanded for reasons of "internal affairs."
After the death of Tupac Shakur and the release of Tha Doggfather, Snoop Dogg
openly blasted Suge Knight for the *** of Shakur and decided to leave the
label, which he did in 1997, moving to Master P's No Limit Records and then
forming his own record label, Doggystyle Records. In 2002, Snoop released the
song "*** Slapp'd", in which he repudiated Suge and Death Row. In 2006, Snoop
again attacked Knight verbally, charging him for the death of Tupac Shakur.
End of Death Row Records
On April 4, 2006, Suge Knight filed bankruptcy due to civil litigation against
him in which Lydia Harris claimed to have been cheated out of a 50% stake in
Death Row Records. Prior to filing, Knight had been ordered to pay $107 million
to Harris. Under questioning by creditors, he denied having money tucked
away in foreign countries or in an African company that deals in diamonds and
gold. Bankruptcy documents filed showed Knight had no income that year from
employment or operation of a business. According to financial records, his bank
account contained just $12, and he owned clothing worth $1,000, furniture and
appliances valued at $2,000, and jewelry worth $25,000. He also testified that
the last time he had checked the label’s financial records was at least 10 years
prior. Knight’s lawyer said that his client was still “at the helm” of Death Row
and had been working on securing distribution deals for the label’s catalog.
Harris told reporters she had received a $1 million payment but had not agreed
to settle the matter. "I'm telling you, I didn't do a settlement for $1 million.
That's ridiculous. Let's keep it real," she said.
Knight skipped a meeting with his creditors after injuring himself in a
motorcycle accident. Another scheduled meeting with the creditors had been
missed after Suge said he had experienced a death in his family. Finally on July
7, 2006, the federal judge, Ellen Carroll, ordered a bankruptcy trustee takeover
of Suge Knight's Death Row Records, saying the record label had undergone a
gross amount of mismanagement.
He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which allows a company to
continue business operations while restructuring. Death Row was being operated
by Neilson during the bankruptcy proceedings, while Knight oversaw his
bankruptcy estate as a debtor in possession.
In June 2007, he placed his seven-bedroom, 9½-bath home in Malibu on the market
for $6.2 million as part of his "financial makeover". The mansion was finally
sold in December 2008 in bankruptcy court for $4.56 million.
In June 2008, he sold Death Row Records to New York-based company Global Music
Group, which confirmed it had purchased the firm in a statement to the
Associated Press news agency.
On January 25, 2009, an auction was held for everything found in the Death Row
Records office after the company filed for bankruptcy, including some of Knight's
personal items. Of note was the Death Row Records electric chair which sold for
$2,500. Some of Knight's personal items appeared in an auction during the debut
episode of A&E's Storage Wars, and a vault full of items (including a coat) was
purchased by featured buyer Barry Weiss.
Personal and legal troubles
In 1996, Knight was sent to prison for a probation violation. In 1997, he was
sentenced to nine years for the violation. He was released on August 6, 2001.
In 2003, he was sent to prison again for violating parole when he struck a
parking lot attendant. Death Row Records' income rapidly declined due to
Knight's incarceration. It managed to save itself from complete bankruptcy by
releasing archived Snoop Dogg compilation albums and posthumous Tupac albums.
Despite signing new artists, Suge never released any of their albums.
In 2005, Knight was shot in the leg at the Red Room at Miami Beach's Shore Club.
To date, no one has been charged in the shooting.
In 2006 Knight was engaged in another dispute with former friend and ex-associate
Snoop Dogg after Snoop insulted him in Rolling Stone.
On May 10, 2008, Knight was involved in an altercation involving a monetary
dispute outside of a nightclub in Hollywood. He was knocked out for 3 minutes,
taken to the hospital, and reportedly did not cooperate with the LAPD.
On August 27, 2008, Knight was arrested on drug and aggravated assault charges
after leaving a Las Vegas strip club. When police arrived on the scene, Knight
was beating Melissa Isaac, his girlfriend of three years, and brandishing a
knife. Reports also allege that he was under the influence of both ecstasy and
hydrocodone. As of October 31, police and prosecutors had still failed to
contact Isaac, and no formal charges have been brought against Knight. On
December 5, 2008 Suge Knight was cleared of all charges. Knight’s attorney,
David Chesnoff, said the prosecution had "discovery problems and witness
problems." Prosecutor Susan Benedict did not immediately return a call for
comment. When Knight was asked about the positive verdict he replied "God is
good, Happy Holidays."
As part of an October 30, 2008 bankruptcy claim, Suge also filed a lawsuit
against Kanye West and his associates. The lawsuit concerns an August 2005
shooting at Kanye's pre-Video Music Awards party, where Knight suffered a
gunshot wound to the upper leg. The lawsuit cites damages of mental and
physical pain caused by the shooting, costs of surgery, loss of income and the
theft of a 15-carat (3.0 g) $147,000 diamond earring.
In late March, 2009, Knight was implicated in the robbery of Akon producer, Noel
"Detail" Fisher. According to Christopher Walker, an employee of Detail, on the
morning of March 25, 2009, five armed men broke into Detail's house, stating
that they were collecting a debt on behalf of Knight. $170,000 worth of jewelry
was stolen, along with a locked safe, stereo equipment and the key to a Mercedes
vehicle. Walker claims the incident is related to the altercation at the W
Scottsdale Hotel in February.
Knight started a new record label called Blackball Records, with its first
artist Young Life and featured it in a reality show, Unfinished Business. The
show was based on Knight dispelling long-standing rumors in sit down interviews,
his days with Death Row and the artists he worked with, and finding new talent
for his record label. As of April 2009, the show had not been picked up by any
major network.
Remaining items from Knight's personal property were auctioned in the first
episode of Storage Wars on A&E, which aired on December 1, 2010.
On February 8, 2012, Suge Knight was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, on prior
outstanding traffic warrants and after police found marijuana in his car. Knight
was serving three years' unsupervised probation for driving with a suspended
license at the time of his Las Vegas arrest.
On February 24, 2013, an arrest warrant was issued after Knight missed a court
date on charges of driving without a license while on three years of
unsupervised probation.