Is Suge Knight Dead? The Rise and Fall of the Death Row Records Boss

Publish date: 2024-06-13

Suge Knight is a notorious figure in the history of hip hop, as the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, the label that launched the careers of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur. He is also a convicted felon, who is currently serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015. But how did he end up in this situation, and what happened to him along the way? Here is a brief overview of Suge Knight’s life and crimes.

The Early Years: Suge Knight’s Football and Music Career

Suge Knight was born Marion Hugh Knight Jr. on April 19, 1965, in Compton, California. He was a talented athlete, who played football and track in high school and college. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he played as a defensive end. He was not drafted by the NFL, but he briefly played for the Los Angeles Rams as a replacement player during the 1987 players’ strike.

After his football career ended, Knight became a concert promoter and a bodyguard for celebrities, such as Bobby Brown. He also started a music company, and got involved in the rap scene. He gained a breakthrough when he persuaded Vanilla Ice to sign over the royalties of his hit song, Ice Ice Baby, to him, allegedly by threatening him with violence. He used the money to start Death Row Records, along with Dr. Dre, who left N.W.A. after a dispute with Eazy-E and Jerry Heller.

The Golden Age: Death Row Records’ Success and Controversy

Death Row Records became one of the most successful and influential labels in the 1990s, as it dominated the West Coast hip hop scene. The label’s first two releases, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, were both multi-platinum albums, that introduced the G-funk style and featured many guest appearances by other Death Row artists, such as Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, and Lady of Rage.

In 1995, Knight signed Tupac Shakur, who was serving a prison sentence for a sexual assault conviction. Knight posted his $1.4 million bail, and freed him from prison, in exchange for a three-album deal with Death Row. Shakur’s first album for the label, All Eyez on Me, was another huge success, and featured the hit singles California Love and How Do U Want It. Shakur also became involved in the East Coast-West Coast feud, a rivalry between Death Row and Bad Boy Records, the label of The Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy.

However, Death Row also faced many problems, such as legal issues, violence, and internal conflicts. Knight was accused of using intimidation and coercion to run his business, and of employing gang members as his associates. He also had a falling out with Dr. Dre, who left the label in 1996, after claiming that Knight owed him money and interfered with his creative freedom. Knight also had a tense relationship with Snoop Dogg, who criticized him for his involvement in the East Coast-West Coast feud, and who left the label in 1998.

The Downfall: Tupac Shakur’s Death and Suge Knight’s Incarceration

Suge Knight’s empire began to crumble on September 7, 1996, when Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas, after attending a Mike Tyson boxing match with Knight. Knight was also wounded in the shooting, but survived. The murder of Shakur remains unsolved, but many theories and speculations have been made, linking it to the East Coast-West Coast feud, the Southside Crips gang, or even Knight himself.

Knight’s legal troubles also caught up with him, as he was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1997, for violating his probation from a previous assault conviction. He was also sued by several former Death Row artists, who claimed that he cheated them out of their royalties and contracts. Death Row Records went into decline, as it lost its star power and credibility, and faced competition from other labels, such as Aftermath Entertainment, founded by Dr. Dre, and No Limit Records, founded by Master P.

Knight was released from prison in 2001, and tried to revive Death Row Records, by changing its name to Tha Row, and signing new artists, such as Crooked I, Lisa Lopes, and Kurupt. However, he failed to regain his former glory, as none of his new releases matched the success of his previous ones. He also continued to be involved in legal and personal disputes, such as a feud with Eminem and 50 Cent, who were proteges of Dr. Dre, and a lawsuit by Lydia Harris, who claimed that she was a co-founder of Death Row Records, and that Knight had cheated her out of her share of the company.

The End: Suge Knight’s Hit-and-Run and Prison Sentence

Suge Knight’s final downfall came in 2015, when he was involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Compton, California. The incident occurred on the set of the movie Straight Outta Compton, a biopic about N.W.A., which Knight was not involved in, but had tried to interfere with. Knight had a confrontation with Cle “Bone” Sloan, a former gang member and a consultant for the movie, who had a history of animosity with Knight. Knight then got into his truck, and ran over Sloan and Terry Carter, a friend of Knight and a co-founder of Heavyweight Records. Carter died from his injuries, while Sloan survived.

Knight claimed that he acted in self-defense, and that he feared for his life, as he thought that Sloan and Carter were armed and trying to kill him. However, the incident was captured on surveillance video, which showed that Knight had hit Sloan and Carter deliberately, and that he had fled the scene without trying to help them. Knight was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, and hit-and-run. He initially pleaded not guilty, and went through several lawyers and judges, as he tried to delay and dismiss his case. He also suffered from various health problems, such as blood clots and blindness, while in custody.

In 2018, Knight changed his plea to no contest, and accepted a plea deal, that reduced his charges to voluntary manslaughter, and gave him a 28-year sentence in prison. He was also ordered to pay $107 million to Lydia Harris, who had won her lawsuit against him in 2005, but had not received any payment from him. Knight was sent to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California, where he is expected to spend the rest of his life.

Conclusion

Suge Knight is not dead, but he is in prison, where he will likely die. He is a man who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most powerful and influential figures in hip hop, but who also fell from grace due to his greed, violence, and arrogance. He is a man who made history, but also destroyed lives. He is a man who is loved by some, and hated by many. He is Suge Knight, and he is the former boss of Death Row Records.