Marion "Suge" Knight Biography

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. 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.

Early life

Marion 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. 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 murder. 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 agreed to sign over royalties from his smash hit "Ice Ice Baby" because the song included material written by Knight's client Floyd "Earthquake" Brown. Knight and his bodyguards confronted Vanilla Ice several times. According to Vanilla Ice, on one occasion Knight implied that he would throw him off the balcony of a hotel room unless he signed the publishing rights to the song over to Knight. Vanilla Ice complied and Knight used the 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 fathered 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 Bitches and Member of the Bloods, 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 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., 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; Randall Sullivan and Russell Poole implicated Knight in in their highly creative but unsupported theory of a conspiracy between rogue cops, the LA police department, Knight, and even the LA Times in the death of Biggie and its cover-up. Their theory formed the basis of a 500 million dollar suit against the city of LA. It was ultimately dismissed.

Sullivan, Poole, and filmmaker Nick Broomfield also implicated Knight in the murder of Tupac Shakur. Broomfield's low-budget documentary on the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, based on the Sullivan-Poole theories implicating Knight in both cases was, as the New York Times described it, a "largely speculative" and "circumstantial" account relying on flimsy evidence, failing to "present counter-evidence" or "question sources." Moreover, the motive suggested for the murder of Biggie in the Broomfield film (as in the Poole-Sullivan theory)- to decrease suspicion for the Shakur shooting six month before-was, as The New York Times delicately phrased it, " unsupported in the film".

In 2002, the LA Times published a story by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Chuck Philips, titled "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?," based on a yearlong investigation that reconstructed the crime and the events leading up to it. Evidence gathered by the paper indicated that: "the shooting was carried out by a Compton gang called the Southside Crips to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur a few hours earlier. Orlando Anderson, the Crip whom Shakur had attacked, fired the fatal shots. Las Vegas police discounted Anderson as a suspect and interviewed him only once, briefly. He was later killed in an unrelated gang shooting." Philips' article was based on police affidavits and court documents as well as interviews with investigators, witnesses to the crime and members of the Southside Crips who had never before discussed the killing outside the gang. Despite attacks from the Sullivan-Poole camp, Philips account, dismissing Suge's involvement in the murder, is the best supported theory of the case. As the Assistant Managing Editor of the LA Times Mark Duvoisin wrote: "Philips' story has withstood all challenges to its accuracy, ...[and] remains the definitive account of the Shakur slaying." Shakur's bodyguard in his documentary, Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake, likewise noted 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, as did writer Cathy Scott, who was quoted in the documentary as stating: "The LAPD found no evidence whatsoever that implicated Suge Knight." On a website, Archived Letters, Scott, who wrote a book titled The Killing of Tupac Shakur, writes back to a reader 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 murder 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 murder.

In 2006, nine years after B.I.G.'s murder, 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, B.I.G., 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 murder 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 "Pimp 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 trademark red 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 magazine.

On May 10, 2008, Knight was involved in an altercation involving a monetary dispute outside of a nightclub in Hollywood, California. 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, Nevada 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, 2008, police and prosecutors had still failed to contact Isaac, and no formal charges were filed against Knight. On December 5, 2008, Suge Knight was cleared of any wrongdoing. 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 $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.

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 for possession of marijuana which police found during a search of his vehicle. Knight was serving 3 years of 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 3 years of unsupervised probation. Knight was eventually arrested on September 11, 2013, after being pulled over initially for erratic driving.