Suge Knight

"Suge" redirects here. For the 2019 song by DaBaby, see Suge (song).

Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (/ʃʊɡ/; born April 19, 1965)^[2] is an American former record executive, convicted felon,^[3] and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s.^[4] This feat is attributed to the record label's first two album releases: Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1993.^[4]

Suge Knight
Knight in 2007
Born	Marion Hugh Knight Jr. (1965-04-19) April 19, 1965 (age 58) Compton, California, U.S.
Occupations	Record producer record executive
Years active	1987–1996 2001–2015
Organization	Mob Piru Bloods^[1]
Criminal status	Incarcerated
Children	5
Conviction(s)	Voluntary manslaughter
Criminal charge	First-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, hit and run
Penalty	28 years in prison
Imprisoned at	Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (2018)
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop gangsta rap West Coast hip hop
Labels	Black Kapital Death Row
Football career
No. 79
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	Compton, California
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lynwood (Lynwood, California)
College:	UNLV
Undrafted:	1987
Career history
Los Angeles Rams (1987)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

In 1995, Tupac Shakur began serving a prison sentence of up to four and a half years. Knight struck a deal with Shakur that October, paying his bail and freeing him from prison pending an appeal of his conviction, while signing him to Death Row Records. In 1996, the label released Shakur's greatest commercial success, All Eyez on Me. That September, after departing a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas, a group that included Knight and Shakur assaulted Orlando Anderson, a Southside Compton Crips gang member. Three hours later, someone shot into the car that Knight was driving and fatally wounded Shakur, injuring Knight in the process.

Dr. Dre left Death Row Records shortly before Shakur's death, followed by Snoop Dogg two years later. The label rapidly declined. Meanwhile, allegations mounted that Knight, beyond employing gang members, had often employed intimidation and violence in his business dealings. From the late 1990s into the early 2000s, Knight spent a few years incarcerated for assault convictions and associated violations of probation and parole. In September 2018, Knight pled no contest to voluntary manslaughter in a fatal 2015 hit-and-run, and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.^[5][6] Knight's conviction, along with his previous felonies (stealing a camera, and also sending a harassing text message to Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray), triggered California's three-strikes law. He is eligible for parole in November 2034.^[7] Knight is a prime suspect in orchestrating the murder of the Notorious B.I.G.^[8][9]

Early life

Marion Hugh Knight Jr. was born in Compton, California, the son of Maxine (née Dikemen) and Marion Knight Sr.^[10] His name Suge (pronounced /ʃʊɡ/) derives from "Sugar Bear", a childhood nickname.^[11] He attended Lynwood High School in nearby Lynwood, where he was a football and track star. He graduated in 1983.

At some point, Knight became affiliated with the Mob Piru Bloods, a "set" of the Bloods gang alliance.^[12]

Football career

From 1983 to 1985, he attended and played football at El Camino College.^[13] In 1985, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and played football there for two years.^[14]

Knight went undrafted in the 1987 NFL Draft, but was invited to the Los Angeles Rams training camp. He was cut by the Rams during camp, but he became a replacement player during the 1987 NFL Players Strike, and played two games for the Rams.^[15]

Career

After his brief NFL career, Knight found work as a concert promoter and a bodyguard for celebrities including Bobby Brown. In 1989, 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 his smash hit "Ice Ice Baby", because the song included material allegedly written by Knight's client Mario Johnson. Knight and his bodyguards confronted Van Winkle several times. There was a rumor during that time, that said Knight entered Van Winkle's hotel room and allegedly dangled him by his ankles off the balcony. However, Van Winkle has said that never actually happened, only that Knight threatened to throw him off the balcony; the claim was resolved in court.^[13][16][17]

Knight next formed an artist management company and signed West Coast hip hop artists DJ Quik and The D.O.C. Through the latter, he met several members of the seminal gangsta rap group N.W.A.

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 henchmen 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.^[18] Ultimately, Dre and D.O.C. 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 album, The Chronic, went on to triple platinum status in the United States by the end of 1993.^[19] It also made a career for Dre's protégé, Snoop Dogg, whose own debut album Doggystyle obtained a quadruple platinum certification in the United States in 1994.^[20]

Meanwhile, Death Row had begun a public feud with 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell. 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 on telephone keypads, MOB standing for Member of Bloods.^[21] In 1995, he ran afoul of civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker's campaign against gangsta rap, whose criticism of Death Row's glamorization of the "gangsta" lifestyle may have helped scuttle a lucrative deal with Time Warner.^[22]

Tupac Shakur, MC Hammer, Dr. Dre, and the Death Row Label

Knight's feud with East Coast entrepreneur Sean Combs ("Puff Daddy") 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, and 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."

Conrad Tillard, then the Nation of Islam minister known as Conrad Muhammad, the Hip Hop Minister, counseled Combs during his ensuing feud with Knight, and also asked Knight to stop terrorizing Combs.^{[23][24][25] [26]} Tillard also protected Combs, sending elite guards from his Mosque No. 7 to guard Combs, who was receiving death threats from gangsters connected to Knight.^[27]

The same year, Knight offered to post bail (US$1.4 million) for Tupac Shakur if the rapper agreed to sign with Death Row. Shakur agreed, setting the stage for his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

M.C. Hammer's 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.^[28] 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.^[29][30] However, Hammer did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa" (along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy).^[31] After the death of Shakur in 1996, Hammer left the record company.^[32] He later explained his concern about this circumstance in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) since he was in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death.^[33] Hammer released 2Pac's "Unconditional Love", on his Family Affair album, in 1998. The friendships between Hammer (played by Romany Malco), Tupac (played by Lamont Bentley) and Suge (played by Anthony Norris) were depicted in the television film, Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story (airing on VH1 in 2001).

Dr. Dre, frustrated with the company's increasingly thuggish reputation and Knight's violent inclinations, left and formed his own label^[when?], Aftermath Entertainment.^{[citation needed]}

Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls: Theories accusing Knight

See also: Murder of Tupac Shakur and Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.

Though never charged by any prosecutor for any involvement, Suge Knight has been the subject of theories in popular culture about the murder of two well-known rap artists. Tupac Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 1996, and died six days later on September 13. When Shakur's East Coast rival, The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls), was murdered in a similar drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1997, speculation arose that Knight was involved and that Biggie's death was a revenge killing.^[34] Former Death Row artists, including Snoop Dogg, also later accused Knight of being involved in Tupac's murder.^[35]

Ex-detective Russell Poole conjectured that Knight had Tupac killed before he could part ways with Knight's label and then conspired to kill Biggie to divert attention from himself in the Tupac case.^[36] The Biggie murder theory implicated Knight, a rogue cop, and a mortgage broker named Amir Muhammad (who was never a police suspect) along with the chief of police and the LAPD in a conspiracy to murder and cover up the murder of Biggie. The Biggie theory formed the basis of a US$500 million lawsuit by his family, the Wallaces, against the city of Los Angeles. A key source for Poole's theory was Kevin Hackie. Hackie had implicated Knight and David Mack. Hackie, a former Death Row associate, said that he had knowledge of involvement between Knight and Mack and other LAPD officers. His information was used by the Wallace family in their suit against the city of L.A. for Biggie's death. But Hackie later told Los Angeles Times reporter Chuck Philips that the Wallace attorneys had altered his declarations.^[37] The suit brought by the Wallace family against the city of L.A. based on the Russell Poole theory was dismissed in 2010.

In 2005, Chuck Philips of the Los Angeles Times reported that another source for the theory of Biggie's murder implicating Muhammad, Mack, Knight and the LAPD was a schizophrenic man known as "Psycho Mike" who later confessed to hearsay and memory lapses and falsely identifying Muhammad.^[38] John Cook of Brill's Content noted that Philips' article "demolished" the Poole-Sullvan theory of Biggie's murder.^[39]

Around the same time, Philips wrote an L.A. Times two-part series titled "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?" into the murder of Shakur and events surrounding it based on police affidavits, court documents and interviews.^[40][41]

The L.A. Times story 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 after questioning him once briefly. He was later killed in what police said was an unrelated gang shooting."^[40] The article implicated East Coast music figures, including Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace, Shakur's nemesis at the time, alleging that he paid for the gun.^[40] Before their own deaths, Smalls, his family and Anderson denied any role in Shakur's murder. Biggie's family^[42] produced documents purporting to show that the rapper was in New York and New Jersey at the time. The New York Times called the documents inconclusive stating:

The pages purport to be three computer printouts from Daddy's House, indicating that Wallace was in the studio recording a song called Nasty Boy on the afternoon Shakur was shot. They indicate that Wallace wrote half the session, was In and out/sat around and laid down a ref, shorthand for a reference vocal, the equivalent of a first take. But nothing indicates when the documents were created. And Louis Alfred, the recording engineer listed on the sheets, said in an interview that he remembered recording the song with Wallace in a late-night session, not during the day. He could not recall the date of the session but said it was likely not the night Shakur was shot. We would have heard about it, Mr. Alfred said.^[43]

Mark Duvoisin, an editor at the L.A. Times, wrote in an opinion piece in Rolling Stone that Philips' account had withstood attacks to its credibility.^[44]

However, the L.A. Times printed a full retraction of the two-part series and released Philips shortly thereafter during a wave of layoffs.^[45]

In Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake, a documentary by Tupac Shakur's bodyguard, he and Cathy Scott, author of The Killing of Tupac Shakur and The Murder of Biggie Smalls, said that Knight would not have placed himself in the path of bullets he knew were coming. On her website Scott responds to a reader of her book stating that she felt there was never evidence to link Knight to Tupac's murder. Scott also told CNN, "That theory doesn't even add up. 'Open fire on my car, but try not to hit me?'"^[46]

A 2006 law-enforcement task force probe into Biggie Smalls' murder, which included then-LAPD Detective Greg Kading, included the murder of Shakur. In his 2011 self-published book, Murder Rap,^[47] Kading wrote that Duane "Keefe D" Davis, a member of the "Crips" street gang, gave a confession years later saying he rode in the car used in the Las Vegas shooting of Shakur.^[34][48] The Crips said they had been offered a million dollars by associates of Bad Boy records to kill Shakur. Kading, who named Sean Combs as having been involved in the conspiracy, also wrote that a bounty was offered for Suge Knight's murder.^[34]

While in Las Vegas, Kading's book stated, Davis and fellow Crips members crossed paths with a BMW carrying Knight and Shakur.^[40] The fatal shots were fired by Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, who sat on the side of the car closest to the BMW.

Kading alleged that Knight hired Wardell "Poochie" Fouse to kill Sean Combs' most valuable star, Biggie Smalls, a murder done following a party at the Peterson Automotive Museum. Pouchie later survived a murder attempt in 2000, but was killed in 2003.^[49] Charges were never brought against Fouse or Knight and the task force disbanded for reasons of "internal affairs".^[47]

After Shakur's death and the release of Tha Doggfather, Snoop Dogg openly criticized Knight for the murder of Shakur and left the label in 1998.^[50] He signed with 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 Knight and Death Row. In 2006, Snoop again attacked Knight verbally.^[51] Knight responded, stating that Snoop was a "police informer" who "never goes to jail".^[52]

Gang violence associated with Death Row Records

Main article: Mob Piru

Knight, who was affiliated with the Mob Piru Bloods, hired members from this gang to work for Death Row Records. Knight also hired members of two other Blood sets, Fruit Town Piru and Lueders Park Piru.^[53] By the early 2000s, a rivalry developed between the Mob Piru and the Fruit Town Piru, which resulted in the deaths of several people from Knight's inner circle.^[53]

End of Death Row Records

On April 4, 2006, Knight filed bankruptcy due to civil litigation against him in which Lydia Harris was said to have been cheated out of a 50% stake in Death Row Records. Prior to filing, Knight had been ordered to pay US$107 million to Harris.^{[citation needed]} 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 from employment or operation of a business. According to financial records, his bank account contained just US$11, and he owned clothing worth US$1,000, furniture and appliances valued at US$2,000, and jewelry worth US$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 US$1 million payment but had not agreed to settle the matter. "I'm telling you, I didn't do a settlement for US$1 million. That's ridiculous. Let's keep it real," she said.^[54]

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.^[55]

He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,^[56] 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.^[57]

In June 2007, he placed his 7 bedroom, 9+1⁄2^{[clarification needed]} bath home in Malibu, California, on the market for US$6.2 million as part of his "financial makeover". The mansion was finally sold in December 2008 in bankruptcy court for US$4.56 million.^[58]

In June 2008, Death Row Records was put up for auction in Bankruptcy Court. The winning bid went to New York-based company Global Music Group.^[59] Global Music Group failed to secure funding and the Death Row Records catalog eventually went to Wideawake Entertainment.

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 US$2,500. Some of Knight's personal items appeared in an auction during the debut episode of A&E's Storage Wars,^[60] and a vault full of items (including a coat) was purchased by featured buyer Barry Weiss.^[61]

Personal and legal troubles

1995 convictions

In a 1995 federal case, Knight pleaded no contest and was sentenced to five years' probation for assaulting two rappers in the summer of 1992 at a Hollywood recording studio.^[62]

1996 probation violation leading to incarceration

On October 22, 1996, Knight was sent to jail pending a hearing on the probation violation that happened on September 7, 1996 when Suge Knight and his Death Row entourage including Tupac Shakur attacked Orlando Anderson, a Crips gang member. Knight was then sentenced to nine years in prison on February 28, 1997 for the probation violation^[63] but was granted early release and was let out of FCI Sheridan^[64] on August 6, 2001.^[65][66]

2003 conviction and incarceration

In 2003, Knight was sent to prison again for violating parole when he struck a parking lot attendant.^[67] Death Row's income rapidly declined during Knight's recurrent incarceration.

In 2006, Knight was engaged in another dispute with former friend and ex-associate Snoop Dogg after Snoop insulted him in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.^[51][68]

2008 altercation and gang accusations

In January 2008, it was stated by police that Knight was one of the members of the Mob Piru street gang in a crackdown by authorities in the city of Compton.^[69][70][71] On May 10, 2008, Knight was involved in an altercation involving a monetary dispute outside of a nightclub ("Shag") in Hollywood. He was unconscious for three minutes. At the hospital, he did not cooperate with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).^[72][73]

2008 bankruptcy

As part of an October 30, 2008 bankruptcy claim, Knight also filed a lawsuit against Kanye West and his associates. The lawsuit concerns an August 2005 shooting at West's pre-Video Music Awards party, where Knight was wounded by a gunshot to the upper leg.^[74][75]

2009 altercation

In February 2009, Knight was taken to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn to be treated for facial injuries he received during an altercation at a private party in the W Scottsdale Hotel, where Knight was reportedly punched.^[76]

2012 arrest

On February 8, 2012, Knight was arrested in Las Vegas, after police found cannabis in his car and several warrants for prior traffic violations.^[66]

2014 shooting

On August 24, 2014, Knight was shot at a pre-Video Music Awards party hosted by Chris Brown at a West Hollywood Sunset Strip nightclub ("1OAK"). Although shot six times, he was able to walk from the venue to an ambulance. His injuries required surgery.^[77] It is reported by investigators that evidence from closed circuit television (CCTV) footage showed that Knight was the intended target of the shooting.^[78] Knight was released from the hospital on August 27. Friend Keith Middlebrook told the New York Daily News that Knight returned home with the intentions to "heal up in a few days and be stronger than ever".^[79]

Knight refused to cooperate with law enforcement on the matter.^[80] Party attendee Jeezy later said on The Breakfast Club that he would have been shot had he not been pushed out of the way just prior to the shooting.^[81]

Prosecution on charges of robbery (2014–present)

On October 29, 2014, Knight and comedian Katt Williams were both arrested and charged with second-degree robbery in connection with an alleged theft of a camera from a paparazzi photographer the previous month in Beverly Hills, California.^[82][83] While in jail, doctors found a blood clot in Knight's lung.^[84] Both Knight and Williams pleaded not guilty to robbery. In 2016, the robbery trial was delayed until the resolution of the unrelated murder trial.^[82]

Prosecution on charges of voluntary manslaughter (2015–2017)

On January 29, 2015, Knight crashed his car into two men, killing Terry Carter (his friend and co-founder of Heavyweight Records), and fled the scene in Compton, California.^{[85][86][87][88]} The second victim, filmmaker Cle Sloan, suffered multiple fractures in his ankles and head injuries.^[89][90] Witnesses said Knight followed the men to a burger stand parking lot after an argument on the Straight Outta Compton film set, and that the collision looked intentional.^[91] Security footage video showed Knight running over both men. Knight said he acted in self-defense.^[92]

In March 2015, Knight was hospitalized after he told a judge that he was suffering from blindness and other complications. Knight fired attorneys handling his murder case and said he was receiving inadequate medical treatment while in custody.^[93] The same month, a court set bail for his release for US$25 million. Knight collapsed in court shortly after the bail setting was announced.^[94] On April 16, 2015, Knight's bail was reduced to US$10 million.^[95][96] In July 2015, Knight's lawyer said that Knight might have a brain tumor^[97] on the same day that Knight's request for lower bail was refused.^[98] In January 2016, Knight changed counsel in his murder trial for a fourth time.^[99][100] In May 2016, three attorneys replaced the two hired earlier in the year.^[101] In July 2016, the judge denied Knight's motion to reveal the identities of several key prosecution witnesses, citing Knight's long history of violence.^[102] Knight became emotional after the ruling, stating that because of his health problems, he will die in jail.^[103] In March 2017, Knight was hospitalized after suffering from blood clots, a condition that had been affecting him for two years by that time.^[104] Knight's hospitalization delayed the trial^[105] to September 2018.^[106] When September arrived, Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter.^[107][108] The judge sentenced Knight to 28 years in prison: 22 years for running over the victim and 6 years because it was Knight's third strike under California's three-strikes law.^[109] As of March 2023, Knight is incarcerated at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, and will not be eligible for parole until October 2034.^[110]

Prosecution on charges of threatening death (2017)

In February 2017, a grand jury indicted Knight on charges of "threatening death or bodily injury" for sending threatening text messages to F. Gary Gray, the director of Straight Outta Compton, c. August 8, 2014.^[111] Knight pleaded not guilty to the charge,^[112] and the charge was dropped as part of Knight's plea agreement in the death of Terry Carter.^[113]

Biographical portrayals in film

Year	Title	Portrayed by	Notes
2001	Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story	Anthony Norris	Biographical film about MC Hammer
2009	Notorious	Sean Ringgold	Biographical film about The Notorious B.I.G.
2015	Straight Outta Compton	R. Marcos Taylor	Biographical film about N.W.A
2016	Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le	R. Marcos Taylor	Biographical film about Michel'le
2017	All Eyez on Me	Dominic L. Santana	Biographical film about Tupac Shakur
2018	Unsolved	Dominic L. Santana	American true crime anthology television series based on the murders of rappers Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.

Documentary films

• Knight was interviewed for Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops (2006), a documentary that delved into the NYPD's surveillance of hip-hop artists and executives.^[114]
• American Dream/American Knightmare, a documentary by Antoine Fuqua featuring interviews conducted with Knight in 2011 and 2012, was broadcast on Showtime on December 21, 2018.

References

1. Philips, Chuck (August 1, 2003). "As Associates Fall, Is 'Suge' Next?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2023. Knight began to flaunt his connection to an obscure street gang called the Mob Piru Bloods.
2. "Suge Knight". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
3. Coscarelli, Joe (September 21, 2018). "Suge Knight Gets 28 Years in Prison in Hit-and-Run Plea Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
4. Travis L. Gosa, "The fifth element: Knowledge", in Justin A. Williams, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2015), p 56.
5. Kenneally, Tim (September 20, 2018). "Suge Knight to Serve 28 Years Over 2015 Hit-and-Run Death". TheWrap. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
6. Gerber, Marisa (February 2, 2015). "'Suge' Knight charged with murder; could face life in prison". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
7. knight, suge. "Inmate Information". inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
8. Kenner, Rob (March 9, 2012). "Interview: Former L.A.P.D. Detective Says He Knows Who Killed The Notorious B.I.G." Complex. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
9. "Former rap mogul "Suge" Knight jailed for 28 years for killing man with car". TheGuardian.com. October 4, 2018.
10. Lee, McKinley; Williams, Frank (1997). Chosen by Fate: My Life Inside Death Row Records. West Hollywood, CA: Dove Books. ISBN 9780787114329. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
11. Hirschberg, Lynn (February 2, 1997). "Does a Sugar Bear Bite?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
12. "Life and death in South Central LA". The Observer. January 9, 2000. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved March 30, 2023. Then came Marion 'Sugar Bear' Knight - a one-time gang banger with the North Side's MOB Piru Bloods.
13. . Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
14. Rachael Levy, Former coaches portray Knight in positive light, Las Vegas Sun, September 10, 1996. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
15. Biography for Marion "Suge" Knight. IMDb.com, Retrieved November 15, 2008.
16. Westhoff, Ben (November 20, 2012). "Did Suge Knight Really Dangle Vanilla Ice Off of a Balcony?". LA Weekly. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
17. Douglas, Daniel (February 9, 2009), "Knight, Suge", African American Studies Center, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.45814, ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1
18. Suge Knight gets knocked out (May 21, 2008). "Suge Knight gets knocked out". Hiphopn.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
19. . RIAA. March 18, 1993. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
20. Rollin' Wich Dre: The Unauthorized Account: An Insider's Tale of the Rise, Fall, and Rebirf of West Coast Hip Hop (Williams/Alexander, 2008) ISBN 0-345-49822-4
21. O'Connor, Devin (September 21, 2018). "Former Las Vegas Club 662 Owner Suge Knight Faces 28 Years in Prison After Plea Deal Made Days Before Jury Trial to Begin in L.A." Casino.org. Retrieved April 1, 2023. Club 662 in Las Vegas, named for the numbers on a telephone keypad spelling "MOB," which stands for "Members of Blood" for the street gang in L.A.
22. Anderson, Joel (November 20, 2019). "How C. Delores Tucker's Crusade Against Offensive Rap Lyrics Upended the Music Industry". Slate Magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
23. Jackson, Gerald G. (2005). We're Not Going to Take it Anymore. Beckham Publications Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-931761-84-3.
24. D.L. Chandler (May 23, 2013). "Former "Hip-Hop Minister" Running For NYC Council Seat". HipHopWired.
25. "Will "Hiphop Minister" Conrad Muhammad Go from N.O.I. to G.O.P.?". New York Press. February 16, 2015.
26. Mark Curry (2009). Dancing with the Devil; How Puff Burned the Bad Boys of Hip-hop
27. Noel, Peter (January 9, 2001). "Taking the Rap". The Village Voice.
28. "MC Hammer Interview - part 1". daveyd.com. June 1997. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
29. "MC Hammer". MTV.
30. "MC Hammer". MTV.
31. Burgess, Omar (March 18, 2009). . HipHop DX. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
32. "MC Hammer Interview - part 2". daveyd.com. June 1997. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
33. . Vibe.com. March 2009. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
34. VIDEO: Greg Kading's Book Says Sean Combs, Suge Knight Ordered Tupac and Biggie Killings June 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine By LA Weekly Mon., October 3, 2011
35. . March 29, 2007. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
36. Danton, Eric (November 9, 2003). "Biggie (rip) Vs. Tupac (rip)". The Courant. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
37. Philips, Chuck (June 20, 2005). "Witness in B.I.G. case says his memory's bad". LA Times. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
38. Philips, Chuck (June 3, 2005). "Informant in Rap Star's Slaying Admits Hearsay". LA Times. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
39. Cook, John (June 2005). . Referencetone.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
40. Philips, Chuck (September 6, 2002). "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?". LA Times. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
41. Philips, Chuck (September 7, 2002). "How Vegas police probe floundered in Tupac Shakur case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
42. Silveran, Stephen M. (September 9, 2002). "B.I.G. Family Denies Tupac Murder Claim". People. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
43. Leland, John (October 7, 2002). "New Theories Stir Speculation On Rap Deaths". New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
44. Duvoisin, Mark (January 12, 2006). "L.A. Times Responds to Biggie Story". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
45. Wilson, Simone (June 22, 2011). "Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. Murders and ex-LA Times Reporter Chuck Philips: A Timeline". LA Weekly.
46. "FBI reveals documents in Biggie Smalls death probe". cnn.com.
47. Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases, Greg Kading, One Time Publishing, 2011. ISBN 0-9839554-8-4 Retrieved January 8, 2012.
48. "Los Angeles News and Events - Articles & Archives". Laweekly.com. July 16, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
49. "Wardell Fouse, 43 - The Homicide Report". homicide.latimes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
50. Nostro, Lauren (April 5, 2013). "16 Label Changes That Shocked The Rap Game - Snoop Dogg Leaves Death Row". Complex.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
51. Toure (December 14, 2006). "Snoop Dogg: America's Most Lovable Pimp". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
52. Hombach, Jean. Tupac Amaru Shakur. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
53. Philips, Chuck (July 31, 2003). "As Associates Fall, Is 'Suge' Knight Next?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
54. Deutsch, Linda. Rap Mogul Knight Details Business Woes, The Washington Post, May 5, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
55. "Judge Orders Bankruptcy Takeover Of Death Row". Billboard. July 10, 2006.
56. "'Suge' Knight Files For Bankruptcy". Billboard.
57. "No One at the Helm: Trustee Appointed to Manage Death Row Records – Illinois Business Law Journal".
58. HipHopDX.com - Suge Knight's Mansion Sold In Bankruptcy Court. HipHopDX.com. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
59. Death Row label is sold for $24m, BBC News, July 15, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
60. "Storage Wars: Season 1, Episode 1 High Noon in the High Desert" at IMDb
61. . The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
62. "2 lawyers for Suge Knight accused of plotting to bribe potential murder witnesses". CBS News. March 6, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
63. Abrahamson, Alan; Philips, Chuck (March 1, 1997). "Rap Mogul "Suge" Knight Sent to Prison for 9 Years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
64. "SUGE KNIGHT ARRIVES AT LAST STOP BEFORE FREEDOM". MTV.
65. Christina Saraceno (August 8, 2001). "Suge Knight Leaves Prison". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
66. Ramirez, Erika (January 30, 2015). "Suge Knight: A Timeline of His Legal Troubles". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
67. Teresa Wiltz (June 17, 2007). "Like Knight and Day? Gangsta Rap Brought "Suge" Knight Wealth -- and Lots of Trouble. Now He's Singing a Different Tune". The Washington Post.
68. "Tupac Amaru Shakur". Books.google.com. epubli. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
69. "Rap mogul "Suge" Knight named in gang crackdown". Reuters. January 24, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
70. "'Suge' Knight named in gang injunction". The Hollywood Reporter. January 25, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
71. "Rap mogul Suge Knight named in gang crackdown | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. January 25, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
72. Janice aka Miss Mad (May 11, 2008). "SUGE KNIGHT KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS IN LA NIGHT CLUB". MAD NEWS. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
73. Park, Dave (May 12, 2008). "Suge Knight knocked out (Photos)". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
74. MTV News staff report (August 28, 2005). "Suge Knight Recovering After Being Shot At Kanye West Party In Miami - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
75. "Who shot Suge Knight? - Access Hollywood - Today.com". Today.com. August 30, 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
76. Berry, Jahna (February 17, 2009). "'Suge' Knight goes to hospital after fight in Scottsdale". The Arizona Republic.
77. "Suge Knight -- Shot Multiple Times After VMA Party Turns Violent". Tmz.com. August 24, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
78. Dillon, Nancy (August 25, 2014). "Investigators believe Suge Knight, not Chris Brown, was intended target in shooting at Pre-VMAs Party". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
79. Dillon, Nancy (August 27, 2014). "Suge Knight released from hospital as police seek several "people of interest" in nightclub shooting". New York Daily News.
80. "Suge Knight -- I Ain't No Snitch ... Not Talking To Cops". Tmz.com. August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
81. "Jeezy: I Was Nearly Hit When Suge Knight Was Shot". BET.com. November 13, 2015.
82. Nancy Dillon, Suge Knight's robbery trial with comedian Katt Williams pushed till after jury weighs his murder case, New York Daily News (August 30, 2016).
83. Almasy, Steve (October 29, 2014). "Suge Knight, Katt Williams arrested in paparazzi camera theft case". CNN. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
84. Fieldstadt, Elisha (November 3, 2014). "'Suge' Knight Hospitalized With "Blood Clot" After Passing Out in Vegas Jail". NBC News.com.
85. Dillon, Raquel Maria (January 30, 2015). "Ex-rap mogul Suge Knight arrested on suspicion of murder". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
86. McGeehan, Patrick (January 30, 2015). "Suge Knight, Music Executive, Is Questioned by Police in Hit-and-Run". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
87. Rocha, Veronica (January 30, 2015). "Man allegedly killed by Suge Knight was father figure in South L.A." LA Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
88. "Heavyweight Records On A&M Records". onamrecords.com.
89. McCartney, Anthony (February 3, 2015). "Suge Knight Taken to Hospital After Court Appearance". ABC News. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
90. Kalilea, Vivian (January 29, 2015). "Suge Knight kills "close friend" in Hit and Run". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
91. Suge Knight arrested in fatal hit-and-run, Saeed Ahmed, CNN, January 30, 2015
92. Anthony McCartney (February 9, 2015). "'Suge' Knight's Lawyer: Video of Deadly Wreck Helps Defense". ABC News. AP. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
93. McCartney, Anthony (March 3, 2015). "Suge Knight hospitalized after firing lawyers". Detroit Free Press.
94. "Rap mogul Suge Knight collapses in court after judge sets $25 million bail". BBC Newsbeat. March 20, 2015.
95. "Suge Knight Murder Case Going to Trial, Rapper's Bail Reduced to $10 Million". E! Online. April 16, 2015.
96. "Judge Lowers Bail to $10 Million In Suge Knight Case - Vibe". Vibe.
97. "Suge Knight -- My Toilet Is Possessed ... Oh Yeah, I May Have a Brain Tumor", TMZ, July 17, 2015.
98. Anthony McCartney, "Judge refuses to lower Suge Knight's bail", USA Today, July 17, 2015.
99. "Suge Knight Gets Fifth Lawyer in Murder Case". Billboard. Associated Press. January 22, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
100. Erin Staley (January 23, 2016). "Suge Knight Gets New Lawyer In Last-Ditch-Effort To Avoid Life Sentence". Inquisitr.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
101. Hassahn Liggins (April 27, 2016). "Suge Knight Selects New Defense Team for Murder Trial". Radiofacts.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
102. "Suge Knight Breaks Down in Court as Judge Denies Key Witness Info". Yahoo. July 24, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
103. Dillon, Nancy (July 22, 2016). "Judge denies rap mogul Suge Knight murder-trial witness info". NY Daily News. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
104. "Suge Knight Back in Hospital for Blood Clots". Tmz.com.
105. "Suge Knight misses court hearing due to illness". Nydailynews.com.
106. "Suge Knight Finally Gets a Date for Murder Trial". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
107. Almasy, Steve; Mossburg, Cheri (September 20, 2018). "Suge Knight pleads no contest to manslaughter in 2015 hit-and-run". CNN. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
108. Dalton, Andrew (September 17, 2018). . MSN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
109. "Suge Knight sentenced to 28 years in prison". www.cbsnews.com.
110. "State of California Inmate Locator". inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov.
111. "SUGE KNIGHT INDICTED FOR MAKING DEATH THREATS Against 'Compton' Director F. Gary Gray". TMZ. August 2, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
112. Marisa Gerber, Marion "Suge" Knight charged with threatening director of the film 'Straight Outta Compton', New York Daily News (August 3, 2017).
113. "Suge Knight sentenced to 28 years in prison for fatally running over man in 2015". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
114. Kaufman, Gil (March 22, 2006). "Kanye, Cam'ron, Game, Suge Knight Speak Out About "Hip-Hop Cops" in New Doc". MTV. Retrieved July 11, 2022.

Further reading

• Biggie & Tupac. Dir. Nick Broomfield. Lafayette Films, 2002.
• Brown, Jake. Suge Knight: The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Death Row Records: The Story of Marion "Suge" Knight, a Hard Hitting Study of One Man, One Company That Changed the Course of American Music Forever. Amber Books, October 1, 2001, 218 pp. ISBN 0-9702224-7-5
• Kading, Greg. Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases. One Time Publishing, 2011. ISBN 0-9839554-8-4
• "Suge Knight Sentenced to 10 Months for Parole Violation." MTV.com. July 31, 2003.
• Philips, Chuck. "Who Killed Tupac Shakur? How Vegas Police Probe Foundered". Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2002, p. 1.
• Raftery, Brian M. "A B.I.G. Mystery." Entertainment Weekly. September 27, 2002, p. 19.
• Ro, Ronin. Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records. Doubleday, 1998, 384 pp. ISBN 0-385-49134-4
• Poole, Russell. "Chaos Merchants" ISBN 9781310940200
• Scott, Cathy. The Killing of Tupac Shakur. Huntington Press, October 1, 2002, 235 pp. ISBN 0-929712-20-X
• Scott, Cathy. The Murder of Biggie Smalls. St. Martin's Press, 210 pp. 2000. ISBN 978-0312266202
• Scott, Cathy. "The Unsolved Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls." Crime Magazine. July 23, 2012, p. 1.
• Sullivan, Randall. LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. 2002.
• Sullivan, Randall. Labyrinth: Corruption and Vice in the L.A.P.D.: The truth behind the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Atlantic Monthly Press, April 2, 2002, 384 pp. ISBN 0-87113-838-7
• Welcome to Death Row. Dir. S. Leigh Savidge & Jeff Scheftel, 2001

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference