Suge Knight is one of the most high profile record producers of the 80s and the 90s. Although his start was very controversial and shrouded in rumors, he used his rappers such as Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur to make an assault on the market and come out with millions of dollars in revenue. However, his criminal activities and his affinity for gangs led to his downfall as he was arrested on several occasions. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was the hit and run case of January 2015.
Born Name
Marion Hugh Knight Jr.
Nick Name
Suge, Sugar Bear, Simon
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Compton, California, United States
Residence
He is based in Compton, California, United States.
Nationality
Education
Suge Knight went to the Lynwood High School from where he graduated in 1983. Then, he got enrolled at the El Camino College. In 1985, he decided to shift to the University ofNevada, Las Vegas, where he studied for 2 years.
Occupation
Record Producer, Music Executive, Former Football Player
Family
Father – Marion Knight Sr. (Janitor)
Mother – Maxine Knight
Siblings – Karen Anderson (Older Sister), Charlinda Tubbs (Older Sister)
Genre
Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap
Labels
Black Kapital, Death Row Records
Shirt Number
79 – Los Angeles Rams
Position
Defensive End
Build
Large
Height
6 ft 2 in or 188 cm
Weight
120 kg or 264.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Suge Knight has dated –
Bernice Burgos – Suge Knight is reported to have dated actress and model, Bernice Burgos in the past.
Misa Hylton – In the mid-90s, Knight was reported to be having an affair with Misa Hylton, who was P. Diddy‘s former girlfriend. Death Row Records had featured Hylton with Knight in a magazine advert with Suge holding Diddy’s 2 years old son. It caused quite a stir as the advert implied that the East Coast musician doesn’t take care of his son. Death Row and Suge later distanced themselves from the advert.
Sharitha Lee – Suge was involved with Sharitha Lee in the 80s and 90s. They met at a party while they were studying in high school. In 1987, Suge was arrested and charged with domestic assault as he cut-off Sharitha’s ponytail. She even took a restraining order against him. But they managed to reconcile and got back together. She played an important role in the operation of Death Row Records during their peak years. They even got married and she gave birth to their son, Arion. In 2017, Suge alleged that his former wife and the former record label security chief were behind Tupac‘s murder. He claimed that he himself was a target but Tupac was killed accidentally. Sharitha called such allegations as baseless rumors.
Michel’le (1999-2005) – In 1999, Suge got married to American singer Michel’le. He had previously helped her in 1991 to get a release from her contract with Ruthless Records. They started dating in 1996. In 2002, she gave birth to their daughter, Balei. They eventually got divorced in 2005.
Lisa Lopes (2000) – In 2000, Knight was reported to be dating singer and rapper, Lisa Nicole Lopes. It was reported that they had started dating while she was discussing a record deal with his record label.
Race / Ethnicity
Black
He has African-American ancestry.
Hair Color
Black (Natural)
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Bald Head
Beard
Imposing Body
Best Known For
Being the founder and former CEO of the Death Row Records as at the height of its success, the label used to produce and release music of the leading hip-hop stars such as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Outlawz, and Dr. Dre
First NFL Match
In 1987, Suge played the first match of his NFL career, which lasted for only 2 matches. He had got the chance to play for Los Angeles Rams as a replacement player because of the 1987 NFL players’ strike.
First TV Show
In 1996, Suge Knight made his first TV show appearance in Death Row Records episode of the documentary TV series, Primetime.
Suge Knight Facts
While studying in high school, he also excelled in the track events along with football.
After being released by Los Angeles Rams, he started working as a bodyguard for the celebrities such as Bobby Brown. He also worked as a concert promoter.
In 1989, Suge started his music publishing company. He made his first big profit from the royalties of Vanilla Ice‘s smash hit, Ice Ice Baby. Suge claimed that as some of the material was written by his client Mario Johnson, Vanilla should sign over royalties.
Vanilla Ice didn’t relent initially, which led to Suge threatening him. It has been alleged that Knight had entered his hotel room and dangled Vanilla Ice over the balcony by his ankles. Eventually, Vanilla gave in and signed over the royalties.
Then, Suge started his artist management company and soon signed up prominent West Coast rappers such as The D.O.C. and DJ Quick to his company.
When The D.O.C. and Dr. Dre wanted to leave Ruthless Records, they approached Suge, who reportedly went armed with baseball bats and lead pipes to meet Ruthless Records CEO Eazy-E.
Later, Suge collaborated with both of them to establish his record label, Death Row Records. He soon secured a distribution deal with Interscope Records.
Death Row Records‘ first big success came in 1992 with the release of Dr. Dre’s album, The Chronic, which was certified as triple platinum by the end of 1993.
In 1994, he started his private nightclub called Club 662 in Las Vegas. The nightclub was very exclusive and the entry was only allowed on the basis of appointment.
In 1995, the negotiation of his lucrative deal with Time Warner fell apart after activist C. Delores Tucker launched a stinging criticism of Death Row Records‘ attempts to glamorize gangsta lifestyle.
In 1995, Suge managed to sign legendary rapper Tupac by promising to pay post bail (US$1.4 million), if he agreed to ink a record deal with his label.
When Tupac was shot at in Las Vegas in September 1996, Knight was driving the car. The shots proved to be fatal and Tupac died 6 days later.
When The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a shooting in March 1997 in Los Angeles, it was widely alleged that the shooting was organized by Suge Knight. It was his revenge as Notorious was involved in Tupac’s shooting.
He was accused by former Death Row Records artist and popular rapper Snoop Dogg of being involved in Tupac’s murder. It was claimed that Tupac was angling to leave Suge’s record label, which led to Suge ordering a hit and he later got Notorious killed to divert attention from his alleged role in Tupac’s shooting.
In April 2006, he filed bankruptcy after he was ordered to pay Lydia Harris US$107 million as she had 50% stake in Death Row Records.
In October 1987, he was arrested in Las Vegas on the charges of attempted murder, auto theft, and carrying a concealed weapon. He was reported to have shot a man thrice while trying to steal his car. He eventually received 2 years probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
In 1996, Suge was arrested and sent to prison for having violated terms of his probation. He was subsequently handed a 9 years prison sentence and was released in August 2001.
While on parole, he struck a parking lot attendant in 2003, which resulted in another trip to the jail.
In October 2008, he filed a lawsuit against Kanye West and his associates, alleging that shooting at West’s August 2005 party, in which he suffered a gunshot wound on the upper part of the leg, caused him physical and mental pain. He also claimed that he suffered a loss of income and had to pay big surgery bills because of the shooting.
In August 2014, he was targetted in a shooting at a party thrown by Chris Brown in Los Angeles. He was shot at 6 times but still managed to walk from the venue to an ambulance. However, he refused to co-operate with law enforcement on the shooting.
In October 2014, he was arrested along with comedian Katt Williams for having stolen camera from paparazzi photographer Leslie Redden in the previous month in Beverly Hills. They were charged with second-degree robbery.
In January 2015, he was involved in a hit-and-run incident that killed Terry Carter (co-founder of Heavyweight Records) and injured another man. The witnesses claimed that Suge had an altercation with them and then followed them to the burger stand parking lot. It was also claimed that the collision looked intentional.
In August 2017, he was indicted by the grand jury for making death threats to F. Gary Gray, the director of Straight Outta Compton in August 2014. Suge pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Featured Image by Nick Leisure / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Olivia Bennett
