Suge Knight | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Knight in 2007 | |
| Born | Marion Hugh Knight Jr. April 19, 1965 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Education | El Camino College University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1987–1996 2001–2015 |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Children | 5 |
| Allegiance | Mob Piru Bloods[1] |
| 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 | |
| Labels | |
|
American football career | |
| No. 79 | |
| Position: | Defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| 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 | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (/ʃʊɡ/ SHUUG; born April 19, 1965)[2] is an American record executive and convicted felon who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s.[3] 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.[3] Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015.[4]
Before founding Death Row Records, Knight played college football at UNLV as a defensive end. He briefly played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL players strike. In 1995, Tupac Shakur began serving a prison sentence of up to 4+1⁄2 years for a sexual abuse conviction. Knight struck a deal with Shakur that October, posting his $1.4 million 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 Knight was driving, injuring Knight and fatally wounding Shakur.
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, often used intimidation and violence in his business dealings. From the late 1990s to 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.[5][6] Knight's conviction, along with his previous felonies of stealing a camera and sending a harassing text message to Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray, triggered California's three-strikes law. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, and is eligible for parole in October 2034, when he will be 69 years old.[7]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Suge Knight". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kenneally, Tim (September 20, 2018). "Suge Knight to Serve 28 Years Over 2015 Hit-and-Run Death". TheWrap. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ Gerber, Marisa (February 2, 2015). "'Suge' Knight charged with murder; could face life in prison". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ^ knight, suge. "Inmate Information". inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2020.[permanent dead link]