On this date in 1996, Tupac Amaru Shakur posthumously released the final album of his illustrious career.
26 years ago today, just two months after the untimely murder of Tupac on the Las Vegas strip alongside Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, the fifth and final album, Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released. Recognized as ‘Pac’s most influential body of work, the Killuminati album was not only his most controversial, but its concept still has many of his fans believing that ‘Pac is still alive. Besides his beef with Nas, Jay-Z, B.I.G., and almost any relevant New York rapper you can think of, the album hinges on the life of Makaveli, a play on the name of Italian writer and philosopher Nicollo Machiavelli, who is believed to have staged his own death.
The album was originally set to be dropped in March of 1997, but after Shakur was killed, Death Row boss Suge Knight released the album four months later. Ironically, Brooklyn rap rival Notorious B.I.G. was shot down in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1997.
The album, recorded in 12 days in August 1996, hosted a list of timeless, classic singles including “Hail Mary”, “Me And My Girlfriend” and “Against All Odds”; all of which were remade by premiere artists after Shakur’s death. The 5X platinum album has been listed as one of the top-selling Hip Hop albums of all time.
Suge Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, has made shocking allegations against popular singer Akon on his Collect Calls with Suge Knight podcast. Knight claims that Akon engaged in sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl. Suge Knight Calls Out Akon On his Collect Calls with Suge Knight podcast, which aired on October 28, Suge […]
A few months ago, Warren G sat down on an episode of Drink Champs to discuss a variety of topics. Included among them was 2pac, who Warren claims to have been a silent ally of. During the interview, he claims that he was attempting to bail the rapper out of jail in 1995 but was beat to the punch by someone else. Initially, nobody questioned his narrative. But when Suge Knight recently started his new podcast it was one of the first things he tackled.
“Warren G, best stop lying — you didn’t f*ck with ’Pac and ’Pac didn’t f*ck with you. On top of that, you couldn’t take care of yourself, how were you gonna get ’Pac out of prison? Everybody, all of a sudden, they want to get ’Pac out of prison,” Suge explained. The clip began the make the rounds online and it’s no surprise that eventually Warren himself heard it. In his response, he didn’t mince words about his status and influence during the period of time being discussed. Check out his full response below.
According to HipHop DX, Warren responded in a pair of Instagram comments. “It’s simple he beat me to the punch. I don’t have nothing against @officialsugeknight but don’t try to say how I was living I made him a lot of $ period Snoop, Dazz, Kurup, RBX, Natedogg, came through me,” the first response reads. “Lol Suge is a funny guy. I wasn’t on Deathrow I was on Def Jam with the biggest hip hop single & a lot of $ I didn’t get a monthly salary I was buying 600 Benzes & houses taking care of family. so you ask who could take care of what,” his second comment explains.
Elsewhere on his episode of Drink Champs, Warren G discusses Suge Knight directly. He told a story about having to literally run away from Suge when he felt he was in a dangerous situation. What do you think of Warren G’s response to Suge Knights claims that he’s lying about supporting 2pac? Let us know in the comment section below.
Warren G recently say down for an episode of Drink Champs. During the interview, he spoke on a number of things. one in particular being his connection to 2pac. was gonna try to bail [2Pac] out. I got beat to the punch. I was going to put up the money and I didn’t want nothing, I swear to God,” he said during the episode. While the story seems nice at first, someone even closer to Pac emerged to refute the story and claim Warren was lying.
During the first episode of Collect Call With Suge Knight, Suge himself addressed Warren’s claims. “Warren G, best stop lying — you didn’t fuck with ’Pac and ’Pac didn’t fuck with you. On top of that, you couldn’t take care of yourself, how were you gonna get ’Pac out of prison? Everybody, all of a sudden, they want to get ’Pac out of prison,” he responded. It’s one of many times that Suge has come to the defense of 2pac recently. With his name back in the news a lot, the rapper’s former manager is attempting to make sure nobody misuses his name and legacy. Listen to the full podcast clip below.
The way Suge Knight has tried to defend 2pac contrasts with another recent story about him. Pac’s former manager claimed in a recent interview that the rapper had been “exploited financially” by Suge. She claimed to have witnessed the exploitation first hand, seeing Pac being taken advantage of with her own eyes.
Another former 2pac ally, Napoleon, is also standing up for the late rapper. He called out a handful of people, Snoop Dogg among them, for the way they talk about Pac today. “They do it in such a slick way so you can be like, ‘Oh wow, he’s not a hater,” he said. What do you think of Suge Knight’s claim that 2pac and Warren G never liked each other? Let us know in the comment section below.
Suge Knight claims that Akon and his longtime producer, Detail, once raped a 13-year-old girl, who was the sister of one of Knight’s associates. He recalled the alleged incident during an interview with Source magazine co-founder Dave Mays on his new podcast, Collect Call.
“I wasn’t going to bring it up,” Suge began while addressing Akon directly. “[But] one of my homegirls, she was a hustler. She had a little sister — 13 years old. And her best friend was 12 years old. She’s in the car with him. You and Detail call her [Suge’s homegirl]. And she said, ‘I got my little sister and her best friend with me.’ I said, ‘Well, then stop by for a second.’ She go by y’all hotel, in y’all room, and she gets a call. It was the dudes she met at the hotel when she was coming to see you muthaf*ckas.”
Death Row Records co-founder, Marion “Suge” Knight, appears at a pretrial court hearing on May 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. – Knight is charged with several crimes, including attempted murder and hit-and-run for allegedly ramming his pickup truck into two men, killing one of them, after a dispute on the set of the movie “Straight Outta Compton.” (Photo by DAVID MCNEW / AFP) (Photo credit should read DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)
From there, Knight explained that Akon allegedly offered to watch the sister and her 12-year-old friend and ordered them food. Knight continued: “She goes to the next room … she says she comes back in about 35 minutes. When she gets back in the room, her little sister and that other little girl don’t wanna eat. They look scared. And they’re crying. When she gets back in the car with them, they tell her, ‘Akon, you fucked the little girl, 13 — Detail fucked the little girl, 12 years old. Y’all raped them.’”
“So when she told me, I pulled up on her, and she said she’s going to the police to put you muthaf*ckas in jail for rape,” he concluded. “I said, ‘Nah, we don’t do that, telling to the police. I’ll deal with it. I promise you that.’ So I was trying to catch you muthaf*ckas about that situation.” Neither Akon nor Detail have responded to Knight’s allegation.
Suge Knight is not letting his incarceration stop him from staying connected with the music industry. Knight has teamed up with media company Breakbeat Media and its CEO to launch his podcast, Collect Calls with Suge Knight. Knight plans to address long-standing beef in this groundbreaking series with industry figures such as Akon, Master P, […]
Suge Knight, the former powerhouse behind Death Row Records, is making waves from behind bars with his latest venture – a podcast titled Collect Calls With Suge Knight. This podcast promises to delve into the depths of hip-hop from his perspective. You’ll hear Suge share life experiences about his time in the industry and forge connections with both younger and older artists. If you’re waiting to find out more about the upcoming podcast, we have the scoop for you.
Who Is Suge Knight?
Marion Suge Knight watches show. during The 7th Annual Soul Train Lady Of Soul Awards – Show at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, United States. (Photo by Steve Grayson/WireImage)
Suge Knight is best known as the former CEO of Death Row Records, an infamous figure who shook up the music industry. Beginning his career as a bodyguard for celebrities like Bobby Brown, he eventually became a leading force in hip-hop. He helped launch the careers of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg as the first releases under Death Row Records. Later, he inked a deal with 2Pac to release his biggest commercial success, All Eyez On Me. Not only a synonymous figure with the West Coast’s golden era but Suge Knight is also an individual who carved a lane out in the business world with a by-any-means-necessary attitude.
Suge is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Knight’s life took a sharp turn in 2018 when he was convicted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident at Tam’s Burger in Compton in 2015 that left 55-year-old Terry Carter dead. While he’s currently incarcerated, his influence on the culture remains prevalent.
Collect Calls With Suge Knight: The Podcast Revelation
In an unexpected turn of events,TMZ reported Suge Knight has partnered with Dave Mays, CEO of Breakbeat Media and founder of The Source magazine, to launch his podcast. Aptly titled Collect Calls With Suge Knight, this podcast is set to go live on Halloween (Oct. 31), and the duo has already recorded approximately five half-hour episodes. The podcast promises to be an intriguing blend of hip-hop insights and personal revelations.
The podcast aims to go beyond merely shedding light on hip-hop headlines. We could expect Suge to address artists and hip-hop pundits (i.e., Wack 100) who have used Knight’s name for attention. Additionally, he’ll share his perspective on Snoop Dogg’s rebrand of Death Row. Ultimately, the show is not designed to sling mud. However, he did respond to Warren G’s recent comments on Drink Champs in the trailer. “Warren G, you couldn’t take care of yourself, how was you gonna get ‘Pac out of prison?” he asked. More importantly, Suge Knight plans to share his life experiences with the younger generation, both the highs and lows. Furthermore, the podcast will serve as a platform for connecting with older artists and addressing audience questions.
“As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th year, more than ever the hip-hop community needs a media platform that they can trust to bring a truthful and authentic perspective on so many important things happening in our world. I’m proud that Breakbeat provides this essential and valuable medium,” Mays told TMZ. “And I’m so excited to be able to enlist the help of my longtime friend and one of hip-hop’s most formidable, pioneering, and fearless leaders to help Breakbeat continue to achieve this goal. Collect Call With Suge Knight will awaken hip-hop fans worldwide and build bridges across multiple generations.”
Collect Calls With Suge Knight will follow a consistent release schedule. Audio versions of the episodes will be available every Thursday, while video versions will drop on Fridays. A sneak peek of the first episode will be accessible on October 24. However, there’s one aspect that’s off-limits – Knight’s podcast will not divulge details about the infamous Tupac Shakur case.
Portrait of rapper Tupac Shakur (1971 – 1996) (left) and music executive Marion ‘Suge’ Knight, of Death Row Records, outside Club 662, Las Vegas, Nevada, circa 1996. (Photo by Nitro/Getty Images)
As an eyewitness to Tupac’s murder, Suge Knight holds critical information about the case that has intrigued fans for decades. However, Knight has categorically stated that he will not cooperate with prosecutors regarding the Tupac case. This resolute stance further deepens the mystery surrounding Shakur’s tragic murder.
However, recent developments in the Tupac Shakur case added a new layer of intrigue. Suspect Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis, arrested on September 29, is a key figure in the case. However, Suge Knight has expressed his refusal to testify against Davis if called as a witness.
Davis’s arrest comes 27 years after the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur, a crime that shook the hip-hop world. The murder occurred as the legendary rapper was leaving a Las Vegas Strip boxing match and was believed to be rooted in gang-related conflicts between two Compton-based gangs.
Suge Knight’s podcast, Collect Calls With Suge Knight, is set to be a captivating journey into hip-hop, coupled with personal revelations. While Suge Knight remains tight-lipped about the Tupac Shakur case, the recent arrest of a key suspect adds a layer of intrigue to an already enigmatic story. So, mark your calendars for Halloween in 2023, when Suge Knight’s voice from behind bars will resonate in the world of podcasting.
On this day in Hip Hop history,Eazy-E releases his second solo EP It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa. Released one year after his first EP and a long five years after his debut album Eazy-Duz-It, this album was a response to Dr. Dre’s prolific debut The Chronic. Tensions became high between the two NWA heavyweights and after the group’s 1991 split, the beef became public.
The West Coast was in a state of civil war. After NWA’s explosive breakup, its ex-members spared no time to air out their grievances on every other record they released. With Ice Cube attacking the Ruthless Records infrastructure and Dr. Dre siding with the enemy (Suge Knight and Death Row) to bring down all Eazy had built, there was no choice but for Eazy-E to respond as he did. He used the bulk of this album to state his opinion on Dr. Dre and his street authenticity, with each of the eight tracks on the EP attacking Dre’s image, originality, past, and current status in the rap game.
Aside from the disrespect that served as the core of this project, Eazy-E truly flexed his musical muscles with every track. Whether the inspiration surged from his emotional reaction to what was going with his ex-bandmates or simply from him being a seasoned veteran of gangsta rap is uncertain. What can be seen and heard however is that Eazy-E ate his Wheaties before hopping on the microphone to lay down this EP. With this project, we hear Eazy more comfortable with his own flow and who knows exactly where his lane is and how to be the fastest in it. As his final completed work in life, it is a great depiction of his growth and maturity as an artist.
Commercially, the album was a success. Peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200 and claiming the #1 spot on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart, It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa sold 110,600 copies in it’s first week and was certified double platinum in 1994.
This week, it was revealed that Duane “Keefe D” Davis was arrested for his involvement in the murder of Tupac Shakur on the Las Vegas strip on September 7, 1996. Ever since the shooting death of Shakur 27 years ago, there have been many theories and suspects who have been blamed for the rapper/actor’s untimely death, but Marion “Suge” Knight has always been in the center of the controversy as Shakur’s former label head at Death Row Records. While serving a 28-year sentence in prison for voluntary manslaughter, Sugwe has spoken for the first time about the arrest of Duane “Keefe D” Davis.
TMZ spoke to Knight following the monumental arrest, with him saying that he was sorry Davis was arrested for the crime and said that he would not be testifying against Davis.
Listen to Knight’s take on the decision to arrest Davis.
Tupac’s murder is the only thing that hip-hop fans can seemingly talk about right now. Since Las Vegas Police began investigating it once again earlier this year it’s caused many to come out with their takes. Subsequently, some of Pac’s closest associates have been divided on the issue of bringing the case back into the public light. Some, like his brother and Outlawz member Napoleon, think that it isn’t what Pac would want. His brother thinks that even bringing the case back into the public eye is dragging up trauma many have been able to overcome.
Others, like Pac’s sister and Jada Pinkett Smith, have been more accepting of the investigation starting back up. They’re both hoping that justice can finally be properly served for Tupac. Now there is reportedly new evidence in the case. According to 8 News Now new evidence was shown to the Grand Jury in the lead-up to the arrest of Keefe D. There are brand new photos of the car Pac was riding in when the murder happened. Additionally, there’s also new video of Pac and Suge Knight leaving the MGM Grand earlier in the night. Check out some of the new evidence below.
Never-before-seen photos of the crime scene where Tupac Shakur was shot and videos from the night of the shooting are among the evidence shown to a Las Vegas grand jury and obtained Monday by the @8NewsNow Investigators. https://t.co/nDEt1VsIv0
The reinvigorated interest in the case began earlier this year when police raided Keefe D’s home. They were looking for evidence to tie him to the murder, which they clearly found. Many online believe there was one main reason for newfound interest in the investigation. Keefe D’s inability to stop talking about the murder in interviews and online seemingly got him in trouble.
One of Tupac’s associates Napoleon says that he feels no sympathy for Keefe in the situation. Consequently he claims that the only reason he was arrested was his inability to stop talking about the murder and his role in is online. What do you think of the new evidence emerging in Tupac’s murder trial? Let us know in the comment section below.
