Suge Knight

Kurupt Says He Left Death Row Because 2Pac Got Killed On Suge Knight’s Watch

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Kurupt

Kurupt has recently spoken out about the 1996 murder of Tupac, and said that the fact that Pac got killed while on Suge Knight’s watch was his reason for leaving Death Row Records.

The legendary West Coast artist sat down with the Art Of Dialogue podcast where he spoke about his reasoning for leaving the infamous record label. Kurupt said that he felt as if his safety was compromised since the label’s premiere artist at the time was killed while with the head of the label.

“Everywhere we was going we had to keep our eyes open, 10 toes on the ground,” Kurupt said. “We had to stay heated and make sure that we protected ourselves. And then to go to Death Row and feel the same way as when we in the streets: we all kinda got burnt on that.”

He continued: “We all was a little tired of walking on eggshells, because if we gon be here and it feels the same way as being on the streets, then what’s the difference? If a nigga gotta come to the studio heated, what’s the difference?”

Kurupt concluded by saying that Dr. Dre, after his departure from the label, set it up so that Kurupt could leave too. “Dr. Dre set up the woo-wop, like, ‘It can be done, you can leave,’” he added. “When I saw Dr. Dre do that, then 2Pac died, that was the final straw for me. Niggas is getting shot even with Suge. Now THAT is it.”

In a separate clip from the podcast, Kurupt said that Snoop and Daz Dillinger tried to shield away the gang element of Death Row from 2Pac. Kurupt said that Pac wasn’t a gangsta, he was militant, and spoke about Pac’s revolutionary and Black Panther background.

“Crippin’ and Bloodin’ is real! This ain’t no joke. This shit ain’t to play with, this ain’t something you just kick around. Once you in, you in for life; you gotta ride it out homie. And 2Pac is militant! He’s not a gang member.”

Kurupt added: “He’s from a Black Panther background, a whole ‘nother background. It’s just not healthy for him. A lot of us gangbang ’cause we wanted to; and a lot of us gangbang ’cause we had to. We lived there; we had to protect our community, you know.”

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DJ Quik Says Death Row Artists Had To Be Hood: “It Became The Streets”

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As some who boasts being a former Death Row artist, DJ Quik knows the ins and outs of the infamous record label. During its heyday, Death Row was the collective to beat; several of its artists were floating at the top of the charts, and the demand was unending. It was easy to flip through radio stations and find songs by Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, and more. However, with the success came stories of Suge Knight’s intimating ways. Quik remembered those Golden Era days on the All the Smoke podcast.

Expectedly, being a member of one of the hottest labels in Hip Hop came with its perks, but everything that glitters isn’t always gold. Quik had a front-seat look at Death Row’s downfall and blamed the ‘keep it real’ mentality. “Sometimes it was cool, and then it just became the streets,” he said. “All the stuff that I got away from, all the gang-banging and all that, just met me right there head-on at the office.”

DJ Quik Wanted To Do Business, Not “Hood Sh*t”

Suge Knight during 2005 MTV VMA – Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Party in Association with Hennessy Paradis – Arrivals at Skybar at The Shoreclub in Miami Beach, Florida, United States. (Photo by Lawrence Lucier/FilmMagic)

For decades, people who knew Suge Knight during that time have shared frightening stories of their encounters. There are tales about him taking to music executives’ offices with threats and hanging artists over balconies. Knight’s presence would shake the room, and it didn’t benefit his artists. “It was hood sh*t,” Quik added. “You had to kind of be hood to deal with it because they were in there. Them n*ggas was detecting fear.”

“They just wanted to see if you were scared, make you feel some kind of way,” the rapper said. “It’s like, that energy doesn’t go with making the right songs. Songwriting is a beautiful process. You know what I mean? And it’s a lot of thought involved. You got guys in here gang-banging and sh*t and threatening you. Saying crazy sh*t.”

Things Could Have Been Different

Quik further noted that Death Row fostered a dangerous environment, but it didn’t have to be that way. “It was the greatest record company, at one point, in the world,” he said. “It was going to be the biggest thing in the game.”

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Suge Knight’s Son Salutes Chris Rock’s Joke: ‘We All Know Suge Knight as That Guy’

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Suge Knight’s Son Salutes Chris Rock’s Joke: ‘We All Know Suge Knight as That Guy'

Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage special featured a portion of jokes targeting Will Smith. One of which compared Smith to Death Row Records frontman Suge Knight, dubbing the Oscar-winning actor “Suge Smith.”

Speaking on TMZ, Suge’s son, Suge J. Knight, thinks it’s cool to hear his dad’s name remains in popular culture.

“We all know Suge Knight as that guy who’s all about that action. Whatever he does, he going to do that. It’s funny to see that Suge has been in jail for a minute but he still has this legendary status. It’s just dope.”

Knight’s son stated his dad would enjoy the joke but recognize they aren’t like him. Ultimately, he overall wasn’t thrilled by the special. You can hear it from him below.

The post Suge Knight’s Son Salutes Chris Rock’s Joke: ‘We All Know Suge Knight as That Guy’ appeared first on The Source.

Suge Knight Jr. Says Dad Would Think Chris Rock’s “Suge Smith” Was Funny

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Few characters in entertainment have the same imposing personality as Suge Knight. He was a formidable force in Hip Hop during those Golden Era years, and the stories that emerged from his intimidating tactics are plentiful. Currently, Knight is in prison, serving a 28-year sentence for the death of a Los Angeles man named Terry Carter. Although he hasn’t tasted freedom in some time, his impact on the industry hasn’t wavered.

TMZ caught up with the Death Row icon’s son, Marion, also known as Suge Knight Jr. He was questioned about Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage mention. Jr. quickly noted there wasn’t anyone like his father, nor had there been another with such a reputation. He also speculated about what Suge would think of the joke.

Suge Knight Jr. Was Bored With “Selective Outrage”

HOLLYWOOD – JUNE 26: CEO of Death Row Records Suge Knight attends the 2007 BET Awards after party hosted by 10 Cane Rum held at the Roosevelt Hotel on June 26, 2007 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for LMVH)

“Because, he’s like, who else—we all know Suge Knight is that guy that’s like, all about that action,” said the younger Knight. “Whatever he does, he’s gon’ do that. So, it’s just funny that, to see that Suge been in jail for a minute, but he still has this like, legendary status for who he is. It’s just dope.” He was then asked how he believes his father would have reacted to the joke.

“He woulda said, ‘These dudes is not like me.’ But he woulda laughed, though,” Jr. added with a chuckle. “‘These dudes ain’t like me.’ I was really bored with the special until that happened. I’mma be honest. I was like, okay Chris, cool, cool cool. ‘Suge Smith.” Oh, sh*t, oh damn! Okay! It woke me up. It’s a refresher.”

Chris Ethers Will Smith

After joking about “Suge Smith” in Selective Outrage, Rock unleashed on his former pal.  “His wife was f*cking her son’s friend,” he said. “Now, I normally would not talk about this sh*t, but for some reason, these n*ggas put this sh*t on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f*cking low down. We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here’s been cheated on. None of us has ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television.”

He further stated, ” She hurt him way more than he hurt me. … Everybody called him a b*tch, and who’s he hit? Me! A n*gga he knows he can beat. That is some b*tch ass sh*t.” Check out Suge Knight Jr. with TMZ above.

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Suge Knight Allegedly Spat In Lyor Cohen’s Face Over Snoop Dogg Bid

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Suge Knight’s disdain for the East Coast apparently resulted in Lyor Cohen getting a loogie to the face. In a recent interview on the Boss Talk 101 podcast, former Death Row executive Reggie Wright Jr., recounted the time Def Jam tried to sign Snoop Dogg to the label. At the time, Island Def Jam Music Group recruited Lyor Cohen as co-president of the label and he tried to bring Snoop Dogg over to the label. However, first, he would have to go through Suge Knight.

Wright Jr. explained that Cohen paid a visit to Suge Knight in prison to negotiate a deal. Suge told Cohen that he would need to pay him $13M to sign Snoop to the label. Due to Columbia’s ownership of Def Jam, Lyor Cohen needed to run the number by the board. While Def Jam began to regain its footing, once again, thanks to Montell Jordan and Warren G, they were trying to flesh out their roster further. Jay-Z, Method Man, and Redman undoubtedly helped but the addition to Snoop was the next step to level up with the addition of a West Coast legend.

Suge Knight’s Response To Cohen

Wright Jr. said Def Jam was willing to enter a multi-million dollar deal to sign Snoop Dogg. However, they weren’t necessarily willing to cough up as much as Suge wanted. “He comes and offers Suge $7 million. ‘Tell Lyor the most that I can get for Snoop is $7 million.’ Suge never really liked the East Coasters or labels or whatever. And I’m like, ‘Okay, Lyor, yeah, we got a deal,’” Reggie Wright Jr. recalled in the interview.

Evidently, Suge wasn’t necessarily feeling the counteroffer. According to Wright Jr., he dished a repulsive response when he declined the $7M proposal. “Suge goes and tells Lyor, ‘No.’ Spits in Lyor face. Spits in his face, because of however the conversation went. At the prison. At San Luis Obispo,” Wright Jr. recalled. From there, Wright Jr. explained the moments leading up to Snoop Dogg inking a deal with No Limit Records following his tenure with Death Row. Check the full interview above.

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Boosie Visits Vegas Location Where Tupac Was Shot

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It has been decades since Tupac Shakur was killed following a drive-by. Still, fans flock to Las Vegas every year to not only enjoy Sin City but to pay respects to the fallen icon. It was in September 1996 when Shakur was with Suge Knight near the Circus Circus hotel. A vehicle pulled alongside them and opened fire. Both men were hurt in the fray, but Tupac succumbed to his injuries days later.

The controversy surrounding Tupac’s death has been an ongoing conversation in Hip Hop and law enforcement circles. It’s believed that the man responsible for killing the music icon was also a victim of violent crime. The mystery will forever haunt the culture, but regardless, fans still are drawn to the last place Shakur was before losing his life. In several posts, Boosie Badazz showed himself signing his name along with several others tagging they were there.

Boosie Poses At Site Of Tupac’s Drive-By Shooting

Additionally, Boosie shared videos of the street and a pole that was covered in tags and stickers. Most people left their name and date with a brief message about Pac’s legacy. Others just wanted to add their names to the historic site. Someone off camera referred to Boosie as “BooPac” as the rapper looked for the best spot on the light pole to leave his mark.

The Lousiana rapper has expressed his admiration for the late star on multiple occasions. Last summer, he even defended Shakur against comments made by T-Pain. At the time, the autotune hitmaker claimed that Tupac would get “ate the f*ck up lyrically” if he were alive today and competing against current artists. This didn’t sit well with Boosie, who fired off posts on Twitter.

Boosie Defends Tupac’s Legacy
o Oakland, CA January 7, 1992 – Tupac Shakur. (Gary Reyes / Oakland Tribune Staff Archives) (Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)

“2Pac was a great lyricist ‼U probably wouldn’t understand him if u never been through the struggles that this world brings‼” Boosie wrote at the time. “@TPAIN I disagree ✅the lyrics n songs these days last a couple years n there gone because they don’t have meaning .The lyrics don’t touch your heart,” Boosie tweeted.

The Game Says He’ll “Take The Head Up Fade” With Wack 100 & Suge Knight

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Suge Knight’s reign in hip-hop opened the gates for artists, like The Game, and executives, like Wack 100, to prosper in a post-Death Row Los Angeles. Of course, Suge Knight and Wack 100 have a relationship that goes back years. Unfortunately, it appears that things have soured during Suge’s incarceration. “2002-2016 the release & return,” Wack wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Suge Knight u can’t give me no advice. You accomplished failure. U own no mastered no real estate of real value. Only thing u can own is ur stupidity.”

Wack continued in the caption, where he slammed Suge Knight for losing everything he built during his reign in the 90s. However, he also suggested that Suge’s son might not actually be his in the first place. “I suggest u keep my name out ya mouth before I start to talk about who’s ‘Jr.’ that really is …. You’ve been warned,” he wrote. Though many didn’t necessarily understand what prompted this at first, audio from a recent Clubhouse conversation revealed that Wack took aim at Suge and Tupac. 

Does The Game Have Beef With Wack 100?

Though the feud largely surrounded growing tensions between Wack 100 and Suge Knight, it seems as though The Game could have some unresolved issues with his manager. Shortly after Wack spoke his piece, The Game slid into the comment section and surprisingly, it doesn’t seem like he’s taking anyone’s side on the matter. “I’ll take the head up fade with both you n***as on sight,” he wrote. It’s not exactly clear why he might want to scrap with Wack but the comment undoubtedly turned heads.

In addition to The Game’s unwarranted response, Suge Knight Jr. also chimed in on Wack’s recent Instagram post. “The Old Lil Man only talking cause it’s going downhill for him… But that’s how these [clowns] survive out here. They lie and try to bring people down with them… Just get to work instead of bullshit,” he wrote in his IG Story. Then, Suge Jr. reiterated that he wants to move “up the right way,” instead of having to tear someone else down. We’ll keep you posted on anymore updates. 

Suge Knight Empathizes With Megan Thee Stallion, Speaks On Tory Lanez Conviction

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Now that Tory Lanez has hired David Kenner, former attorney to Suge Knight, people have been curious about what the Death Row founder had to say about the case. Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence connected to the death of Terry Carter in 2015. Rolling Stone briefly spoke with Knight recently, and he chimed in about Lanez’s case involving Megan Thee Stallion.

“I understand what Megan goes through because when Tupac and I got shot in Vegas… I got a fragment and a bullet an inch to my skull today,” he said.

Read More: Tory Lanez Reportedly Feels Regret For Not Testifying In Megan Thee Stallion Trial

“They didn’t remove it because they said if it went another inch, I’d have been a vegetable or dead,” Knight continued. “So, I know what it’s like when people say, ‘You didn’t get shot, this didn’t happen, she’s lying.’ They accused me of stuff (too).”

Additionally, Knight believes if he had Kenner as his attorney for his case, “I wouldn’t be having this conversation from prison.” Knight further emphasized that he believes a better legal team would have helped him exponentially.

Read More: Tory Lanez’s Lawyer Suggests There Were Mistakes Made During Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Trial

Rolling Stone reported they spoke with a source who claims Lanez regrets not testifying at his trial. It was a risky move considering, and in the end, a jury found him guilty of three counts.

“If he’s guilty, that’s one thing,” said Knight. “But if he didn’t have the right person representing him to get a fair shake, that’s another thing.”

Read More: Tory Lanez Dad Says They Forgive Megan Thee Stallion

“Right now, Tory is probably going through [the] worst days of life, because the county jail [is] so horrible and dirty,” the former music executive also shared. “The food is garbage, the cell is freezing, it’s dirty and nasty. You could be sitting in your bed at night, and a rat might run across your chest, or it might bite you. Roaches is all over your bed.”

Lanez has revamped his legal team and is looking forward to appealing his conviction. Meanwhile, he will face sentencing on February 28.

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Lawyer David Kenner Denies Representing Suge Knight In Hit-and-Run Case After Being Hired By Tory Lanez

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As previously reported, recently convicted rapper Tory Lanez has hired renowned criminal defense attorney David Kenner, the lawyer who famously represented the Death Row roster, to argue his case while in the appellate phase of his case. Even there are several pictures that contradict Kenner’s new claim, but he contends that he never represented Suge Knight in the hit-and-run case that killed Terry Carter and sent him to prison for 28 years.

Law & Crime reporter Meghann Cuniff broke the news about Lanez hiring Kenner and simultaneously touched on the fact that Kenner did not represent Knight in his hit-and-run case, but in a a robbery case in which the former Death Row CEO received probation.

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Lanez appeal has yet to be scheduled, but with kenner’s track record and the controversy surrounding his trial, there’s a possibility that Lanez could be out of jail sooner than expected.

The post Lawyer David Kenner Denies Representing Suge Knight In Hit-and-Run Case After Being Hired By Tory Lanez appeared first on The Source.

Tory Lanez’s Former Attorney Left Case Because He Doesn’t Handle Appeals

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Tory Lanez Violated Megan Thee Stallion's Restraining Order By Performing At Rolling Loud, According To Prosecutors

Tory Lanez’s former attorney, George Mgdesyan, has spoken out regarding the end of his tenure on the case. According to Mgdesyan, he is no longer representing the jailed rapper because he doesn’t do appeals.

According to Rolling Stone, Mgdesyan isn’t leaving due to a bad relationship, instead, getting Lanez the proper representation for the appeal. “I don’t do appeals, so we had to get somebody on board to handle the appeal,” said Mgdesyan.

Tory Lanez has acquired new legal representation. The rapper has hired Suge Knight’s former lawyer David Kenner, to replace Mgdesyan.

According to Meghann Cuniff, who covered the case at length during the trial, Lanez made the swap and confirmed to the legal reporter Kenner is now in place.

“Regarding Tory Lanez’s Tuesday court date, yes, there is a date listed on the jail roster,” Cuniff tweeted. “It’s not on Judge Herriford’s calendar, and he’s got a bunch of other stuff at the time. Attorney David Kenner confirmed to me last week he’s now representing Tory.

“Kenner is a longtime criminal defense attorney whose clients include former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight.” She added, “Anyone with actual experience in criminal law (not all lawyers) will tell you he’s joining the case a bit late: Before trial would have been better.”

Mgdesyan hopes to attend Lanez’s sentencing on Jan. 27, citing he “has interest.”

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