Biography
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Born
19 April 1965 (age 60)
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Born In
Compton, Los Angeles County, California, United States
Marion Hugh Knight Jr., better known as Suge Knight (born April 19, 1965 in Compton, California) is an American music executive and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, who was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success. It's sucesses came right out the gate with it's first two albums, The Chronic by Dr. Dre and Doggystyle by Snoop Doggy Dogg.
Knight struck a deal with one Tupac Shakur October 1995 while Shakur was in jail, 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, the double sided album titled, All Eyez on Me. Later that year, in September, while leaving a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas, Knight, alongside Shakur, assaulted Orlando Anderson, a Southside Compton Crips gang member. Only three hours later were shots fired at Shakur and Knight while on their way to a nightclub owned by the latter.
Following the tragic death of Shakur, both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg exited Death Row Records, causing the label to rapidly decline. Meanwhile, Knight was racking accusations after accusations, including employing gang members, and often employing 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. He is eligible for parole in October 2034. Knight is a prime suspect in orchestrating the murder of the Notorious B.I.G.
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