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{{Infobox musical artist

|name = Suge Knight

|image = Suge.jpg

|caption = Knight in 2009

|background = non_performing_personnel

|birth_name = Marion Hugh Knight, Jr.

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1965|4|19}}

|origin = [[Compton, California|Compton]], [[California]], [[USA]]

|instrument =

|genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]

|occupation = CEO, executive producer

|Killed =

|years_active = 1989–present

|label = [[Death Row Records|Death Row]], Black Kapital Records, [[Brick Squad Monopoly]]

|associated_acts = [[2Pac]], [[Irv Gotti]], [[Dr. Dre]], [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Lisa Lopes]], [[Waka Flocka Flame]], [[1017 Brick Squad]], [[MC Hammer]]

|website =

}}

{{Infobox NFL player

|image=

|caption=

|currentteam=

|position=[[Defensive End]]

|number=79

|heightft=6

|heightin=4

|weight=265

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1965|4|19}}

|birth_place=[[Lynwood, California|Lynwood]], [[California]]

|debutyear=1987

|debutteam=Los Angeles Rams

|finalyear=1987

|finalteam=Los Angeles Rams

|draftyear=

|draftround=

|college= [[UNLV Rebels football|University of Nevada, Las Vegas]]

|teams=<nowiki></nowiki>

* [[Los Angeles Rams]] ({{NFL Year|1987}})

|statseason = 1987

|statlabel1 = Games Played

|statvalue1 = 2

|nfl=

}}

'''Marion Hugh''' "'''Suge'''" '''Knight, Jr.''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|ʊ|ɡ}}; born April 19, 1965) is the founder and [[CEO]] of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of [[Death Row Records]]. Death Row [[record label|Records]] rose to dominate the rap charts after [[Dr. Dre]]'s breakthrough album ''[[The Chronic]]'' in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including [[Tupac Shakur]], [[Dr. Dre]], [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Outlawz]] and [[Tha Dogg Pound]], Death Row Records stagnated after Knight's incarceration on [[probation]] violation charges in September 1996.

==Early life==

Marion Hugh Knight, Jr. was born in [[Compton, California]]. His name, Suge, derives from "Sugar Bear", a childhood nickname.<ref>{{cite news

|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E3D91039F937A25752C0A960958260

|title=Does a Sugar Bear Bite?

|last=Hirschberg

|first=Lynn

|work=The New York Times

|date=1997-02-02

|accessdate=2008-01-15

}}</ref> He attended [[Lynwood High School]] in nearby [[Lynwood, California|Lynwood]], California, where he was a [[American football|football]] and [[Track and field|track]] star. He graduated in 1983. From 1983 to 1985, he attended [[El Camino College]] on a football scholarship.<ref name="SKbio">[http://hiphop.sh/suge Suge Knight bio]</ref> In 1985, he transferred to the [[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]], and played there for two years.<ref name=LVS091096>Rachael Levy, [http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1996/sep/10/former-coaches-portray-knight-in-positive-light/ Former coaches portray Knight in positive light], ''[[Las Vegas Sun]]'', September 10, 1996. Retrieved November 3, 2008.</ref>

After college, Knight was not drafted by an [[National Football League|NFL]] team, but was cut during training camp by the [[Los Angeles Rams]]. However, he became a replacement player during the [[1987 NFL Players Strike|1987 NFL players' strike]], and played two games for the Rams.<ref name=imdb.com>imdb.com,[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1058719/bio Biography for Marion "Suge" Knight]. Retrieved November 15, 2008.</ref> Later, he found work as a [[concert promoter]] and a [[bodyguard]] for celebrities including [[Bobby Brown]].

Knight was arrested in October 1987 for domestic violence—he assaulted his girlfriend and cut off her ponytail on the street. On Halloween Night 1987, Knight was arrested in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] for auto theft, carrying a concealed weapon and attempted murder. He had allegedly shot a man three times while stealing his car. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge, and received two years probation.<ref name="SKbio"/>

Two years later, Knight formed his own music-publishing company. His first big profit in the business came when [[Vanilla Ice]] (Robert Van Winkle) agreed to sign over royalties from Van Winkle's smash hit "[[Ice Ice Baby]]", because the song included material written by Knight's client Mario Johnson. Knight and his bodyguards confronted Van Winkle several times. On one occasion, Knight entered Van Winkle's hotel room, and allegedly dangled him by his ankles off the balcony. Van Winkle said only that Knight threatened to throw him off the balcony; the claim was resolved in court.<ref name="SKbio"/>

Knight next formed an artist management company and signed prominent [[West Coast hip hop]] artists [[DJ Quik]] and [[The D.O.C.]] Through the former, he met several members of the seminal [[gangsta rap]] group [[N.W.A]].

==Death Row Records==

[[Dr. Dre]] and [[The D.O.C.]] wanted to leave both N.W.A. and their label, [[Ruthless Records]], run by [[Eazy-E]], another member of N.W.A. According to N.W.A's manager [[Jerry Heller]], Knight and his henchmen threatened Heller and Eazy-E with lead pipes and baseball bats to make them release Dre, The D.O.C., and Michel'le from their contracts.<ref>{{cite web|author=Suge Knight gets knocked out May 21st 2008 09:24 |url=http://www.hiphopn.com/suge-knight-gets-knocked-out/ |title=Suge Knight gets knocked out |publisher=Hiphopn.com |date=2008-05-21 |accessdate=2012-08-22}}</ref> Ultimately, Dre and DOC co-founded [[Death Row Records]] in 1991 with Knight, who vowed to make it "the [[Motown]] of the '90s".

Initially, Knight fulfilled his ambitions: he secured a distribution deal with Interscope, and Dre's 1992 solo debut, ''[[The Chronic]]'', went onto triple platinum status by the end of 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=The%20Chronic&artist=Dr.%20Dre&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2007&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |title=Gold & Platinum - February 12, 2010 |publisher=RIAA |date=1993-03-18 |accessdate=2010-02-12}}</ref> It also made a career for Dre's protégé, [[Snoop Dogg]], whose own debut album ''[[Doggystyle]]'' obtained a quadruple platinum certification in 1994.<ref>''Rollin' Wich Dre: The Unauthorized Account: An Insider's Tale of the Rise, Fall, and Rebirf of West Coast Hip Hop (Williams/Alexander, 2008) ISBN 0-345-49822-4</ref>

Meanwhile, Death Row had begun a public feud with [[2 Live Crew]]'s [[Luther Campbell]], and when Knight traveled to Miami for a hip-hop convention in 1993, he was apparently seen openly carrying a stolen gun. The following year, he opened a private, by-appointment-only nightclub in Las Vegas called Club 662, so named because the numbers spelled out ''MOB,'' which stands for Money over Bitches, on telephone keypads. In 1995, he ran afoul of activist [[C. Delores Tucker]], whose criticism of Death Row's glamorization of the "gangsta" lifestyle may have helped scuttle a lucrative deal with [[Time Warner]].

===Tupac Shakur, MC Hammer, Dr. Dre, and the Death Row Label===

Knight's feud with East Coast impresario [[Sean Combs]] (known as Puff Daddy at the time) progressed when Knight insulted the [[Bad Boy Records|Bad Boy]] label founder on air at the [[Source Awards]] in August 1995. Openly critical of Combs's tendency of ad-libbing on his artists' songs and dancing in their videos, Knight announced to the audience, "Anyone out there who wanna be a recording artist and wanna stay a star, but don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing, come to Death Row."

The same year, Knight offered to post a bail ($1.4 million) for [[Tupac Shakur]] if the troubled rapper agreed to sign with Death Row. Shakur agreed, setting the stage for his 1996 double album ''[[All Eyez on Me]]'' and the songs "[[California Love]]" and "[[How Do U Want It]]".

[[MC Hammer]]'s (Stanley Kirk Burrell) relationship with Suge Knight dates back to 1988. With the success of Hammer's 1994 album, ''[[The Funky Headhunter]]'' (featuring [[Tha Dogg Pound]]), Hammer signed with Death Row Records by 1995, along with [[Snoop Dogg]] and his close friend, Tupac.<ref name="daveyd1">{{cite web|url= http://www.daveyd.com/hammer.html|title= MC Hammer Interview - part 1|accessdate=March 20, 2009|date=June 1997|publisher = daveyd.com}}</ref> The label did not release the album of Hammer's music (titled ''[[MC Hammer#Inside Out.2C Death Row Records and Too Tight .281995.E2.80.931996.29|Too Tight]]'') while he had a career with them, although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429907/19990805/mc_hammer.jhtml|title = MC Hammer|publisher = MTV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429908/19990421/mc_hammer.jhtml|title = MC Hammer|publisher = MTV}}</ref> However, Hammer did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "[[MC Hammer discography#Singles|Too Late Playa]]" (along with [[Big Daddy Kane]] and [[Danny Boy (rapper)|Danny Boy]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wn.com/2Pac__Too_Late_Playa__feat_MC_Hammer,_Big_Daddy_Kane,_Nutt-So_Danny_Boy |title=2pac Too Late Playa Feat Mc Hammer, Big Daddy Kane, Nutt-so Danny Boy |publisher=Wn.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Burgess |first=Omar |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1320/title.death-row-records-the-pardon |title=Death Row Records: The Pardon &#124; Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop |publisher=HipHop DX |date=2009-03-18 |accessdate=2011-05-10}}</ref> After the death of Shakur in 1996, Burrell left the record company.<ref name="daveyd2">{{cite web|url= http://www.daveyd.com/hammerpt2.html|title= MC Hammer Interview - part 2|accessdate=March 20, 2009|date=June 1997|publisher = daveyd.com}}</ref> He later explained his concern about this circumstance in an interview on [[Trinity Broadcasting Network]] since he was in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2009/03/what_had_happened_was_mc_hammer/|title = What had happened was MC Hammer|publisher = vibe.com|date=March 2009}}</ref> Hammer released 2Pac's "[[Unconditional Love (Tupac Shakur song)|Unconditional Love]]", on his ''[[MC Hammer#Return to EMI and Family Affair .281996.E2.80.931998.29|Family Affair]]'' album, in 1998. The friendships between Hammer (played by [[Romany Malco]]), Tupac (played by [[Lamont Bentley]]) and Suge (played by [[Anthony Norris]]) were depicted in the television film, ''Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story'' (airing on [[VH1]] in 2001).

The label suffered a major blow when [[Dr. Dre]], frustrated with the company's increasingly thuggish reputation and Knight's violent inclinations, decided to leave and form his own label. A stream of Dre-dissing records followed.

===Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls: Theories accusing Knight===

Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times in a [[drive-by shooting]] in [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]] on September 7, 1996 and died six days later on September 13, 1996. When Shakur's [[Gangsta rap#East Coast hardcore hip hop and the East Coast-West Coast feud|East Coast rival]], [[The Notorious B.I.G.]] ([[Pseudonym|aka]] Biggie Smalls), was murdered in a similar drive-by shooting in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] on March 9, 1997, speculation arose that Knight was involved and that B.I.G.'s death was a revenge killing.<ref name="Kading1">[http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/10/tupac_biggie_murder_video.php VIDEO: Greg Kading's Book Says Sean Combs, Suge Knight Ordered Tupac and Biggie Killings] By LA Weekly Mon., Oct. 3 2011</ref> Former Death Row artists like Snoop Dogg would later state that Suge was involved in Tupac's murder as well.<ref>[http://www.rapcentral.co.uk/snoopBeefs.html SNOOP DOGG'S BEEFS INFO] @RapCentral.co.uk 2006</ref>

A theory accusing Suge Knight in the deaths of both Biggie and Tupac was that of ex-detective Russell Poole, whose claim inspired writer Randall Sullivan and filmmaker Nick Broomfield. The conjecture was that Knight had Tupac killed before he could part ways with Knight's Death Row label and then conspired to kill Biggie to divert attention from himself in Tupac's murder.<ref name="Broomfield's Biggie and Tupac reviewed by the Courant">{{cite news|last=Danton|first=Eric|title=Biggie (rip) Vs. Tupac (rip)|url=http://articles.courant.com/2002-11-09/features/0211090122_1_tupac-shakur-jam-master-jay-death-row-records|accessdate=8 November 2013|newspaper=The Courant|date=November 9, 2003}}</ref> The convoluted Biggie murder theory implicated Suge Knight, a rogue cop, a mortgage broker named Amir Muhammad (who was never a police suspect) along with the chief of police and the LAPD in a conspiracy to murder and cover up the murder of Biggie. The Biggie theory formed the basis of a 500 million dollar lawsuit by the Wallace family against Los Angeles. A key source for Poole's theory was Kevin Hackie. Hackie had implicated Suge Knight and David Mack. Hackie, a former Death Row associate, said that he had knowledge of involvement between Suge Knight and David Mack and other LAPD officers. His information was used by the Wallace family in their suit against the city of LA for Biggie's death. But Hackie later told [[Chuck Philips]] that the Wallace attorneys had altered his declarations.<ref name="Lawsuit witness admits to false declaration">{{cite news|last=Philips|first=Chuck|title=Witness in B.I.G. case says his memory's bad|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-biggie20jun20,0,1053108.story|accessdate=3 October 2013|newspaper=LA Times|date=June 20, 2005}}</ref> The $500 million suit brought by the Wallace family against the city of LA based on the Russell Poole theory was dismissed in 2010.

A 2005 story by Philips, showing that another main source for the Poole/Sullivan theory of Biggie's murder implicating Amir Muhammed, David Mack, Suge Knight and the LAPD was a schizophrenic known as "Psycho Mike" who later confessed to hearsay and memory lapses and falsely identifying Amir Muhammed, a figure in the Poole-Sullivan theory.<ref name="Chuck Philips on Biggie murder">{{cite news|last=Philips|first=Chuck|title=Informant in Rap Star's Slaying Admits Hearsay|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/03/local/me-biggie3|accessdate=15 September 2013|newspaper=LA Times|date=June 3, 2005}}</ref> John Cook of [[Brill's Content]] noted that Philips' article "demolished" <ref name="Notorious LAT; by original Brill's content author of eponymous article John Cook">{{cite web|last=Cook|first=John|title=Notorious LAT|url=http://www.referencetone.com/2005/06/notorious-lat.html|publisher=Reference tone|date=June 2005}}</ref> the Poole-Sullvan theory of [[Biggie]]'s murder.

Around the same time as the Sullivan-Poole theory of Tupac's murder (also implicating Knight) came out in 2002, [[Los Angeles Times]] investigative reporter [[Chuck Philips]] wrote a two-part series titled “Who Killed Tupac Shakur?” resulting in year-long research into the murder of Shakur and events surrounding it based on police affidavits, court documents and interviews.<ref name="Philips: Who killed Tupac Shakur">{{cite news|last=Philips|first=Chuck|title=Who Killed Tupac Shakur?|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2002/sep/06/business/fi-tupac6|accessdate=15 July 2012|newspaper=LA Times|date=6 September 2002}}</ref><ref name="Police probe in Tupac Shakur">{{cite news|last=Philips|first=Chuck|title=How Vegas police probe floundered in Tupac Shakur case|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-tupac7sep07,0,6002100.story|accessdate=July 23, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 7, 2002}}</ref>

Information gathered by Philips indicated that “the shooting was carried out by a Compton gang called the Southside Crips to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur a few hours earlier. Orlando Anderson, the Crip whom Shakur had attacked, fired the fatal shots. Las Vegas police discounted Anderson as a suspect after questioning him once briefly. He was later killed in a what police said was an unrelated gang shooting”.<ref name="Philips: Who killed Tupac Shakur"/> The article implicated East Coast music figures, including Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace, Shakur's nemesis at the time, alleging that he paid for the gun.<ref name="Philips: Who killed Tupac Shakur"/> Before their own deaths, Smalls and his family and Anderson denied any role in Shakur's murder. Biggie's family<ref name="B.I.G. Family Denies Tupac Murder Claim">{{cite news|last=Silveran|first=Stephen M.|title=B.I.G. Family Denies Tupac Murder Claim|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,624628,00.html|accessdate=2012-07-23|newspaper=People|date=September 9, 2002}}</ref> produced documents purporting to show that the rapper was in New York and New Jersey at the time. ''The New York Times'' called the documents inconclusive stating: <blockquote>The pages purport to be three computer printouts from Daddy's House, indicating that Wallace was in the studio recording a song called ''Nasty Boy'' on the afternoon Shakur was shot. They indicate that Wallace ''wrote half the session,'' was ''In and out/sat around'' and ''laid down a ref,'' shorthand for a reference vocal, the equivalent of a first take. But nothing indicates when the documents were created. And Louis Alfred, the recording engineer listed on the sheets, said in an interview that he remembered recording the song with Wallace in a late-night session, not during the day. He could not recall the date of the session but said it was likely not the night Shakur was shot. ''We would have heard about it,'' Mr. Alfred said."<ref name="New York Times on Philips 2002 2-part series">{{cite news|last=Leland|first=John|title=New Theories Stir Speculation On Rap Deaths|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/07/arts/new-theories-stir-speculation-on-rap-deaths.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|accessdate=September 29, 2013|newspaper=New York Times|date=October 7, 2002}}</ref>

</blockquote>

Mark Duvoisin, assistant manager of the ''[[LA Times]]'', wrote that Chuck Philips account had withstood all attacks to its credibility including Sullivan's and remained "the definitive account of the Shakur slaying"<ref>{{cite news|last=Duvoisin|first=Mark|title=L.A. Times Responds to Biggie Story|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/l-a-times-responds-to-biggie-story-20060112|accessdate=19 September 2013|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=January 12, 2006}}</ref>

In ''Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake,'' a documentary by Tupac Shakur's bodyguard, he and writer [[Cathy Scott]] said that Knight would not have placed himself in the path of bullets he knew were coming, in line with LAPD documents reviewed in Philips' [[LA Times]] 2002 series. On her website [http://www.cathyscott.com/askarch.htm ''Archived Letters''] Scott responds to a reader of her book stating that she felt there was never evidence to link Knight to Tupac's murder.

A 2006 task force probe into Biggie Smalls' murder, which included LAPD Detective Greg Kading, led back to the murder of Shakur and corroborated [[Chuck Philips]] findings. In his 2011 self-published book, ''Murder Rap'',<ref name="Murder Rap 2011">''Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases'', Greg Kading, One Time Publishing, 2011. ISBN 0-9839554-8-4 Retrieved January 8, 2012.</ref> Kading wrote about speaking with Duane "Keefe D" Davis, a member of the "Crips" street gang, who gave a confession saying he rode in the car that was involved in the Las Vegas shooting of Shakur.<ref name="Kading1" /><ref name="Kading2">[http://www.laweekly.com/related/to/Greg+Kading/ Gred Kading] LA Weekly</ref> As [[Chuck Philips]] noted in his earlier ''LA Times'' series, the Crips claimed they had been offered a million dollars by associates of Bad Boy records to kill Shakur. Kading, who named Sean Combs as having been involved in the conspiracy, also wrote that a bounty was offered for Suge Knight's murder.<ref name="Kading1" />

According to Kading's book, while in Las Vegas, Davis and fellow Crips members crossed paths with a BMW carrying Knight and Shakur.<ref name="Philips: Who killed Tupac Shakur"/> The fatal shots were fired by Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, who sat on the side of the car closest to the BMW.

Kading wrote that Knight hired Wardel "Pouchie" Fouse to hit Sean Combs' most valuable star, Biggie Smalls, a hit accomplished following a party at the Peterson Automotive Museum. Pouchie later survived a murder attempt but died in a drive-by shooting a year after the first attack. Charges were never brought against Fouse or Combs and the task force disbanded for reasons of "internal affairs."<ref name="Murder Rap 2011"/>

After the death of Tupac Shakur and the release of ''[[Tha Doggfather]]'', [[Snoop Dogg]] openly criticized Knight for the murder of Shakur {{citation needed|date=December 2013}} and decided to leave the label, which he did in 1997, moving to [[Master P]]'s [[No Limit Records]] and then forming his own record label, [[Doggystyle Records]]. In 2002, Snoop released the song "Pimp Slapp'd", in which he repudiated Knight and Death Row. In 2006, Snoop again attacked Knight verbally, accusing him in the death of Shakur.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}} Knight responded, stating that Snoop is a "police informer" who "never goes to jail".{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

===End of Death Row Records===

On April 4, 2006, Suge Knight filed [[bankruptcy]] due to civil litigation against him in which Lydia Harris claimed to have been cheated out of a 50% stake in Death Row Records. Prior to filing, Knight had been ordered to pay $107 million to Harris.<ref>Taylor, Steve. [http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/818111/sugeknight.php Rap Mogul ‘Suge’ Knight Declares Bankruptcy], ''The Deadbolt'', April 5, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2009.</ref> Under questioning by creditors, he denied having money tucked away in foreign countries or in an [[Africa]]n company that deals in diamonds and gold. Bankruptcy documents filed showed Knight had no income this year from employment or operation of a business. According to financial records, his bank account contained just $12, and he owned clothing worth $1,000, furniture and appliances valued at $2,000, and jewelry worth $25,000. He also testified that the last time he had checked the label’s financial records was at least 10 years prior. Knight’s lawyer said that his client was still “at the helm” of Death Row and had been working on securing distribution deals for the label’s catalog. Harris told reporters she had received a $1 million payment but had not agreed to settle the matter. "I'm telling you, I didn't do a settlement for $1 million. That's ridiculous. Let's keep it real," she said.<ref>Deutsch, Linda. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050501109.html Rap Mogul Knight Details Business Woes], ''The Washington Post'', May 5, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2009.</ref>

Knight skipped a meeting with his creditors after injuring himself in a motorcycle accident. Another scheduled meeting with the creditors had been missed after Suge said he had experienced a death in his family. Finally on July 7, 2006, the federal judge, Ellen Carroll, ordered a bankruptcy trustee takeover of Suge Knight's Death Row Records, saying the record label had undergone a gross amount of mismanagement.

He filed for [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11]] [[Bankruptcy in the United States|bankruptcy]] protection, which allows a company to continue business operations while restructuring. Death Row was being operated by Neilson during the bankruptcy proceedings, while Knight oversaw his bankruptcy estate as a debtor in possession.

In June 2007, he placed his 7 bedroom, 9½ bath home in Malibu on the market for $6.2 million as part of his "financial makeover". The mansion was finally sold in December 2008 in bankruptcy court for $4.56 million.<ref>[http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.8193 HipHopDX.com - Suge Knight's Mansion Sold In Bankruptcy Court]. ''HipHopDX.com''. Retrieved December 3, 2008.</ref>

In June 2008, he sold Death Row Records to New York-based company [[Global Music Group]], which confirmed it had purchased the firm in a statement to the Associated Press news agency.<ref>[http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2008/05/12/upi_newstrack_entertainment_news/9540/ "Suge Knight knocked out in nightclub fight"], ''[[United Press International]]''</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7506883.stm Death Row label is sold for $24m], ''BBC News'', July 15, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2009.</ref>

On January 25, 2009, an auction was held for everything found in the Death Row Records office after the company filed for bankruptcy, including some of Knight's personal items. Of note was the Death Row Records electric chair which sold for $2,500. Some of Knight's personal items appeared in an auction during the debut episode of A&E's ''[[Storage Wars]]'', and a vault full of items (including a coat) was purchased by featured buyer Barry Weiss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/death-row-auction-2290871-records-chair |title=Electric chair is hot item at Death Row Records auction |publisher=The Orange County Register |date= |accessdate=2012-08-22}}</ref>

== Personal and legal troubles ==

In 1996, Knight was sent to prison for a probation violation. In February 1997, he was sentenced to nine years for the violation. He was released on August 6, 2001.<ref name="Federal Bureau of Prisons">[http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=Marion&Middle=&LastName=Knight&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=95&y=16], Federal Bureau of Prisons.</ref>

In 2003, he was sent to prison again for violating parole when he struck a parking lot attendant.<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/15/AR2007061500505.html | title = Like Knight and Day? Gangsta Rap Brought 'Suge' Knight Wealth -- and Lots of Trouble. Now He's Singing a Different Tune. | date = June 17, 2007 | author = Teresa Wiltz | publisher = The Washington Post }}</ref> Death Row Records' income rapidly declined due to Knight's incarceration. It managed to save itself from complete bankruptcy by releasing archived Snoop Dogg compilation albums and posthumous Tupac albums. Despite signing new artists, Suge never released any of their albums.

In 2006 Knight was engaged in another dispute with former friend and ex-associate [[Snoop Dogg]] after Snoop insulted him in ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.

On May 10, 2008, Knight was involved in an altercation involving a monetary dispute outside of a nightclub in Hollywood. He was knocked out for 3 minutes, taken to the hospital, and reportedly did not cooperate with the [[LAPD]].

On August 27, 2008, Knight was arrested on drug and aggravated assault charges after leaving a Las Vegas strip club. When police arrived on the scene, Knight was beating his girlfriend of three years, Melissa Isaac, and brandishing a knife. Reports also allege that he was under the influence of both [[Ecstasy (drug)|ecstasy]] and [[hydrocodone]]. As of October 31, police and prosecutors had still failed to contact Isaac, and no formal charges have been brought against Knight.<ref>{{cite web|author=By Lenny_V |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/oct/31/victims-gift-vip/ |title=Still no charges filed |publisher=Lasvegassun.com |date=2008-10-31 |accessdate=2010-02-12}}</ref> On December 5, 2008, Suge Knight was cleared of all charges. Knight’s attorney, David Chesnoff, said the prosecution had "discovery problems and witness problems". Prosecutor Susan Benedict did not immediately return a call for comment. When Knight was asked about the positive verdict he replied "God is good, Happy Holidays".

As part of an October 30, 2008 bankruptcy claim, Suge also filed a lawsuit against [[Kanye West]] and his associates. The lawsuit concerns an August 2005 shooting at Kanye's pre-Video Music Awards party, where Knight suffered a gunshot wound to the upper leg.<ref>{{cite web|author=By MTV News staff report |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1508497/20050828/knight_marion_suge_.jhtml |title=Suge Knight Recovering After Being Shot At Kanye West Party In Miami - News Story &#124; Music, Celebrity, Artist News &#124; MTV News |publisher=Mtv.com |date=2005-08-28 |accessdate=2010-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=6:46 p.m. ET |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9135148/ |title=Who shot Suge Knight? - Access Hollywood - msnbc.com |publisher=MSNBC |date=2005-08-30 |accessdate=2010-02-12}}</ref> The lawsuit cites damages of mental and physical pain caused by the shooting, costs of surgery, loss of income and the theft of a {{convert|15|carat|g|adj=on}} $147,000 diamond earring.

In late March, 2009, Knight was implicated in the robbery of Akon producer, Noel "Detail" Fisher. According to Christopher Walker, an employee of Detail, on the morning of March 25, 2009, five armed men broke into Detail's house, stating that they were collecting a debt on behalf of Knight. $170,000 worth of jewelry was stolen, along with a locked safe, stereo equipment and the key to a Mercedes vehicle. Walker claims the incident is related to the altercation at the W Scottsdale Hotel in February.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

Knight started a new record label called Blackball Records, with its first artist Young Life and featured it in a reality show, ''Unfinished Business''. The show was based on Knight dispelling long-standing rumors in sit down interviews, his days with Death Row and the artists he worked with, and finding new talent for his record label. As of April 2009, the show had not been picked up by any major network.

Remaining items from Knight's personal property were auctioned in the first episode of ''[[Storage Wars]]'' on [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]], which aired on December 1, 2010.

On February 8, 2012, Suge Knight was arrested in Las Vegas, after police found marijuana in his car and several warrants for prior traffic violations. Suge is currently on three years unsupervised probation for driving with a suspended license.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

On Sunday August 24, 2014, Knight was again shot at a pre-Video Music Awards party, this time hosted by [[Chris Brown]] in Los Angeles. Shot 6 times, he was able to walk from the venue to an ambulance. His injuries required surgery.<ref>{{cite news|title=Suge Knight -- Shot Multiple Times After VMA Party Turns Violent|url=http://www.tmz.com/2014/08/24/suge-knight-shot-stabbed-one-oak-outside-club-ambulance-hospital/|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=TMZ.com|date=24 August 2014}}</ref> It is reported by investigators that Knight was the intended target of the shooting from CCTV footage taken at the scene.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dillon|first1=Nancy|title=Investigators believe Suge Knight, not Chris Brown, was intended target in shooting at Pre-VMAs Party|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/suge-knight-chris-brown-intended-target-shooting-article-1.1916671|accessdate=27 August 2014|publisher=nydailynews.com|date=25 August 2014}}</ref> He has so far refused to cooperate with law enforcement on the matter.<ref>{{cite news|title=Suge Knight -- I Ain't No Snitch ... Not Talking To Cops|url=http://www.tmz.com/2014/08/26/suge-knight-shooting-vma-party-investigation-1oak-not-snitching-cops-interview/|accessdate=27 August 2014|publisher=TMZ.com|date=26 August 2014}}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==

*''[[The Killing of Tupac Shakur]]''. by [[Cathy Scott]][http://www.cathyscott.com/], Huntington Press, October 1, 2002, 235 pages, ISBN 0-929712-20-X

*''[[The Murder of Biggie Smalls]]'' by Cathy Scott, St. Martin's Press, 210 pages, 2000. ISBN 978-0312266202

*''Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases, Greg Kading, One Time Publishing, 2011. ISBN 0-9839554-8-4

*''Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records'', Ronin Ro, Doubleday, 1998, 384 pages, ISBN 0-385-49134-4

*''Labyrinth: Corruption and Vice in the L.A.P.D.: The truth behind the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls'' by Randall Sullivan, Atlantic Monthly Press, April 2, 2002, 384 pages, ISBN 0-87113-838-7

*''Suge Knight: The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Death Row Records: The Story of Marion 'Suge' Knight, a Hard Hitting Study of One Man, One Company That Changed the Course of American Music Forever'' by Jake Brown, Amber Books, October 1, 2001, 218 pages, ISBN 0-9702224-7-5

*Biggie & Tupac. Dir. Nick Broomfield. Lafayette Films, 2002.

*Philips, Chuck. "Who Killed Tupac Shakur? How Vegas Police Probe Foundered." Los Angeles Times. 7 Sept. 2002, p.&nbsp;1.

*Raftery, Brian M. "A B.I.G. Mystery." Entertainment Weekly. 27 Sept. 2002, p.&nbsp;19.

*Scott, Cathy. "The Unsolved Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls." [http://crimemagazine.com/unsolved-murders-tupac-shakur-and-biggie-smalls ''Crime Magazine'']. July 23, 2012, page 1.

*"Suge Knight Sentenced to 10 Months for Parole Violation." MTV.com. 31 July 2003.

*Sullivan, Randall. LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. 2002.

*Welcome To Death Row. Dir. S. Leigh Savidge & Jeff Scheftel, 2001

==External links==

*{{Footballstats |pfr=K/KnigSu20}}

*[http://hiphop.sh/suge Suge Knight bio]

*[http://www.cathyscott.com/artcls/gm100098.htm "Dead Poets Society," ''George'' magazine,] [[Cathy Scott]]

*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/070605/GAL-07Jun05-76323/index.html Suge Knight]

{{Rampart Scandal}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

| NAME = Knight, Suge

| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Knight, Marion Hugh

| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Music executive

| DATE OF BIRTH = April 19, 1965

| PLACE OF BIRTH = Compton, California, United States

| DATE OF DEATH =

| PLACE OF DEATH =

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Suge}}

[[Category:1965 births]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:African-American businesspeople]]

[[Category:African-American players of American football]]

[[Category:African-American record producers]]

[[Category:American football defensive ends]]

[[Category:American hip hop record producers]]

[[Category:American music industry executives]]

[[Category:American people convicted of assault]]

[[Category:American shooting survivors]]

[[Category:Bloods]]

[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]

[[Category:People from Compton, California]]

[[Category:Players of American football from California]]

[[Category:UNLV Rebels football players]]