Marion Huge Knight Jr., also known as Suge Knight, is majorly known for establishing Death Row Records. He is an American music executive who was once the CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records has released mesmerizing music from timeless artists.
Some of these include ‘The Chronic’ by Dr. Dre in 1992 and ‘Doggystyle’ by Snoop Dogg in 1993. He played a significant role in the release of some of Tupac’s greatest works like ‘All Eyez on Me’.
The Origin
Marion Huge ‘Suge’ Knight Jr. was born in Compton, California in 1965 to father Marion Knight Sr. and mother, Maxine. People know him as Suge. And this cute nickname has a much cuter origin. During his childhood, Marion Huge Knight Jr. was often called ‘Sugar Bear’. As he grew up, this nickname was modified into ‘Suge’.
He earned his education from Lynwood High School, where he explored his love of football. Suge Knight continued to play football during his college years as well. It shouldn’t be surprising that Suge has played as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL as well.
He attended El Camino College from 1983 to 1985. He continued his education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1985.
Phases of Life
In 1999, while he was still in prison, Sue Knight married American R&B singer Michel’le. Knight had played a significant role in her life. In the earlier stages, when Michel’le was suffering from the horrors of addiction, he helped her get clean and start a new life. Knight sent her to rehab and helped her get over addiction.
Six years later, in 2005, Michel’ le filed for divorce. To her shock, she realized that her marriage with Knight was invalid. It turns out Knight never divorced his ex-wife. So technically he was still married to his ex-wife when he tied the knot with Michel’le. During this marriage, Knight has fathered a daughter with Michel’ le- Bailei. In 2018, Suge’s then-fiancé, Toi Lin Kelly, was also put behind bars.
Suge Knight had to experience the tragic death of Tupac Shakur as well. When Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by Knight was with him. Tupac received four bullets while Knight suffered an injury to the head. After the incident, Knight managed to drive almost a mile where he got help. Six days later, Tupac Shakur was no more.
In 1997 when a similar incident happened with Biggie Smalls, Knight was suspected to be behind both the murders.
In 2015, it was believed that Suge Knight was involved in a hit and run in Compton. This accident turned out to be fatal and is believed to be related to a former incident that occurred at a movie set. Witness confirmed that Suge backed his truck over the victim and then drove off. After his incident, Suge abandoned his car and fled the scene. In 2018, Suge was put on trial, and he refused to take the plea deal. It landed him in prison. He is currently serving 28 years in prison.
Knight has had many run-ins with the law. He was convicted in 1995, which earned him five years’ probation. In 1996 he violated his probation and went to jail. In 2003, he violated his parole which gave him another ticket to prison. He was also arrested with marijuana in his vehicle in 2012. Later in his life, he was also charged with second-degree robbery and threatening death. He has had a rough life.
Physic and Stats
Suge Knight was born in 1965, which makes him 55 years old. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 120kg.
Performance
After his NFL performance, Knight started his career as a concert promoter and bodyguard. During this phase, he also worked with Bobby Brown. In 1989 Knight was stuck in a controversy with Vanilla Ice. Knight started a music company, and Vanilla Ice agreed to sign over the royalties to him. But nothing of that sort happened. This rather took a more serious turn. According to Vanilla Ice, Knight confronted him on several occasions, sometimes even with powerful guards. He tried to pressure Vanilla Ice into signing the deed. Once when things got extreme, Knight even ordered his guards to dangle Vanilla off his balcony by his ankles.
He established Death Row Records in the year 1992. It is best known for offering a growing opportunity to gangster rappers during the 90s’. Death Row Records started a business with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. For some time, even Tupac Shakur was a part of this organization. ‘The Chronic’, a creation of Dr. Dre made it to Triple Platinum status in the US. It was an excellent deal for Death Row Records. Death Row Records also released ‘Doggystyle’ which made it to Quadruple Platinum in the US.
In the year 1995, Tupac agreed to sign a deal with Death Row Records. He did this to get out of jail. When Tupac was in prison, Knight offered him the bail money but asked him to work for Death Row Records in return. This lead to the release of ‘All Eyez on Me’ and the ‘Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”. For a brief duration in 1995, M.C. Hammer was also a part of Death Row Records.
But when Suge Knight went to jail, Death Row Records started to crumble. Many artists left the label along with Dr. Dre.
Suge Knight Net Worth
During the best of its time, Death Row Recordings made over $750 million by selling over 150 million albums around the world. In 2002, Suge owed over $6.5 million in taxes. By the end of 2006, Suge Knight was bankrupt. He was deep in debt, over $100 million.
In 2009, Death Row Records went bankrupt, and in the end, it was sold for just $18. Over the years, Death Row has changed numerous hands. In the end, it ended up with Entertainment One. At present, in 2020, Suge Knight is worth over $200 thousand.