Age, Biography, and Wiki
- Full Name: Marion Hugh Knight Jr.
- Date of Birth: April 19, 1965
- Age (as of 2025): 60 years old
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Music Executive, Entrepreneur
- Known For: Co-founding Death Row Records, launching the careers of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur
Suge Knight is a legendary, yet controversial figure in the hip-hop industry, whose influence shaped West Coast rap and brought gangsta rap to the mainstream. His journey spans from immense success to legal woes and financial ruin. Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility.
| Occupation | Football Players |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 19 April 1965 |
| Age | 60 Years |
| Birth Place | Compton, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight, & Measurements
Despite his public prominence, specific details about Suge Knight’s height, weight, and body measurements are not widely documented in reputable, up-to-date sources. In various public appearances, Knight has been described as a large, physically imposing figure, but official measurements have not been published.
Knight next formed an artist management company and signed West Coast hip hop artists DJ Quik and The D.O.C. Through the latter, he met several members of the seminal gangsta rap group N.W.A.
Conrad Tillard, then the Nation of Islam minister known as Conrad Muhammad, the Hip Hop Minister, counseled Combs during his ensuing feud with Knight, and also asked Knight to stop terrorizing Combs. Tillard also protected Combs, sending elite guards from his Mosque No. 7 to guard Combs, who was receiving death threats from gangsters connected to Knight.
* Knight was interviewed for Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops (2006), a documentary that delved into the NYPD's surveillance of hip-hop artists and executives.
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Dating & Relationship Status
As of 2025, Suge Knight remains incarcerated, and there are no publicly confirmed reports about his current relationship status. He has been known for having children and was married in the past, but details about his romantic life during his imprisonment are not available.
M.C. Hammer's 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. The label did not release the album of Hammer's music (entitled Too Tight) while he had a career with them, although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album. However, Hammer did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa" (along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy). After the death of Shakur in 1996, Hammer left the record company. He later explained his concern about this circumstance in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) since he was in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death. Hammer released 2Pac's "Unconditional Love", on his 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).
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Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth (2025): Estimated at around $200,000—a sharp decline from his peak net worth of over $100 million.
- Earnings: Knight’s current income is limited to small residuals from past music ventures and potential minimal business holdings. Most of his assets have been seized or lost to legal settlements, including a $1.5 million wrongful death lawsuit related to a 2015 hit-and-run incident.
- Salary: As an incarcerated individual, his “income” is negligible, consisting mainly of prison wages which are typically less than $1 per hour. Some reports also speculate that his net worth may be negative, with debts owed to the IRS and creditors totaling potentially millions.
On April 4, 2006, Knight filed bankruptcy due to civil litigation against him in which Lydia Harris was said to have been cheated out of a 50% stake in Death Row Records. Under questioning by creditors, he denied having money tucked away in foreign countries or in an African company that deals in diamonds and gold. Bankruptcy documents filed showed Knight had no income from employment or operation of a business. According to financial records, his bank account contained just $11, 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.
In 2003, Knight was sent to prison again (for ten months) for violating parole when he struck a parking lot attendant, and reoccurring gang affiliation in 2002. Death Row's income rapidly declined during Knight's recurrent incarceration.
Investments
- Music Royalties: Knight retains some earnings from music royalties, though these are now limited.
- Other Ventures: Details on other business investments are scarce, as most assets have been lost to legal action and debt.
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (born April 19, 1965) is an American former record executive, former NFL player, and convicted felon, who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in the 1990s. This feat is attributed to the record label's first two album releases: Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in 1993. Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 2015.
Dr. Dre left Death Row Records shortly before Shakur's death, followed by Snoop Dogg two years later. The label rapidly declined. Meanwhile, allegations mounted that Knight, beyond employing gang members, often used intimidation and violence in his business dealings. From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Knight spent a few years incarcerated for assault convictions and associated violations of probation and parole.
After his brief NFL career, Knight found work as a concert promoter and a bodyguard for celebrities including new jack swing singer Bobby Brown. In 1989, Knight formed his own music publishing company. His first big profit in the business came when Vanilla Ice agreed to sign over royalties from his smash hit "Ice Ice Baby", because the song included material allegedly written by Knight's client Mario Johnson. Knight and his bodyguards confronted Vanilla Ice several times. There was a rumor that Knight entered Vanilla Ice's hotel room and allegedly dangled him by his ankles off the balcony. However, Vanilla Ice has said that never happened, only that Knight threatened to throw him off the balcony; the claim was resolved in court.
Initially, Knight fulfilled his ambitions: he secured a distribution deal with Interscope, and Dre's 1992 solo debut album, The Chronic, earned triple platinum status in the United States by the end of 1993. It also made a career for Dre's protégé, Snoop Dogg, whose own debut album Doggystyle obtained a quadruple platinum certification in the United States in 1994.
Knight's feud with East Coast entrepreneur Sean Combs ("Puff Daddy") progressed when Knight insulted the 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, and 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."
Dr. Dre, frustrated with the company's increasingly thuggish reputation and Knight's violent inclinations, left and formed his own label, Aftermath Entertainment, in March 1996.
He filed for Chapter 11 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 2008, Death Row Records was put up for auction in Bankruptcy Court. The winning bid went to New York-based company Global Music Group. Global Music Group failed to secure funding and the Death Row Records catalog eventually went to Wideawake Entertainment.
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.
On January 29, 2015, Knight crashed his car into two men, killing Terry Carter (his friend and co-founder of Heavyweight Records), and fled the scene in Compton, California. The second victim, filmmaker Cle Sloan, suffered multiple fractures in his ankles and head injuries. Witnesses said Knight followed the men to a burger stand parking lot after an argument on the Straight Outta Compton film set, and that the collision looked intentional. Security footage video showed Knight running over both men. Knight said he acted in self-defense.
Social Network
As of 2025, Suge Knight has limited social media presence. Due to his incarceration, any official updates or communications are managed by representatives or family members. There are fan pages and unofficial social media accounts dedicated to him, but none are confirmed to be directly operated by Knight himself.
The same year, Knight offered to post bail (US$1.4million) for Tupac Shakur if the rapper agreed to sign with Death Row. Shakur agreed, setting the stage for his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.
The L.A. Times story 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 what police said was an unrelated gang shooting." The article implicated East Coast music figures, including Biggie, Shakur's nemesis at the time, alleging that he paid for the gun. Before their own deaths, Biggie, his family and Anderson denied any role in Shakur's murder. Biggie's family 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:
* Brown, Jake. 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. Amber Books, October 1, 2001, 218 pp. ISBN 0-9702224-7-5
* Kading, Greg. Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations by the Detective Who Solved Both Cases. One Time Publishing, 2011. ISBN 0-9839554-8-4
Education
- Early Life: Raised in Compton, California, a city known for its rich hip-hop culture and challenges with gang violence.
- College: Knight earned a football scholarship to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he played as a defensive end.
- Leadership Skills: His assertiveness and leadership on the football field foreshadowed his business style in the music industry.
Before founding Death Row Records, Knight played college football at UNLV as a defensive end. He briefly played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL players strike. In 1995, Tupac Shakur began serving a prison sentence of up to 4 1/2 years for a sexual abuse conviction. Knight struck a deal with Shakur that October, posting his $1.4 million 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, All Eyez on Me. That September, after departing a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas, a group that included Knight and Shakur assaulted Orlando Anderson, a Southside Compton Crips gang member. Three hours later, someone shot into the car Knight was driving, injuring Knight and fatally wounding Shakur.
His name Suge (pronounced /ʃʊɡ/) derives from "Sugar Bear", a childhood nickname. He attended Lynwood High School in nearby Lynwood, where he was a football and track star. He graduated in 1983.
From 1983 to 1985, Knight attended and played football at El Camino College. In 1985, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and played football there for two years.
After Shakur's death and the release of Tha Doggfather, Snoop Dogg openly criticized Knight for the murder of Shakur and left the label in 1998. He signed with Master P's No Limit Records and then formed 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. Knight responded, stating that Snoop was a "police informer" who "never goes to jail".
On October 29, 2014, Knight and comedian Katt Williams were both arrested and charged with second-degree robbery in connection with an alleged theft of a camera from a paparazzi photographer the previous month in Beverly Hills, California. While in jail, doctors found a blood clot in Knight's lung. Both Knight and Williams pleaded not guilty to robbery. In 2016, the robbery trial was delayed until the resolution of the unrelated murder trial.
