Suge Knight was born Marion Hugh Knight Jr. on April 19, 1965 in Compton, California. He was raised by his mother, Maxine Nightingale after his father, Marion “Suge” Knight Sr. left the family early on to pursue a career as a football player under the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Early life of suge

Knight attended Lynwood high school where he played for the school’s basketball team and competed in the long jump event at the CIF California State Meet in 1983, placing 5th with a jump of 7.83 meters (25 feet 9 inches). After graduating from high school, Knight enrolled at El Camino College where he continued to play football and where he also met weight training trainer Kool Herc who would introduce to him the techniques of using heavy weights and basic calisthenic exercises.

After two semesters, Knight transferred to UNLV where he played football for coach Harvey Hyde. While attending university, Marion also held an internship at the Las Vegas human resources department.

Start of career

Six months later, he founded Death Row records alongside Dr. Dre and The D.O.C., with financial backing from Interscope Records’ Jimmy Iovine, who was convinced to put up $1 million in seed money for the start-up label that would be distributed through Interscope as part of a two-album contract deal despite having never even met him before according to court documents filed in civil court on May 5th 1995 which also stated that “Iovine would regret not taking Mr. Knight’s offer at the time.

When was death row found?

Death Row Records was founded in 1991 by Knight and Dr. Dre, who were then unknown rappers, and The D.O.C.”One of these days, Death Row will be run from behind bars,” read one article on the label in 1994. The label became home to many gangsta rap artists whose controversial music had made them very successful, including Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz), Lady of Rage, Nate Dogg, Warren G., Michel’le & MC Hammer among others. It also housed West Coast-based artists including Blu Cantrell, Xzibit, and Tony Toni Tone. The imprint’s acts mainly featured explicit content governed by the “gangsta rap” ethos that defined West Coast hip hop at the time.

In 2002, Dr. Dre began to resent Knight for his ongoing incarceration following an incident where Knight went on a rampage at a Las Vegas hotel in retaliation for Daz and Kurupt leaving Death Row Records and joining Suge’s arch-nemesis – another record label, Bad Boy Records (founded by Puff Daddy). This led to a fight at the MGM Grand casino during which shots were fired. Although he was shot six times, Knight survived as the police ruled the shooting was in self-defense.

Death Row Record

In 1991, Suge established Death Row Records and signed artists such as Snoop Dogg and 2Pac (Tupac). By 1996, Dr Dre and 2Pac had developed a close relationship with Suge and Death Row. However, Dr Dre wanted to leave the label due to his displeasure of having executive control eroded by Suge’s violent tactics. In January of 1996, Suge was charged for assault after he severely beat record producer Damon Thomas because he refused to pay out royalties from “Above The Rim” which had been released in 1994.

In that same year, Tupac was shot five times and robbed on the street outside of a music studio. He later accused Puff Daddy and then-Bad Boy Records rapper Biggie Smalls (The Notorious B.I.G.) as being responsible for hiring those who robbed and shot him. Tupac ended up signing with Death Row on September 7th, 1995.

When and how knight was arrested?

In September 1996, Knight was arrested in Las Vegas for “terrorizing” his girlfriend and Death Row Records video-tape editor Kelly Dawn. He also faced charges of assault and possession of a deadly weapon. After being released on $1 million bail, Knight took a nine-hour flight to Cancún to film a music video with Shakur, who made his entrance as an armored car drove up to the stage. That same month he was accused by the Los Angeles Times as having illegally employed two ex-cons, one of whom had been convicted twenty years previously for murder as head security at events hosted by Death Row artists including Tupac Shakur at house parties held in Hollywood and in Las Vegas.

In January 1997, Knight again returned to prison for violating his probation when he struck a parking lot attendant in the head following a heated argument over a $3000 charge that Knight refused to pay at a club in Hollywood. He was given three years’ probation and 360 hours of community service plus a fine. Later that year, police searched Knight’s home looking for evidence linking him to the murder of an L.A. gang leader named Norris Thomas who was gunned down in August 1996.

Personal Life

The American R&B singer Michel’le married Knight while he was in prison in 1999. By sending her to rehab, he had previously helped her get sober. Six years later, she filed for divorce, but discovered that he was still technically married to an ex-wife, which invalidated their marriage.

Bailei (b. 2002) is the couple’s daughter. Suge’s fiance Toi Lin Kelly was sentenced to three years in jail in 2018 for helping Knight communicate with the producers of an upcoming Death Row Records documentary.

Knight had previously been prohibited from communicating with anyone except his lawyer during this time.

Knight returning from jail

In late 1997, Shakur was sent to jail after being found guilty on charges of sexual abuse with a sentence suspended pending appeal; Death Row Records responded by issuing “Out On Bail” featuring Snoop Dogg and their newest signee, Tha Dogg Pound as a warning to those who were involved in Shakur’s conviction. The album was widely interpreted as being the first shot fired in the war between Death Row and Bad Boy. The attack on Bad Boy Records followed shortly after; Knight and members of his entourage attacked several employees of Bad Boy Records at the BET Awards in June 1997; one of those assaulted included producer Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie.

In the world of rap, Suge Knight is a name that strikes fear into any artist or label executive. Suge has been in and out of prison for a variety of charges ranging from illegal possession to assault and murder. He’s the founder of Death Row Records, where he started his career as a bodyguard before eventually becoming CEO.

Suge’s work with different artist

Suge Knight has worked with some of the best rappers in history, such as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre. However, the downfall of his career was his temper and love of violence. In October of 2002, Suge went to a party hosted by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx. Outside of the party, Suge got into an altercation with two men in which he ended up shooting one of them twice. Suge was sentenced to nine years in jail which was reduced down to six due to a plea bargain.

What is Suge Knights net worth?

According to Forbes, Suge Knight’s net worth was roughly $200 thousand as of May 2017. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the same figure may be around $1 million. Additionally, it was reported that his wealth fluctuates due to legal fees he incurred at his time of releasing albums. The lawyer service could cost him up to $400 an hour ($400 1hr = $400). He would have had to pay for the lawyers in order to plead innocent on all charges made against him.