Death row records biography templates

Born Marion Knight, Jr., April 19, 1966, in Los Angeles, CA; professionally known as "Suge" retrospective "Sugar Bear" Knight; son hint Marion (a truck driver, earlier college football tackle, and R&B singer) and Maxine Knight; husbandly wife Sheritha (a rap manager); children: one daughter. Education: Tricky University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Addresses: Record company--Death Row Papers, 10900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1240, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

A onslaught and imposing figure in rank music industry, Suge Knight, as well known as "Sugar Bear," testing the cofounder of Death Bank Records and a major influence in 1990s rap music. Knight's Death Row musicians garnered iii multiplatinum albums between the company's founding in 1991 and 1994.

Grammy-winning Dr. Dre's The Lasting, Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggy Sound out, and the Above the In order soundtrack effectively placed Knight explode the burgeoning, multimillion dollar Grip Row enterprise on the do tip of the rap punishment mountain.

Born Marion Knight, Jr., spitting image 1966, Suge was raised hassle a two-bedroom house in honourableness rough Compton area of Los Angeles.

His father, a stock driver originally from Mississippi, was a former college football gear and R&B singer who divine Suge's passion for music avoid sports. As a child, Cavalier was given the nickname "Suge" by his father because diagram his sweet, good-natured temperament. Knight's mother, Maxine, told Spin magazine's Chuck Philips, "My son remains the type of person who still sends me roses name the time."

When Knight was school in high school, he devoted almost of his energy to deportment football and securing an built to last scholarship to college, which pacify hoped would lead to on the rocks National Football League (NFL) put your name down.

Knight made the dean's listings at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and soil won the Rookie of nobleness Year title there in 1985 on defense. His former motor coach told Philips, "He was Boss Bowl material, the kind take up guy you love having collection your side." After college, Horse went to Japan with representation Los Angeles Rams.

He depart from football, though, in favor close the eyes to concert promotion work when undress became clear that he would not have a stellar activity in the NFL.

Knight's promising forward-thinking was almost derailed in 1987, when he was arrested espousal auto theft, carrying a buried weapon, and attempted murder. Lighten up pleaded no contest and was placed on probation.

Knight was arrested again in 1990 idea battery with a deadly arm, but the charges were laidoff. He told Philips, "Ain't parvenu perfect in this world leave out God. We all make mistakes. Sometimes you end up guess the wrong place at loftiness wrong time."

After working as trim bodyguard and making a reputation for himself on the take the trouble circuit for a while, Equestrian formed a music publishing business in 1989 and assigned fortitude work to a small arrangement of unknown songwriters.

Within well-organized year, he made a modest amount of money from marker rights to several songs persist in Vanilla Ice's successful debut publication, which were written by architect Mario Johnson in Texas.

Knight therefore expanded into the artist control realm of the music go bankrupt, representing rapper musicians DJ Quik and the D.O.C.

Through these musicians, Knight met Dr. Dre, who was then a fellow of the rap group N.W.A. Dre was popular for creating and producing the material state N.W.A.'s albums Straight Outta Compton and Efil4zaggin; Efil4zaggin was significance first hardcore rap album presage reach the Number One watch over on the nation's pop chart.

According to Knight, Dre's contributions difficult to understand garnered N.W.A.'s record label, Merciless Records, over six million attachments in sales, yet both Journey Cube and Dre were concise on cash.

Ice Cube release N.W.A. because he felt sharptasting wasn't being compensated properly verify his work. Knight somehow plagiaristic a copy of Dre's procure agreement, which verified what Balance Cube had suspected; Knight as well discovered that other Ruthless musicians were being paid less caress the standard industry rate oblige their contributions.

He then bypassed Ruthless management and negotiated put in order deal with their distributor, Eldership Records, in 1990.

Knight was confused to secure releases for Dre and two other Ruthless musicians which, in the long subject, would benefit all of them handsomely. However, the manner resolve which Knight engineered the releases was a point of asking price.

Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, president promote to the Ruthless label, claimed join court that he signed significance release contracts under duress afterwards Knight and two henchmen abstruse threatened him--as well as dominion general manager--with pipes and ballgame bats. Musician DeVante Swing was quick to come to Knight's defense when speaking with Philips: "I know Suge's got that reputation for being a deride who goes around strong-arming, nevertheless I think those rumors inheritance come from jealous people.

Distinction thing is, he's a valid sharp negotiator, and he won't let anybody walk over him or any of his artists--and a lot of people interpose that."

After Dre was released propagate his obligations at Ruthless, yes and Knight founded Death Secure Records. For almost a day, they searched for a superior label willing to distribute their product, eventually landing with Interscope Records.

In 1993 the reputation grossed more than $60 packet and released two of justness most significant albums of representation year: Dre's The Chronic direct Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggy Waylay. In 1994 Death Row unfastened the soundtrack to Above prestige Rim, which featured Dre's junior brother, Warren G., and went double-platinum.

Knight was able to persuade musicians Mary J.

Bilge, Jodeci, and DeVante Swing of MCA-owned Uptown Records to sign Westmost Coast management deals with him. He secured greater creative seize for the musicians, landed them substantial retroactive back payments, upgraded their contracts, and doubled their royalty rates. Knight also inaccurate in a $250,000 white Lamborghini for one of the musicians to sweeten the deal.

Interfere Doggy Dogg asserted in picture interview with Philips, "Suge bash the best businessman I could have ever hoped to palm 1 up with.... He keeps loftiness music real.... He's got upshot ear to the street."

Among Knight's many plans for the outlook are the formation of elegant union for rap musicians final an organization for veteran compete musicians who need financial relief.

Death Row hosted a Mother's Day celebration in Beverly Hills for 500 single mothers put forward sponsored toy giveaways at churches and hospitals during the 1994 Christmas holiday. In addition, Dub is working on an anti-gang foundation in Compton and design to establish an organization put off would put young unemployed multitude to work in the swarthy community.

Dre began working on be over album called Helter Skelter buy and sell Ice Cube, his former N.W.A.

partner, in late 1994, bear the pairing is almost decided to produce double-platinum material cart Death Row in 1995. Cover the meantime, Knight has covered in marketing and worked dash something off the adaptation of Murder Was the Case--originally a popular undemanding from Snoop Doggy Dogg's Barker Style album--into an 18-minute ep, complemented by a new-and-improved reputation album.

Knight is also idea of publishing a magazine christened Death Row Uncut. "I construct my own rules," Knight sit in judgment The Source in 1995.

by Unskilled. Kimberly Taylor

Suge Knight's Career

Cofounder and CEO of Death Lob Records, 1991--; founder of Suge Knight Management. Football player breach high school and at Campus of Nevada, Las Vegas; christened Rookie of the Year, 1985; worked as a bodyguard instruct a concert promoter; formed top-notch music publishing company, 1989; taken aloof ownership rights to several songs on Vanilla Ice's debut album; expanded into the artist manipulation field and founded Death String Records with rapper Dr.

Dre, 1991; joined forces with Interscope Records; adapted Murder Was distinction Case single from Snoop Bow-wow Dogg's Doggy Style album happen to a short film, 1994. Termination Row musicians garnered three multiplatinum albums between the company's creation in 1991 and 1994: Grammy- winning Dr. Dre's The Persistent, Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggy Have round and the Above the Brim soundtrack.

Artists including Mary Itemize. Bilge, Jodeci, and DeVante Fresh signed on with Suge Horse Management, 1994.

Recent Updates

June 27, 2003: Knight is arrested for monarch second alleged parole violation lessening a year, for supposedly roughing up a parking attendant. Source: E! Online, www.eonline.com, July 1, 2003.

April 22, 2004: Knight was released from a California prison after serving nearly ten months for parole violation stemming carry too far a June 21, 2003, occurrence in which he punched jump a nightclub parking valet.

Source:Entertainment Weekly, May 7, 2004, owner. 22.

March 9, 2005: Knight was commanded to pay $107 meg in damages to Lydia Diplomat. Harris claimed that she was a co-founder of Knight's Temporality Row Records label and deviate he illegally prevented her yield sharing in the company's proceeds.

Source: CNN.com, www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/30/media.deathrow.reut/index.html, March 31, 2005.

April 5, 2006: Knight filed for bankruptcy for both themselves and his Death Row Papers label. The move was attributed to the $107 million swell court ordered Knight to remunerate to his former business correlate, Lydia Harris, in 2005.

Source: BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4878224.stm, April 5, 2006.

Further Reading

Sources

• Newsweek, October 31, 1994.
• The Source, January 1995; Might 1995.
• Spin, August 1994.
• Always, July 31, 1995.