1965 – 1989
Marion Hugh “Suge” Knight was born 19 April 1965, and grew up in Compton. He was a football star at Lynwood high school and went on to play at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before being released by the Los Angeles Rams while at training camp. He was also affiliated with the Bloods street gang, who were feuding with the Crips while he was growing up.
1989
Knight formed a publishing company and allegedly dangled Vanilla Ice from a balcony in order to get royalties from his hit record Ice Ice Baby. The story has passed into hip-hop folklore, but Ice denies that it happened, instead claiming he was merely talking with Knight on a balcony.
1991
Knight co-founded Death Row records with Dr Dre after the rapper wanted to leave NWA and their label Ruthless. The pair set up Death Row in 1991 and a year later released one of west coast rap’s defining records: Dr Dre’s The Chronic.
1993
While at Death Row, Knight signed Snoop Dogg and MC Hammer. Snoop released his career-defining album Doggystyle in 1993, while Tupac Shakur signed in 1995 (after Knight paid his $1.4m bail – Tupac was in jail on a sexual assault charge). Tupac and Dre would team up on the Joe Cocker-sampling hit California Love.
1996
Death Row became embroiled with a feud with east coast label Bad Boy, which was run by Sean “Puffy” Combs. The feud would eventually lead to the drive-by shooting deaths of Tupac (September 1996) and Notorious BIG (March 1997). Knight, who was in the car with Tupac when he was shot, was accused of being involved in at least one of the murders.
2002 – 2006
Knight was jailed for violating his probation for an earlier charge of assault with a deadly weapon, after associating with gang members in LA. A year later he returned to jail after punching a parking lot attendant, and in 2005 he was shot in the leg in Miami at an MTV Video Music awards pre-party.
2006 - 2009
In 2006 Knight filed for bankruptcy after a civil litigation case was brought against him. When questioned about his personal finances, he claimed only to have $12 in his account. Three years later he was hospitalised after a fight left him with facial injuries.
2013 – 2014
Knight was arrested for an outstanding warrant after being pulled over for a traffic violation, and in 2014 was shot again at another MTV Video Music awards party, which was hosted by Chris Brown. In the same year he was arrested and accused, along with comedian Katt Williams, of stealing a photographer’s phone.
2015
Knight is arrested on a murder charge, after a fatal hit-and-run incident. He’d previously been on the set of NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton.
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