Suge Knight

Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (/ˈʃʊɡ/; born April 19, 1965) is an American record producer and music executive. He is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Outlawz and Tha Dogg Pound, Death Row Records stagnated after Knight's incarceration on probation violation charges in September 1996 and went bankrupt in 2006.

In February 2015, Knight was charged with murder and attempted murder following a fatal hit-and-run in Compton, California. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Early life

Marion Hugh Knight Jr. was born in Compton, California, the son of Maxine (Chatman) and Marion Knight Sr. His name, Suge, 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, he attended El Camino College on a football scholarship. In 1985, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and played there for two years.