2Pac and Snoop Dogg had no issues navigating the wild environment at Death Row Records at the height of its success, according to Suge Knight.
The incarcerated Hip Hop mogul spoke with TMZ from behind bars on Wednesday (April 19) as he gears up for the forthcoming 10-season series about his life and career on BLK Prime.
When asked about the rumored environment at Death Row, Suge did confirm it was as violent as people have said – but he also said that ‘Pac and Snoop fit right in.
“It is true that stuff was aggressive at Death Row,” Suge said. “But you had your choices. If you wanna be the best, and be a man and do how you wanna do it – do it. Be about your music, be about your lyrics. You know, everybody understood that. So when it came to ‘Pac, I think ‘Pac understood it more than anybody in the world.
“But at the same time, you can’t take nothing from Snoop either because I knew I could get Snoop to come to New York with me and promote Death Row faster than anybody else would. It would just be him and I.”
He continued: “But ‘Pac was on a level where it wasn’t just about no gang shit. It was about our people. And when we say our people – who’s tryna do better, who’s tryna get better. People say it all the time but it’s really no colors in the ghetto. I’m talking about for skin colors.”
Suge also went on to describe why the environment was like it was at the label.
“Truth be told, and once again you’ll see it in the series – it’s like this: I grew up with 10 uncles from the south. They all played football and fight. I started playing organized football, Pop Warner football, at five. They put my age up to seven. So everything I dealt with, I treated like it was a sport.
“Now in football, if you fuck up, they put you in the bull ring. That’s when you get in the middle and the coach will call one, two, three different numbers and if you don’t hit them fast enough, they gon’ knock you down. So you had to be tough and you had to be disciplined.”
“So that’s where I got it from, sports,” he continued. “That’s why if you hear any of the albums I did, they was always competitive. It was competition. Because if a person didn’t have a good verse, somebody else had a better verse. Just like sports! We didn’t live in church. We not in heaven, you know? That’s like if you in the jungle, you gotta survive! I named my label Death Row Records.”
Suge Knight was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2018 for the hit-and-run death of Terry Carter three years prior. Carter’s death occurred during the filming of the blockbuster N.W.A biopic, Straight Outta Compton.
As previously reported, Suge and his brother, Brian Brown, are collaborating on a series chronicling Knight’s journey to superstardom and eventual tragedy. The show will begin filming this summer and stream exclusively in the fall on BLK Prime.
Indirectly, he enabled Pac’s fake thug persona which got him killed. Snoop knew he was next which is why he left. Suge kept too many goons around to run a professional establishment. He is a failure without Dr Dre.
Tony Deff you know you wildin… not only was Tupac the talent, but he was the biggest most popular artist. 200 plus rappers was trying to be like Tupac back then, on some Jordan shit. A failure without Dre is a stretch.
Tupac invented the word “thug” as it pertains to rap so it’s very interesting you call him a fake thug. I guess if you’re new that might be a thing to say. If you were around obviously you would never in a million years choose those specific words
Snoop left because he was previous, not next. Pac became number one at DR and that was it for snoop. DONE. He would have left regardless if Tupac died or not. THAT’s the simple truth behind all the bullshit Snoops been capping over the past 25 years.
Drops the mic
He meant that Snoop left because he knew he would be next to die, genius…
He was saying Suge was a failure without Dre. Y’all be so sensitive when someone mentions Tupac y’all don’t even digest what’s being said, y’all just want to argue.
And Yes by next, I meant next to get killed, stupid. Snoop left and got game from Master P, not Sugar Bear Simon the extortionist, to become the business man he is today.
All y’all writing “Suge allowed Pac to be a fake thug at death row”…..2pac shoot 2 policeman BEFORE he came to death row, he comes from a family of well known Black Panthers, Pac was always being Pac! Now go suck on that lollipop!
Any idiot can let off a glock. I’m sure up at Squaresville you’re impressed by these actions.
Why are you so sensitive little girl? Learn your history about Pac before you open your stinking mouth little girl.
Yeah, but Pac was a good boy growing up. He made the choice to become more of a gangster. He chose that life wheb he was with death row. Before, he seemed to be more on the activist side of things. After, he kind of dumped that with All Eyez On Me and chose gangster rap over activist rap. Black panthers were the activist side of these.
Big Tone stirs the pot again. HHDX needs to pay me for user engagement.
No it actually means you have no life always commenting on here.
Fuck Sugar I’ll never support anything this clown ass mahfucka do dookie earned where he at fuck a Sugar
6ix9ine is the new Pac. He would been the main act if they woulda revived Death Row under Dre.
2pac was a ‘yes man’ for his boss Suge who was robbing his little niqqa ass. 2pac was gay and I support gay muzik
U crazy af weird bitch mf nothing was gay bout pac etc bet he could fuc ur woman weirdo stop hating he was here bet my soul on it u wouldn’t say that in his face coward pac said it niggaz talk lot shit after I’m gone cause they fear me in the physical form straight prophecy weirdo