Suge Knight has referenced Dr. Dre’s history of violence against women while defending Chris Brown.
Speaking from behind bars on his podcast Collect Call, Suge discussed the Grammys naming an award after his fellow Death Row Records co-founder.
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“You can have a man that’s part of that secret society and they gonna give him an award — the Impact Award,” he said. “That muthafucka beat up more bitches than anybody. This man gets an award for beating up women.”
The incarcerated record executive then compared Dre’s situation to Chris Brown’s, saying: “Chris Brown is stripped of his crown and not saying it was right that him and Rihanna got into it and they had a fight or he beat her up.
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“I’m not saying that, but what I’m saying is this: he had a fight with one woman or he beat up one woman — and they still casting stones at him.”
He added: “They don’t give him his cigar, they don’t let him come perform, they don’t let him pretty much win awards. But you can have an Impact Award with Andre.”
Listen to his comments at the 16:38 mark below.
The Dr. Dre Global Impact Award was first given out in 2023, with the N.W.A legend himself being named the inaugural winner.
The award was created in partnership with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and “recognizes the contributors, creatives and professionals with a proven track record of uplifting Black music.”
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JAY-Z was presented with the award at the 2024 Grammys earlier this month and gave a speech where he criticized organizers for never giving his wife Beyoncé Album of the Year.
Dr. Dre has been accused of violence against women on several occasions. In 1991, he assaulted TV host Dee Barnes and subsequently received a fine, probation and a community service order.
He was later accused of violence by singers Michel’le and Tairrie B.
Dre later addressed the accusations in the 2017 HBO docuseries The Defiant Ones, saying: “I made some fucking horrible mistakes in my life. I was young, fucking stupid. I would say all the allegations aren’t true — some of them are.
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“Those are some of the things that I would like to take back. It was really fucked up. But I paid for those mistakes, and there’s no way in hell that I will ever make another mistake like that again.”
The producer then released a follow-up statement to The New York Times: “25 years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life. However, none of this is an excuse for what I did.
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“I’ve been married for 19 years and every day I’m working to be a better man for my family, seeking guidance along the way. I’m doing everything I can so I never resemble that man again.”
He added: “I apologize to the women I’ve hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.”
