Is Suge Knight still a force in the music industry??

[mrtonguetwista]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - When rap pioneer Marion ``Suge'' Knight was released from prison two years ago, he vowed to return Death Row Records to the top of the charts.

At the time, he told The Associated Press that it was ``time for great records.''

It hasn't happened. Aside from two albums of old Tupac Shakur material, Death Row has produced next to nothing. And for the second time this year Knight was behind bars, awaiting a hearing on a suspected parole violation.

Some wonder if Knight - who helped muscle rap into the mainstream a decade ago with superstars such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and later Shakur - is still a force in the music industry.

``He has to prove himself all over again,'' said Erik Parker, music editor of Vibe magazine. ``As time slips by, people care less. There's no production, no real hits.''

Knight said his company was ``going 1,000 mph'' after his prison release, but spokesman Jonathan Wolfson acknowledges it has yet to regain its previous notoriety.

``Are we the Death Row of 1994? No,'' Wolfson said. ``But we could easily get to that point again. Suge made it happen once, and sometimes lightning can strike twice.''

Knight's label has undergone several name changes and is now officially known as Death Row's Back. It has released three albums since early 2001. Two featured previously unreleased material by Shakur, who was killed in a 1996 drive-by shooting in Las Vegas with Knight by his side.

Shakur's ``Until the End of Time'' has sold 1.9 million copies since its 2001 release, and last year's ``Better Dayz'' has sold 1.5 million copies.

While these releases have earned millions for Knight, his stash of Shakur songs is dwindling and there's no replacement in sight. Death Row's only non-Tupac release since 2001 was the ``Dysfunktional Family'' movie soundtrack, which sold 36,000 copies in limited release.

Death Row's Crooked I has released a single, but his album ``Say Hi to the Bad Guy'' won't hit stores until at least September. Other records by Kurupt and Lisa ``Left Eye'' Lopes, the TLC member who was killed in a car crash last year, don't have firm release dates either.

In April, Knight told MTV that he wasn't going to rush the releases. ``We're not under pressure, under the gun or nothing,'' he said. ``Anytime you do something, it's important that you be happy with it.''

Wolfson said Knight was not conducting interviews while in jail.

Knight, 37, was jailed on June 27 and could face up to a year in prison if state officials revoke his parole for allegedly punching a parking lot attendant outside a Hollywood nightclub. Attorney Rose Kogeman said Knight was not involved in the altercation.

The state Board of Prison Terms will hold a hearing in the coming weeks to determine whether Knight must return to prison for the second time this year. In February, he completed 61 days behind bars for associating with a known gang member in violation of his probation.

The lost time has taken a toll. ``Projects have had to be bumped back because he's the main thrust and catalyst,'' Wolfson said.

A number of music industry executives did not return calls seeking comment about Knight, whose strong-arm tactics had much of the industry fearing for their safety during Death Row's heyday in the mid-1990s. Several executives said it was against company policy to comment about competitors.

After founding Death Row with charter N.W.A. member Dr. Dre in 1992, his label sold 25 million records and raked in $170 million in its first four years.

The flood of cash, plus Knight's violent reputation, made Knight the most notorious rap executive ever.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Knight grew up in Compton, a city on the south edge of Los Angeles, in a neighborhood controlled by Blood gangs. As his career progressed, Knight surrounded himself with Bloods and wore red at every opportunity.

A truck driver's son, he was the youngest of three children and earned the nickname ``Suge,'' short for Sugar Bear.

He excelled at football, playing defensive lineman in the mid-1980s at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, where he was known as a hard worker who could motivate teammates.

After failing tryouts with the Los Angeles Rams, Knight formed a small music publishing company that made a mint in the early 1990s by owning the rights to flash-in-the-pan white rapper Vanilla Ice. Vanilla Ice later accused Knight of dangling him over a balcony to gain control of the publishing rights to his only hit, ``Ice Ice Baby.''

N.W.A. founder Eazy-E, whose real name is Eric Wright, also accused Knight of violent tactics. Eazy-E said Knight and a crew of thugs threatened him with lead pipes to force Eazy-E to release Dr. Dre from his contract.

Knight settled Eazy-E's lawsuit but denied all allegations.

In a separate case, Knight was convicted of assault in 1992 for pistol-whipping a man in a recording studio. He received probation on a nine-year suspended sentence.

In September 1996, Knight violated that probation and was imprisoned for five years after he and several associates, including Shakur, were caught on videotape beating a gang rival in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Shakur was shot and killed three hours later as he was riding in a BMW with Knight, who was wounded.

Since then, there have been numerous published theories about the killing of Shakur and the slaying seven months later of his bitter rival Christopher ``The Notorious B.I.G.'' Wallace. These theories include that the gang rival who was beaten in the MGM Grand killed Shakur for revenge, and that Knight was afraid Shakur was about to leave Death Row and demand millions in unpaid royalties.

Knight has never been named a suspect in the Shakur or Wallace slayings and has denied involvement.

Shortly after being released from prison in 2001, he told The Associated Press that Shakur had no intention of leaving Death Row.

``Tupac loved Death Row Records,'' Knight said. ``Even to his last recording, his last interview, he praised it. I loved him. I would never bring harm to him.''

With his biggest stars long departed and his label's luster fading, Knight's rebuilding effort remains a work in progress.

``There was a buzz around Suge Knight's release from jail,'' said Parker, the Vibe music editor. ``But he hasn't been able to match it with music yet.''

Associated Press Writer Louinn Lota contributed to this story.

[Trauma-san]

No.

[js83]

Crooked I and Kurupt made a big mistake by signing to deathrow...i'm gettin sick of suge fucking over his artists...never releasing albums...i got tired of waiting...fuck that shit.

Deathrow has fallen off...i'm suprised that this company is still around...the only way they will sell records is by droppin unreleased 2pac records...its getting fucking pathetic.

[Lord Funk]

No, he's not. Suge was a force when his muscle was combined with musical talent on the part of his label. It doesn't matter how much "street credibility" he has, or how many people he fucks over or fucks up, unless he has artists of the calibre of Dre, Snoop or Pac on the label, he can't make it the legend it was. Simple as that in my eyes.  

[tony_montana]

SUGE IS A FORCE BECUZ HE'S LEGENDARY, YALL CANT KNOCK HIM NOW...WHEN HE GOT LOCKED UP AFTER PAC DIED.. THA ROW ABANDONED HIM... EVERYTHANG GOT CRAZY, THATS JUS LIKE A CLASS ROOM WIT A SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS...SHIT GONE GO CRAZY IF THA REGULAR TEACHER AINT IN THA MIX...

WHEN HE GOT OUT HE DIDNT HAVE NOBODY.. THATS WHY HE WENT TO THA VAULT DROPPIN UNRELEASED SNOOP,PAC,AND DPG...

HE REBUILDIN THA TEAM NOW...PEOPLE DONT SEE THAT.. NOTICE HE TRYIN TO GET ARTIST WIT POTENTIAL, I.E CROOKED I,SLY BOOGIE,AND EASTWOOD

HE'S TRYIN TO GET THA FOUNDATION SET AGAIN... THEN HE GONE DROP CLASSICS..

NOTICE HE'S REPEATIN WHAT MADE DEATHROW.. HE DROPPED A SOUNDTRACK BE4 ANY ARTIST DID DEEP COVER ( DYSFUNKTIONAL FAMILY) AND HE'S CREATIN A STREET BUZ WIT HIS NEW ARTIST ON THAT SOUNDTRACK LIKE HE DID SNOOP AND OTHERS..(CROOKED I,EASTWOOD,AND SLY)

AS LONG AS THA FEDS KEEP FUCKIN WIT SUGE HE WONT BE ABLE TO GET THA ROW BACK ON TOP..SUGE HAS IT HARDER THAN NE OTHER LABEL OWNER IN THA GAME, DONT NOBODY GET HARRASSED BY THA FEDS LIKE THEY DO...NOBODY..

THA MEDIA IS FULL OF SHIT... WHEN SUGE WAS RUNNIN THA GAME WIT DEATHROW WASNT NOBODY SAYIN SHIT, NOW WHEN HE GOES DOWN.. THEY START DEBATIN AND SHIT ..WHEN HE GETS OUT THEY SHUT UP ...AND VICE VERSA..

LET EM TALK THAT SHIT WHEN HE'S OUT..

[White-Chocolate]

nah, say goodbye to hollywood suge.
he really needs to get something going tho

[2paclbc]

NOPE