Vibe Live From Death Row – Interview With Gangsta Rap Legend Suge Knight

Vibe Live from Death Row is a series of interviews conducted by PEOPLE that provides an exclusive look into some of the most influential figures in rap music. This week, Suge Knight discussed his empire and what makes for a successful hip hop label.

Suge Knight, widely recognized as an industry icon and music industry revolutionary, founded Death Row Records – an iconic gangsta rap label which revolutionized both music and the industry – in 1991 and immediately rose to fame, giving rise to stars like Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg before it eventually faded due to controversies, lawsuits and violence.

Rumors surrounding Suge Knight in the rap industry abound, from tales about him using metal pipes to force Eazy-E to release Dr. Dre from Ruthless Records to reports of his potential feud with Bad Boy Entertainment CEO Sean “Puffy” Combs; Suge’s reputation in rap circles runs deep.

Suge Knight, founder of Death Row Records in Los Angeles and one of the pioneering black-owned rap labels worldwide. Since its creation, Death Row has housed superstar artists while showing how black ownership of music labels can lead to success.

Suge Knight as head of a rap label must also ensure his artists receive fair compensation, so he employs a team of attorneys, including David Kenner who works out of West L.A. He is always available if needed.

He employs Jermaine Jackson from Las Vegas as his personal assistant and manages a staff of about 50, including Knight’s personal security detail. Knight’s label has grown so busy that some executives and managers cannot keep up with its busy workload.

Suge Knight has long invested his own funds in his label to ensure its success, even going so far as investing up to a reported billion dollars into it.

Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound and Dr. Dre are just three members of Snoop’s label that have made him one of the pioneers of gangsta-rap. However, running an independent label is no simple task and has its own set of challenges to deal with.

So that is why Suge Knight has not shied away from going after his competitors. He played an instrumental role in the murder of one of his associates alleged to be a Bad Boy artist, and recently cast doubt upon Snoop Dogg’s ownership of Death Row by alleging it was acquired illegally.

Knight owns and manages Death Row Records as well as owning Club 662 in Las Vegas and working to establish Death Row Films, a film company dedicated to movies about gangsta-rap culture. In an interview with me last October, he expressed an interest in working with director Alex Roberts (former New York underworld figure) on an underworld movie set in South Central Los Angeles.