Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (/ʃʊɡ/; born April 19, 1965) is an American former record producer, music executive, former American football player and convicted felon. He is best known as the 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.\n', '

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. On September 20, 2018, Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.\n', '

Marion Hugh Knight Jr. was born in Compton, California, the son of Maxine (née Dikemen) 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. \n', '

Return to Suge Knight Autograph Profile