Since late 2018, Suge Knight has been incarcerated at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Knight was once a monumental figure in the hip hop community as co-founder and CEO of the legendary Death Row Records, but following a slew of personal, professional, and legal issues, Knight's found himself falling from grace.
In 2015, Knight ran over two men with his vehicle—Terry Carter, co-founder of Heavyweight Records and a friend of Knight, and filmmaker Cle Sloan—before fleeing the scene. Carter died from his injuries, and while witnesses claimed that the incident seemed intentional, Knight said it was self-defense. Knight later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, however, a judge sentenced him to 28 years in prison.
Even though the 53-year-old is locked up, he always has his ear to the streets. TMZ recently spoke with Knight about the murder of Nipsey Hussle, and the former CEO told them that he believes that the slain rapper's quest for success and love for his neighborhood is what got him killed. "A lot of artists like Nipsey have the same problem that I had," Knight said. "We are too loyal to our neighborhood." He went on to say that many artists have the money and resources to move but they end up staying where they came from because "when you go around Hollywood it's all watered down."
Knight admitted that he would often visit his old stomping grounds to "get chili cheese fries and strawberries and talk to my lil' homies." Yet, he says, when one decides to go back to those neighborhoods to visit, those "lil' homies" are the ones you need to "help you survive." TMZ suggested that Knight was insinuating that the people around Nipsey could have done more to protect him.
Knight compared Nipsey to Tupac by saying, "I feel that Nipsey was trying to follow the same Tupac manual to the community. He came together with YG like Snoop did with Tupac." He hopes that Nipsey's legacy can unify Los Angeles in the years to come. "What's good is that all the hoods getting together now...we can be stronger considering what happens when we come together."