courtesy of o2deathrow.com
Sunday, November 10, 2002 by o2
Deathrow News reported by Skyler:
New Track
Crooked I & Eastwood will appear on Ja Rule's album "The Last Temptation" on a track called "Connected"
Suge Knight Interview
When people think of rap impresario, Marion "Suge" Knight many think of a notoriously feared and equally successful head of the rap empire known as "Tha Row" (formerly Death Row).
Knight claims to be the man responsible for jumpstarting the careers of such major rap superstars as Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and the late Tupac Shakur. Dre and Snoop have since gone on to start their own labels but Knight states that without the knowledge and reputation they picked up at Death Row, none of this would be possible. During a recent conversation, Suge had a few choice words for his rivals as well as some things to say about his newly-established roster which features such young talent as Crooked I, Eastwood, and the returning Kurupt.
How is Tha Row different from Death Row?
It's the same company but we are more positive. It's time to let the past be the past. I love Death Row but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.
What are the immediate plans for the future?
Right now, we got a new album coming from Crooked I. This will change the West Coast. There are way too many Hollywood niggas out there, you know, niggas talking about L.A. from up in Beverly Hills. How can a guy like Snoop represent the ghetto when he can't even go there without police escorts? Same with all of these other guys who supposedly have so much love out here. I've been out for a year now and I haven't seen Dre or Snoop once and I'm someone who visits all the spots. We also got new albums coming from Tupac and N.I.N.A. They will be out before we drop Crooked I because we want to make sure that everything is right on this one.
How have things changed since you were locked up back in 1997?
Let me tell you something. The biggest learning experience for me was getting locked up because I learned who was right and who wasn't. You got people like Daz. Here's a guy who has never had anything in his life that he can call his own until I made him the head of production at Death Row. He couldn't handle things without me around so what did he do? He went back to Snoop like a little boy and Snoop hasn't given him anything. He hasn't been in none of his videos or albums. At least, Kurupt got a deal with me and is making money. Daz is sitting around his little one-room apartment trying to make a few bucks off our old stuff so that he can get his fix.
Then you have people like DJ Quik. He used to be down with Death Row. He was a friend of ours then come to find out how that when I was locked up, we learn from some of the homies in Compton that this guy Quik was going both ways, fucking with guys. When I went in, this was a guy who talked about how much of a fake that Dre was and how he didn't respect anyone who lied about producing tracks. When I came home, he in the same studio with Dre talking about how he is the best producer n the world and all of this other shit, kissing ass. That's sick to me.
The thing people need to understand is that these are guys who I helped make stars. Now, they all want to talk about me saying "Suge Knight is the devil".
Have you heard Snoop's new diss song, "Pimp Slap"?
That guy is a laugh to me. Snoop. It's seem like he's mad at everyone these days. But funny thing is how he was in the same place as me at the BET Awards and he had like 20 people with him and I'm by myself and he wasn't saying anything. Here is a guy who doesn't know what he is doing. I'm just wondering how much money Priority will take from him on his new record. He need that money for lung cancer treatment.
There was word that you had an altercation with Xzibit in a club? Is there any truth to this this?
Dre's little Mexican buddy there? Yeah, I like him. I actually did see him a few times but what we talked about is between me and him.
What are your feelings on Dr. Dre?
People don't know the real Dre. I don't even think his wife knows what is real with Dre. You got a guy with AIDS walking around with his white wife, his white b oss, and his white rapper buddy and talking about "still got love in the streets". Dre did a good job of covering up certain things in his life as far as the whole gay thing goes but people know what is up with him. As soon as Eazy went down with it, you knew how those guys in N.W.A. got down.
In closing, is there anything you would like to say about the future of Tha Row?
I think it's time for the young guys to get their spot back. It's time that the West belong to the young street kids from the ghetto, not white boys from Detriot. It's good to see people like Puffy start getting their masters and ownership and I think other people need to do the same. Just remember that it was Death Row who started it. We owned our catalog first. Like I said, if you want your executive to be an executive, you know where to come.
Sunday, November 10, 2002 by o2
Deathrow News reported by Skyler:
New Track
Crooked I & Eastwood will appear on Ja Rule's album "The Last Temptation" on a track called "Connected"
Suge Knight Interview
When people think of rap impresario, Marion "Suge" Knight many think of a notoriously feared and equally successful head of the rap empire known as "Tha Row" (formerly Death Row).
Knight claims to be the man responsible for jumpstarting the careers of such major rap superstars as Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and the late Tupac Shakur. Dre and Snoop have since gone on to start their own labels but Knight states that without the knowledge and reputation they picked up at Death Row, none of this would be possible. During a recent conversation, Suge had a few choice words for his rivals as well as some things to say about his newly-established roster which features such young talent as Crooked I, Eastwood, and the returning Kurupt.
How is Tha Row different from Death Row?
It's the same company but we are more positive. It's time to let the past be the past. I love Death Row but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.
What are the immediate plans for the future?
Right now, we got a new album coming from Crooked I. This will change the West Coast. There are way too many Hollywood niggas out there, you know, niggas talking about L.A. from up in Beverly Hills. How can a guy like Snoop represent the ghetto when he can't even go there without police escorts? Same with all of these other guys who supposedly have so much love out here. I've been out for a year now and I haven't seen Dre or Snoop once and I'm someone who visits all the spots. We also got new albums coming from Tupac and N.I.N.A. They will be out before we drop Crooked I because we want to make sure that everything is right on this one.
How have things changed since you were locked up back in 1997?
Let me tell you something. The biggest learning experience for me was getting locked up because I learned who was right and who wasn't. You got people like Daz. Here's a guy who has never had anything in his life that he can call his own until I made him the head of production at Death Row. He couldn't handle things without me around so what did he do? He went back to Snoop like a little boy and Snoop hasn't given him anything. He hasn't been in none of his videos or albums. At least, Kurupt got a deal with me and is making money. Daz is sitting around his little one-room apartment trying to make a few bucks off our old stuff so that he can get his fix.
Then you have people like DJ Quik. He used to be down with Death Row. He was a friend of ours then come to find out how that when I was locked up, we learn from some of the homies in Compton that this guy Quik was going both ways, fucking with guys. When I went in, this was a guy who talked about how much of a fake that Dre was and how he didn't respect anyone who lied about producing tracks. When I came home, he in the same studio with Dre talking about how he is the best producer n the world and all of this other shit, kissing ass. That's sick to me.
The thing people need to understand is that these are guys who I helped make stars. Now, they all want to talk about me saying "Suge Knight is the devil".
Have you heard Snoop's new diss song, "Pimp Slap"?
That guy is a laugh to me. Snoop. It's seem like he's mad at everyone these days. But funny thing is how he was in the same place as me at the BET Awards and he had like 20 people with him and I'm by myself and he wasn't saying anything. Here is a guy who doesn't know what he is doing. I'm just wondering how much money Priority will take from him on his new record. He need that money for lung cancer treatment.
There was word that you had an altercation with Xzibit in a club? Is there any truth to this this?
Dre's little Mexican buddy there? Yeah, I like him. I actually did see him a few times but what we talked about is between me and him.
What are your feelings on Dr. Dre?
People don't know the real Dre. I don't even think his wife knows what is real with Dre. You got a guy with AIDS walking around with his white wife, his white b oss, and his white rapper buddy and talking about "still got love in the streets". Dre did a good job of covering up certain things in his life as far as the whole gay thing goes but people know what is up with him. As soon as Eazy went down with it, you knew how those guys in N.W.A. got down.
In closing, is there anything you would like to say about the future of Tha Row?
I think it's time for the young guys to get their spot back. It's time that the West belong to the young street kids from the ghetto, not white boys from Detriot. It's good to see people like Puffy start getting their masters and ownership and I think other people need to do the same. Just remember that it was Death Row who started it. We owned our catalog first. Like I said, if you want your executive to be an executive, you know where to come.
