In his latest Collect Call podcast, former hip-hop businessman Suge Knight didn’t hold back when talking about his relationship with music mogul Jimmy Iovine, the 70-year-old former co-founder of Interscope Records and current co-founder of Beats Electronics with Dr. Dre.
Videos by American Songwriter
Speaking about Iovine, who is also a former record producer who worked with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith and is the subject of the excellent docu-series The Defiant Ones, Knight said in episode six of Collect Call that Iovine, whom he calls “LIE-Vine,” was manipulative and went behind his back for various business dealings and music production changes.
The Deals
Knight, who is the co-founder of Death Row Records and is currently serving a 28-year sentence in a California State prison, speaks with co-host Dave Mays from jail (via collect call). Knight, who formerly worked with Interscope via a distribution deal for Dre’s seminal 1992 LP The Chronic, which Knight executive produced, discussed their partnership through various labels over the years.
One story Knight highlights is a legal settlement involving the rapper Kurupt in which Iovine settled a case for $50,000 but that, Knight said, cost him some $10,000,000. Subsequently, Iovine sent Knight a letter while in jail severing the relationship between Death Row and Interscope, which led to Dr. Dre leaving Death Row for a partnership with Iovine. That also kneecapped Knight’s distribution deals, the incarcerated businessman says.
In another dealing, Knight talks about some of his recording masters, including Tupac songs, getting stolen, allegedly by Daz and MC Hammer. “Where’s all my shit?” Knight remembers thinking. “Why Interscope has it? We ain’t doing business with them?!” But Jimmy maneuvered to take the songs while Knight was in jail, the disgraced businessman says on the podcast.
Knight talks about songs—specifically drum beats—being taken from him that Dre wanted to get back from Knight to build new songs. But they belonged to him and Death Row. This angered Knight because he was no longer working with Interscope and no longer working with Dre, who declared his “gangsta rap” days done.
Tupac
The podcast also includes a story Knight tells where Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur came to the Interscope offices with guns and stole Tupac’s masters. He also says that Afeni, who visited Knight in prison, was told by people at Interscope that Suge was behind the killing of her son. But Knight denies it. Knight also highlights the “One Nation” project that he and Tupac were working on with rappers from all regions of the country.
Denzel
Knight tells more stories about his affairs, including rumors about a new documentary about Death Row that, he says, may involve Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington. Knight also discusses various legal fee payments he alleges he made for Snoop Dogg, despite Iovine saying he didn’t. The Death Row co-founder goes as far as to paint Iovine in the same light as infamous and hated record exec Jerry Heller of Ruthless Records.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the podcast’s sixth episode is full of salacious tales and accusations. But it’s hard to know where the truth lies. Knight, speaking from jail, has no reason not to throw others under the proverbial bus. It’s also hard to decipher exactly what he’s saying via the grainy telephone recording.
The podcast series provides entertaining, albeit shady, storytelling. Listen to Episode 6 of Collect Call HERE.
For more on Collect Call, check out our past recaps of episode 5 and episode 4.
Collect Call recaps:
Episode 1: https://americansongwriter.com/recap-suge-knights-collect-call-episode-1-details-beef-with-akon-warren-g/
Episode 2: https://americansongwriter.com/recap-suge-knight-airs-grievances-about-snoop-dogg-dr-dre-on-collect-call-episode-2/
Episode 3: https://americansongwriter.com/recap-suge-knight-opens-up-about-negotiations-with-eazy-e-and-rapper-pensions-on-collect-call-episode-3/
Episode 4: https://americansongwriter.com/recap-suge-knight-calls-out-snoop-dogg-and-diddy-on-collect-call-episode-4/
Episode 5:https://americansongwriter.com/recap-suge-knight-reveals-who-was-truly-loyal-to-tupac-on-collect-call-episode-5/
Photo by David Buchan/Getty Images
