Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Seeing Suge

Showtime just announced they're doing a documentary on controversial rap impresario Marion "Suge" Knight. This is part of a series focusing on some of the most controversial figures in entertainment. For those of you who don't know who Suge is. He's the force behind Death Row Records which launched the careers of Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and the late Tupac, among others.
I think this should be interesting. There was an amazing documentary called "Welcome to Death Row" focusing on how Death Row became like a Motown/Stax type imprint for hip-hop in the early 90s. The problem was that Suge wasn't too involved. This documentary has Knight in charge of the soundtrack.
I'm curious to see how this is approached. Knight has long been thought of as a bully or intimidator because of his large frame and no-nonsense attitude. He famously feuded with former label co-founder Dr. Dre and artist Snoop Dogg. Even now, people are afraid to speak of him. It wasn't until 2008 when he was famously knocked out by a barber in a nightclub that people finally felt comfortable to address him.
But beyond that,  Suge's influence in hip-hop is lasting if only for helping put Tupac on the map. Tupac himself was a cult figure not only for his rapping, but for his thug lifestyle and his untimely demise.
Suge is also quite mysterious. All we know is that he used to be a bodyguard and then met NWA and decided to collaborate with some of the members. He's also had a lot of legal and personal problems, but beyond the rap sheet we don't know how he grew up or if people other than his mom were never afraid of him, so this should be interesting.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please no discriminatory or inflammatory language. I appreciate comments being posted, but in a way that is respectful and positive to the internet community.