Today, April 19, is the 53rd birthday of one of hip-hop's most notorious figures, Suge Knight!

The record producer and music executive played a role in the careers of Dr. Dre, Eazy E and 2Pac as co-founder and former CEO of Dre' Death Row Records. Though he is known in the business for his legendary intimidation tactics, including threatening and assaulting artists and executives, Suge played a pivotal role in the release of three of Death Row's most famous releases, The Chronic, Doggystyle and All Eyez on Me. The most famous out of the the three, All Eyez on Me, came to be a double disc because of Suge's intimidation. Knight bailed out 2Pac Shakur for $1.4 million in 1995 when Shakur who was in prison for a sexual assault charges. In exchange, Shakur and Knight made a deal that Shakur would deliver two more gold-selling albums for Death Rpw. A year later, the late rapper dropped All Eyez On Me, his epochal album that would become the final peak on Death Row.

In January 2015, Suge was on the set of the Straight Outta Compton biopic when he sped off in a truck, hitting a bystander and killing him. He faces up to a decade in jail for the hit-and-run of Terry Carter. Since he's been put in jail to await his fate, Suge has lost phone and visit privileges and been placed in solitary confinement. Earlier this month, there were reports circulating online that Suge testified that he knew who the shooter was who killed his signee Tupac Shakur and that he was the intended target of the 1996 drive-by, but Knight's lawyer came forward to say that was false.

Suge. who's currently in Los Angeles County Jail, was rushed to the hospital for reasons that remain unknown. He's since left the hospital and is back in jail. He is set to stand trial for the murder of a man named Carter on April 23.

Happy Birthday, Suge!

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