Cam’ron explains how Suge Knight confronted him over a 2Pac sample
Cam’ron has a lot of stories about his experiences in the industry, and, as a veteran who has been around since the turn of the millennium, he had a fair few run-ins with some of the business’ most notorious individuals. That said, during a recent episode of Talk With Flee, the Dipset emcee recalled his run-in with Suge Knight.
Suge Knight was known as the bully of the music industry when it came to rap music. As the former head of Death Row Records, home to 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and many other stars, people knew he had an eye for talent.
However, when the West Coast label began to collapse after the death of its main star, there was an evident resentment for the business that he took with him wherever he went. Whether it was with a scowl or a brash demeanour, he made it known that he didn’t like people, and Cam’ron experienced this.
Speaking about the timing of his particular experience, Cam’ron explained to the host how it happened just after his third studio album, Come Home With Me, had been released. The rapper recalled, “To make the long story short, Jacob Yauk was like, ‘Yo, Suge Knight is over there, and he wants to talk to you.’ Now, mind you, this is when my album just came out. It was platinum, I believe… I was super-duper popular.”
The 2002 project was doing well at the time, and he was making a lot of money from sales. However, several 2Pac samples had been used on the record, and although Cam’ron’s label had legitimately cleared them, Suge Knight had an issue with this.
Continuing his recollection, the Harlem native resumed, “I didn’t think nothing of it… So he came over with probably six, seven people, and was just basically like, ‘yo, what’s up.’ And I’m like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ and I didn’t think of it as no confrontation or anything.”
Still, Cam’ron was evidently wrong, as Knight felt entitled to some of the project’s profits. Recalling the Death Row legend’s demands, Cam added, “He went into a spill, and he was like, ‘Yo, you owe money!’ I was like, ‘owe you money for what.’ He was like, ‘You using one of my beats.'”
Cam concluded, “There was then some confusion on Suge’s part because he claimed he ultimately owned the record.” Still, once the New York lyricist explained he had gone through Daz Dillinger with the label, Knight apparently cooled down.