The feud between Eminem and Suge Knight: “Shit, something ain’t right!”
As a product of Detroit’s poorest and most violent neighbourhoods, it’s safe to say that Eminem is not easily spooked. The ‘Stan’ artist wasn’t fearful of any rapper he battled in his hometown, nor was he scared of Suge Knight when he came into contact with him as an artist on the Aftermath roster.
Suge Knight and Dr. Dre had a long and tumultuous business relationship that ended in their parting ways following the Death Row years. However, while Dr Dre moved on to bigger and better things in partnership with Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine, Knight was still plotting and trying to bring down his former partner.
Death Records had been an empire. With Dre, Snoop Dogg and 2Pac all on the label, by the turn of the millennium, it was hard for Suge to face up to the fact that the House of Cards had fallen, and he blamed Dre for its destruction.
As such, when the Compton producer signed Eminem in 1998, Suge sought to do the unthinkable. In an attempt to bring down Dre, the record executive and notorious gangster tried to get Eminem to join the carcass that was Death Row.
As Aftermath began thriving, Death Row rapidly entered a downward spiral, but as he desperately clung to the past, hoping to restore the West Coast label to its former glory, Knight decided to make his presence felt at the 2001 Source Awards.
The Source Awards ceremony was renowned for its tense atmosphere. As enemies met face to face and feuds came to a head, it was rife with trouble. Furthermore, as a show not affiliated with any official or powerful establishment, nobody hesitated to cause a scene. In 2001, Eminem and D12 headlined the ceremony. According to Eminem’s former bodyguard, Big Nas, Knight gave him a gangster greeting backstage after his performance to intimidate him.
In an interview with Capone News, the security official recalled, “Em was walking to the seat. I’m standing to the side. Em was cut off on his way to the seat, and all these guys in red shirts surrounded him.”
He vividly continued, “I’m looking at Em’s face, and I’m looking at these guys like ‘Shit, something ain’t right!'” Despite being surrounded by Bloods from Compton, Eminem wasn’t too phased and ended up running into Suge Knight again only a year later.
In 2002, at the shoot of 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’ music video, Suge Knight tried to destabilise Aftermath once again by intimidating Eminem and Dr Dre. However, this time, Eminem was ready and, as recalled by former G-unit rapper Bang ‘Em Smurf, Eminem was ready to fight Knight in a bulletproof vest. Eminem was never bothered by Suge Knight.
You can find out more about their 2001 altercation in the video below.