The reason Suge Knight threatened to beat up Rick Ross
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The reason Suge Knight threatened to beat up Rick Ross

Businessman and former music executive Suge Knight was a very ill-tempered man. Notorious for his feuds and antics, the now-incarcerated Knight was a volatile figure. In one instance, his temper turned towards Miami rapper and MMG founder Rick Ross. It concerned a statement Ross made about the late Tupac Shakur.

In 2011, Ross made a hit record referencing Tupac. When Knight heard the track, it would be an understatement to say he wasn’t happy and let it be known. This resulted in Knight once physically threatening Ross. Like many hip-hop artists, Rick Ross has a lot of respect for Tupac Shakur. In a 2011 interview with Power 106, the ‘Hustlin’ rapper shared the importance of Pac and Biggie Smalls’ music to him.

Speaking on the two late rappers, Ross stated, “Tupac and Big, I feel, were the most important rappers of all time,” Ross said. “Just the emotions they draw from the streets has never been matched and it never will be.” However, Ross had an affinity for 2pac and explained how he loved the meaning and messages within his music.

Elaborating on his love, Ross detailed, “The message, and the power and the voice, and he showed you the potential. As a young black dude coming from the roughest streets in America, the potential that’s in you that you just have to pull out. I think that just inspired everybody on some kind of level,” Ross said. Talking about the 2011 MMG hit ‘Tupac Back,’ Ross explained it was a heartfelt tribute to the legendary artist.

However, the fact that Ross was making money from 2pac’s angered Suge Knight to the point that he even threatened to beat up Rick Ross over the record. As one of the original Co-Founders of Death Row Records, the label of Pac, Knight initially stated he didn’t have any ill will personally against Ross in a 2011 interview. “I can’t sit up here and say I’m bitter to Rick Ross,” Knight told the 93.5 Kday Radio Show. “Cause like anybody else, we don’t know Rick Ross. That’s a guy who uses somebody else’s name. This guy comes from being a correctional officer. I don’t got nothing negative [against him] personally, I just feel like he do good music, and you can’t take that from him.”

However, following what seemed to be a compliment came Knight’s underlying rage. Knight shared how he found Ross’ record disrespectful to the late rapper and explained that if Ross is hanging around Diddy (which he was at the time) then in no way can you then make a record talking about Tupac. Disclosing his stance on the matter, Knight adamantly stated, “That boy got bars, he’s gonna write… at the same time, I feel like there’s a line you cross, and Rick Ross crossed that line. If you’re gonna be with guy [Diddy] who killed Tupac, you can’t go turn around and do a record called ‘Tupac Back,’” Knight added. “I’ll beat the dog sh*t out of Rick Ross for manipulating these people out here.”

Rick Ross never responded to Suge Knight whose relevance was waning by the minute. You can listen to ‘Tupac Back’ (the record that upset Knight so much) in the video below.