Cheyenne Roundtree
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Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight, 1996 Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Suge Knight, one of the most formidable names in hip-hop as the co-founder and CEO of Death Row Records, will be sharing an “unflinching” look at his life in his upcoming memoir, Your Pain Is My Joy.
The 352-page memoir offers a “candid and unapologetic look inside the mind of the original rap kingpin,” according to the book’s description. It will be published on Aug. 4 by the Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books.
Knight is a central and polarizing figure in hip-hop’s 50-year history. Alongside Dr. Dre, he co-founded Death Row Records in 1991 and helped bring West Coast rap to the global stage with superstars Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg. Once described as “the most feared man in hip-hop,” Knight was known to be an intimidating character with his towering build, affiliation with Compton street gang the Bloods, and having a well-documented history of violent encounters.
The book promises that Knight won’t “shy away from the controversy that has followed him his entire life,” including addressing the infamous rumor that he once dangled Vanilla Ice over a balcony in an effort to get him to sign over publishing rights to “Ice Ice Baby,” and his “blow-out brawls” with longtime rival, Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs.
