Marion "Suge" Knight
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

Marion "Suge" Knight has been hospitalized after a fight early Monday morning at a private party in Scottsdale, Arizona. Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident, including a man who identified himself as Akon's business manager, according to The Arizona Republic.

Scottsdale police spokesman Sgt. Mark Clark said Akon was not present when the fight occurred at the W Scottsdale Hotel, though the singer had been in town to attend NBA All-Star Game and several celebrity parties.

According the report, Scottsdale police were called to the hotel at around 3:30 a.m., after two groups reportedly exchanged heated words at a private party on the hotel's second floor. Officers saw Knight punched in the face twice by 38-year-old Robert Carnes Jr., who later told authorities he works for Akon. Knight was being treated for face injuries at the Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn.

"It broke out and was over in a few seconds," Clark said. Police have not been able to confirm what started the fight, the Republic further reports.

Police booked Carnes and a man identified as 33-year-old Thomas Leon Anderson Jr. on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct.

Back in November, Knight was booked on two felony drug charges and one misdemeanor battery charge. The charges stem from an incident in which police allege that they witnessed Knight beating his girlfriend while holding a knife over her in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip on August 27. The drug charges are related to Knight's alleged possession of ecstasy and hydrocodone on the night of the incident.

• Marion "Suge" Knight
• Akon

Suge Knight
Photo: Mike Guastella/ Getty Images

This has not been Marion "Suge" Knight's year. First he lost his label, Death Row Records, in a bankruptcy auction. Then he sued Kanye West over a diamond earring lost at the rapper's 2005 pre-VMA party. And late Friday, the Clark County, Nevada, district attorney's office decided to file two felony drug charges and one misdemeanor battery charge against Knight.

The charges stem from an incident in which police allege that they witnessed Knight beating his girlfriend while holding a knife over her in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip on August 27. The drug charges are related to Knight's alleged possession of ecstasy and hydrocodone on the night of the incident.

According to TMZ, Knight is alleged to have punched his girlfriend of three years, Melissa Isaac, in the back of the head while they were driving around the city. She then reportedly grabbed the wheel of the vehicle and forced it into a curb. As she ran from the car, Knight gave chase. Police arrived as Knight was allegedly running after Isaac, and they told TMZ they witnessed the former UNLV defensive end kick Isaac in the head.

The Associated Press reports that Isaac — whom police allegedly found naked by the side of the road during the incident, according to a previous TMZ report — was not stabbed, but was treated at a local hospital for unspecified injuries. Knight was released on $19,000 bail after his arrest.

A spokesperson for the Clark County district attorney's office could not be reached for comment at press time.

• Marion "Suge" Knight

Suge Knight attends Kanye West's 2005 pre-VMA party in Miami, Florida
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage

Times are tough for Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight. The once high-flying gangsta-rap impresario recently filed for bankruptcy, and this summer, he had to sit idly by while his company's assets were sold at auction.

Now, TMZ is reporting that as part of his October 30 bankruptcy filing, Knight is blaming Kanye West for the loss of a beloved 15-carat diamond stud earring that was stolen from him three years ago. According to a lawsuit filed by Knight against West and some of his partners on September 12, the label boss blames 'Ye for allowing someone to smuggle a gun past security at the rapper's 2005 pre-VMA party in Miami, the same party where some unknown person shot Knight in the leg.

"It was reasonably foreseeable to defendants that the party would present a dangerous environment with the possibility of weapons (including firearms) being used by or against party guests given the well-known feuds that have at times pitched East Coast rap and hip-hop stars against West Coast rap and hip-hop stars, some of whom would be attending the party with their associates," the suit reads, adding that "certain hip-hop artists who were invited to the party ... were known not to be friendly to Mr. Knight."

During the scuffle, Knight — who says he attended the party with a "false sense of security" — claims someone shot him in the upper right leg, shattering his bone and requiring surgery, months of physical therapy and continued mental pain and suffering and loss of income. He also says that he lost a $135,000 diamond stud earring, which was retrieved by someone who identified himself as an employee, and who assured Knight the earring would be returned, though it was not. Knight believes the person worked for West or one of the other defendants in the suit.

Knight requests that the earring either be returned or replaced, as he has been "deprived of the use and enjoyment of the earring" since the August 2005 incident.

A spokesperson for West could not be reached for comment at press time.

• Marion "Suge" Knight
• Kanye West

Suge Knight in police custody on Wednesday
Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Marion "Suge" Knight has been released on $19,000 bail after his Wednesday arrest for allegedly beating his girlfriend of three years. He will return to court on September 26 to face charges of assault with a deadly weapon, battery domestic-violence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription, The Associated Press reports.

According to police, several officers responded to a domestic-violence call just after 6:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found the 43-year-old Death Row Records co-founder standing over his girlfriend, a knife in one of his hands.

"This is a very large man," Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Chris Carroll told the AP. "He was on top of her, actually in the act of violently beating her when the officers arrived, with the knife in his hand."

Police claim Knight punched the woman in the head during a heated argument while he was driving his car. Police say Knight's girlfriend "purposely grabbed the steering wheel," causing the car to veer off the roadway and into a curb. After the car had come to a complete stop, Knight's girlfriend allegedly fled from the vehicle and ran off on foot. Knight gave chase and eventually caught up to her, police said. Officers arrived at the scene not long after.

Police cuffed Knight and transported him to a nearby Clark County Detention Center, where they discovered Knight had ecstasy and hydrocodone pills in his possession. Caroll told the AP it was not clear if Knight or his girlfriend were under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the incident. The woman, whose name wasn't released by police, was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries.

• Marion "Suge" Knight

Suge Knight in police custody on Wednesday
Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

On Wednesday morning (August 27), hip-hop impresario Marion "Suge" Knight was arrested by Las Vegas police and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery domestic-violence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription — all related to a domestic violence incident that allegedly involved Knight's girlfriend of three years.

According to police, several officers responded to a domestic-violence call just after 6:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found the Death Row Records co-founder standing over his girlfriend, a knife in one of his hands. Police cuffed Knight and transported him to a nearby Clark County Detention Center. The woman, whose name wasn't released by police, was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries.

Police claim Knight punched the woman in the head while the two were engaged in a heated argument while he was driving his car. In an effort to escape, police claim Knight's girlfriend "purposely grabbed the steering wheel," causing the car to veer off the roadway and into a curb. After the car had come to a complete stop, Knight's girlfriend allegedly fled from the vehicle and ran off on foot. Knight gave chase and eventually caught up to her, police said.

Officers arrived at the scene not long after and defused the situation. Due to a mandatory 12-hour hold on all domestic violence charges, Knight is still in police custody.

When Knight arrived at the Clark County Detention Center for processing, officers discovered he was carrying ecstasy and hydrocodone pills, leading to the additional charges.

• Marion "Suge" Knight

Suge Knight
Photo: Robert Mora/Getty Images

A judge could decide the fate of Death Row Records as early as Tuesday thanks to label co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight's decision to skip a court-ordered appearance at a Saturday hearing regarding his assets. According to The Associated Press, the action could set the stage for a court-appointed receiver to seize control of Death Row's holdings, which include recordings by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur. Knight has missed several hearings in connection with a $107 million judgment he lost last year to Lydia Harris, a former associate who claimed she helped start the label. ...

The last time Lindsay Lohan hosted "SNL," she got an intervention of sorts from cast members such as Tina Fey and show producer Lorne Michaels for her alleged eating disorder. But though the actress has since eaten her words — supposedly revealing her bulimia to Vanity Fair only to claim later she was misquoted — she's taking a step back onto the "SNL" stage April 15 to host the show a third time. The musical guests will be Pearl Jam. ... A new edit of Missy Elliott's "We Run This" will be the first single from the "Stick It" soundtrack, due April 17, three days before the gymnastics movie is due in theaters. Talib Kweli, Punjabi MC and Jurassic 5 also have tracks on the album. ...

Nickelback took home two Junos — Canada's answer to the Grammys — Sunday night, scoring Best Rock Album for their 2005 LP All the Right Reasons along with the Best Group award. Neil Young's Prairie Wind won the Best Adult Alternative Album prize, while Coldplay and the Black Eyed Peas shared International Album of the Year honors. The Juno Fan Choice award was given to Simple Plan, Broken Social Scene won for Best Alternative Album, and the Arcade Fire took the Songwriter of the Year prize. Daniel Powter, the man behind the "American Idol" elimination sendoff song "Bad Day," scored New Artist of the Year. Michael Bublé was the night's biggest winner, snatching up trophies for Best Singer, Best Album, Best Artist and Pop Album of the Year for his It's Time disc. ...

Cypress Hill, the Streets and Common are among the latest acts added to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Sonic Youth, Matt Costa, Tortured Soul, Deadboy & the Elephantmen, Refugee Allstars, Oysterhead (Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool and ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland), and a pairing of Umphrey's McGee and Disco Biscuits are the other additions, as well as a comedy tent. ... Lifehouse, whose "You and Me" is currently the longest-running single on the Billboard Hot 100 (60 weeks and counting), will kick off an East Coast tour April 10 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The trek, with Matt White opening, ends April 30 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. ...

Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello will be honored during the second annual Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Awards on Thursday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Morello is being recognized for the support he has lent to workers fighting for justice and for his efforts to unite musicians and activists taking a stand against corporate interests. Over the years, Morello has devoted his time to organizing benefit concerts and has participated in civil-disobedience movements to support workers' rights. He has been involved in labor struggles including a Los Angeles janitors strike, the Immokalee farm workers' campaign against Taco Bell and the Southern California grocery workers strike. ... According to Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, the band's summer tour with Bauhaus will be its last — at least for "a while." The trek launches May 27 in Ridgefield, Washington, with TV on the Radio on the bill through a June 14 stop in Camden, New Jersey. Peaches has been tapped to open on the trek's second half, starting June 16 in Holmdel, New Jersey, and running through July 8 in Mountain View, California. ...

Megadeth are back in the studio working on a follow-up to their 2004 release, The System Has Failed. According to a posting on the band's Web site, frontman Dave Mustaine says he's "spent the last few days tracking with [guitarist Glen Drover] and [drummer Shawn Drover], and it is the coolest thing to see them be a part of it for real now. And yesterday, especially, was an interesting guitar day, when I witnessed the moment the songs went from an idea in my head to [Glen] getting it. And he is such a great player that each song immediately comes to life as soon as he played on it." ... Shot to Hell, the forthcoming album from Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, will hit stores July 3, coinciding with the first week of this year's Ozzfest. The band will be headlining the touring festival's second stage. ...

Timbaland, Linda Perry and John Shanks will be among the songwriters taking part in ASCAP's inaugural "I Create Music" Expo April 20-22 in Los Angeles. Tom Petty, Jill Scott, Akon, Jimmy Jam, Glen Ballard, Desmond Child, Mike Elizondo, John King of the Dust Brothers, the Underdogs, Glen Phillips, DJ Quik, Jill Sobule and Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson will also serve on various panels. ... Parisian indie punks Phoenix have announced dates for a spring tour. Following their Coachella debut, Phoenix will stay Stateside for a five-date trek hitting select cities in May. Their third album, It's Never Been Like That, hits stores May 23. ...

Frank Black will follow-up 2005's acclaimed Honeycomb with a double album, Fastman/ Raiderman, due June 20. The Pixies frontman worked with a variety of musicians on the 27-song project, including Levon Helm from the Band and Simon Kirke from Bad Company. ... A tribute disc honoring Memphis-based power-pop legends Big Star will finally see release on May 23 after seven years of delays. Called Big Star, Small World, the album features contributions from Wilco, Gin Blossoms, Afghan Whigs, Matthew Sweet, Juliana Hatfield, Teenage Fanclub, the Posies and others.

03.31.06

He may have been a loser on "American Idol," but Kevin Covais is still a winner at home. The Long Island, New York, singer was presented with the key to his home county Thursday — now declared "Kevin Covais Day" — by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, The Associated Press reports. "It's just great being back home," Covais said. On Friday (March 31) the 16-year-old is expected to return to Island Trees High School in Levittown, where he'll be welcomed back with a pep rally. ...

Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee have split after seven years of marriage. "Kimora and I will remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other," the hip-hop mogul said in a statement issued Friday, according to AP. "We will also continue to work side by side on a daily basis as partners in all of our businesses." ... If that sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth left you asking what artist Daniel Edwards was thinking, TriggerStreet.com might have your answer. The online film festival, created by Kevin Spacey, is currently hosting a short documentary called "The Several Severed Heads of Daniel Edwards." The Goodnight Films production features interviews with Edwards and a look at his previous controversial work, depicting late baseball legend Ted Williams as a cryogenically preserved severed head. ...

Big Daddy Kane has been tapped as the headliner of the second annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, set for June 24, and at least one person in the New York City borough is pretty psyched. "I am proud that the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is entering its second year," Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said in a post on the festival's Web site. "By highlighting messages of empowerment and unity, the festival proves that we not only know our hip-hop roots, but that in Brooklyn those roots run deep. And with Big Daddy Kane in the house, we know Brooklyn won't be half-steppin'!" Fans can register for tickets to the event at BrooklynBodega.com. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is launching a new program in which cell-phone users can make $4.99 donations by texting the word "heal" to 50555. Donors will then have access to limited-edition ring tones by Pearl Jam (their memorable cover of Victoria Williams' "Crazy Mary"), OK Go, Tegan and Sara and others. ...

The Rollins Band are mapping their return, according to a post on frontman Henry Rollins' Web site. Rollins, guitarist Chris Haskett, drummer Sim Cain and bassist Melvin Gibbs "have been practicing on and off for months now, slowly getting it together," Hank wrote. "We are back together and are planning on getting some shows in by August. Nothing is booked yet. It's been really cool being back in the practice room with these guys after all these years." Rollins Band's last studio album with that lineup was 1997's Come in and Burn. ... After one month in Los Angeles, New York's French Kicks have returned home with a finished album under their arms. It's called Two Thousand and was produced in L.A. by Doug Boehm. The LP features 10 tracks (with titles including the Yoda-esque "So Far We Are" and "England Just Will Not Let You Recover") and will be in stores in July. The Kicks will preview some tunes from the new disc on a brief tour that kicks off April 11 in Baltimore. ...

Brooklyn trio Blood on the Wall have been picked to open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs beginning April 3 in Washington, D.C., and ending April 29 in San Francisco. The band is supporting Awesomer, which was released late last year. ... Before joining Thursday on the road beginning April 25, Me Without You will enter the studio with Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo) to start working on the follow-up to 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, which Wood also produced. ...

The Accident Experiment, former P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel's band, will kick off their tour May 6 in Longview, Texas, to promote their debut album, United We Fear, due May 9. Five.Bolt.Main and Element Eighty are opening on the trek, which wraps up June 10 in Manchester, New Hampshire. ... Frank Zappa will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the sixth annual Jammy Awards, set for April 20 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Blues Traveler, Stephen Marley, Guster, Mad Professor and Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins's side project Banyan are among the artists scheduled to perform at the event. Tickets are available at Jammys.com. ...

This summer will see the arrival of "Latin American Idol," Reuters reports. The "Idol" franchise currently comprises 33 versions, each for a specific country; "Latin American Idol" will be the first regional singing competition. Auditions will be held in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina, where the show will be taped in Buenos Aires.

• Marion "Suge" Knight
• Lindsay Lohan
• Missy Elliott
• Coldplay
• Nine Inch Nails

Suge Knight
Photo: MTV News

A judge could decide the fate of Death Row Records as early as Tuesday thanks to label co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight's decision to skip a court-ordered appearance at a Saturday hearing regarding his assets. According to The Associated Press, the action could set the stage for a court-appointed receiver to seize control of Death Row's holdings, which include recordings by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur. Knight has missed several hearings in connection with a $107 million judgment he lost last year to Lydia Harris, a former associate who claimed she helped start the label. ...

Nickelback took home two Junos — Canada's answer to the Grammys — Sunday night, scoring Best Rock Album for their 2005 LP All the Right Reasons along with the Best Group award. Neil Young's Prairie Wind won the Best Adult Alternative Album prize, while Coldplay and the Black Eyed Peas shared International Album of the Year honors. The Juno Fan Choice award was given to Simple Plan, Broken Social Scene won for Best Alternative Album and the Arcade Fire took the Songwriter of the Year prize. Daniel Powter, the man behind the "American Idol" elimination sendoff song "Bad Day" scored New Artist of the Year. Michael Bublé was the night's biggest winner, snatching up trophies for Best Singer, Best Album, Best Artist and Pop Album of the Year for his It's Time disc. ...

Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello will be honored during the second annual Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Awards on Thursday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Morello is being recognized for the support he has lent to workers fighting for justice and for his efforts to unite musicians and activists taking a stand against corporate interests. Over the years, Morello has devoted his time to organizing benefit concerts and has participated in civil-disobedience movements to support workers' rights. He has been involved in labor struggles including a Los Angeles janitors' strike, the Immokalee farm workers' campaign against Taco Bell and the Southern California grocery workers' strike and lockout. ... According to Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, the band's summer tour with Bauhaus will be its last — at least for "a while." The trek launches May 27 in Ridgefield, Washington, with TV on the Radio on the bill through a June 14 stop in Camden, New Jersey. Peaches has been tapped to open on the trek's second half, starting June 16 in Holmdel, New Jersey, and running through July 8 in Mountain View, California. ...

Megadeth are back in the studio working on the follow-up to their 2004 release The System Has Failed. According to a posting on the band's Web site, frontman Dave Mustaine says he's "spent the last few days tracking with [guitarist Glen Drover] and [drummer Shawn Drover], and it is the coolest thing to see them be a part of it for real now. And yesterday especially, was an interesting guitar day, when I witnessed the moment the songs went from an idea in my head to [Glen] getting it. And he is such a great player that each song immediately comes to life as soon as he played on it." ... Shot to Hell, the forthcoming album from Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, will hit stores July 3, coinciding with the first week of this year's Ozzfest. The band will be headlining the touring festival's second stage. ...

Frank Black will follow-up 2005's acclaimed Honeycomb with a double album, Fastman/ Raiderman, due June 20. The Pixies frontman worked with a variety of musicians on the 27-song project, including Levon Helm from the Band and Simon Kirke from Bad Company. ... A tribute disc honoring Memphis-based power-pop legends Big Star will finally see release on May 23 after seven years of delays. Called Big Star, Small World, the album features contributions from Wilco, Gin Blossoms, Afghan Whigs, Matthew Sweet, Juliana Hatfield, Teenage Fanclub, the Posies and others.

03.31.06

He may have been a loser on "American Idol," but Kevin Covais is still a winner at home. The Long Island, New York, singer was presented with the key to his home county Thursday — now declared "Kevin Covais Day" — by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, The Associated Press reports. "It's just great being back home," Covais said. On Friday (March 31) the 16-year-old is expected to return to Island Trees High School in Levittown, where he'll be welcomed back with a pep rally. ...

Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee have split after seven years of marriage. "Kimora and I will remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other," the hip-hop mogul said in a statement issued Friday, according to AP. "We will also continue to work side by side on a daily basis as partners in all of our businesses." ... If that sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth left you asking what artist Daniel Edwards was thinking, TriggerStreet.com might have your answer. The online film festival, created by Kevin Spacey, is currently hosting a short documentary called "The Several Severed Heads of Daniel Edwards." The Goodnight Films production features interviews with Edwards and a look at his previous controversial work, depicting late baseball legend Ted Williams as a cryogenically preserved severed head. ...

Big Daddy Kane has been tapped as the headliner of the second annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, set for June 24, and at least one person in the New York City borough is pretty psyched. "I am proud that the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is entering its second year," Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said in a post on the festival's Web site. "By highlighting messages of empowerment and unity, the festival proves that we not only know our hip-hop roots, but that in Brooklyn those roots run deep. And with Big Daddy Kane in the house, we know Brooklyn won't be half-steppin'!" Fans can register for tickets to the event at BrooklynBodega.com. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is launching a new program in which cell-phone users can make $4.99 donations by texting the word "heal" to 50555. Donors will then have access to limited-edition ring tones by Pearl Jam (their memorable cover of Victoria Williams' "Crazy Mary"), OK Go, Tegan and Sara and others. ...

The Rollins Band are mapping their return, according to a post on frontman Henry Rollins' Web site. Rollins, guitarist Chris Haskett, drummer Sim Cain and bassist Melvin Gibbs "have been practicing on and off for months now, slowly getting it together," Hank wrote. "We are back together and are planning on getting some shows in by August. Nothing is booked yet. It's been really cool being back in the practice room with these guys after all these years." Rollins Band's last studio album with that lineup was 1997's Come in and Burn. ... After one month in Los Angeles, New York's French Kicks have returned home with a finished album under their arms. It's called Two Thousand and was produced in L.A. by Doug Boehm. The LP features 10 tracks (with titles including the Yoda-esque "So Far We Are" and "England Just Will Not Let You Recover") and will be in stores in July. The Kicks will preview some tunes from the new disc on a brief tour that kicks off April 11 in Baltimore. ...

Brooklyn trio Blood on the Wall have been picked to open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs beginning April 3 in Washington, D.C., and ending April 29 in San Francisco. The band is supporting Awesomer, which was released late last year. ... Before joining Thursday on the road beginning April 25, Me Without You will enter the studio with Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo) to start working on the follow-up to 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, which Wood also produced. ...

The Accident Experiment, former P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel's band, will kick off their tour May 6 in Longview, Texas, to promote their debut album, United We Fear, due May 9. Five.Bolt.Main and Element Eighty are opening on the trek, which wraps up June 10 in Manchester, New Hampshire. ... Frank Zappa will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the sixth annual Jammy Awards, set for April 20 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Blues Traveler, Stephen Marley, Guster, Mad Professor and Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins's side project Banyan are among the artists scheduled to perform at the event. Tickets are available at Jammys.com. ...

This summer will see the arrival of "Latin American Idol," Reuters reports. The "Idol" franchise currently comprises 33 versions, each for a specific country; "Latin American Idol" will be the first regional singing competition. Auditions will be held in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina, where the show will be taped in Buenos Aires.

• Marion "Suge" Knight
• Black Eyed Peas
• Coldplay
• Tom Morello
• Nine Inch Nails

Suge Knight
Photo: Robert Mora/Getty Images

For much of the past decade, once-dominant West Coast gangsta rap label Death Row Records has been on life support. On Thursday, a Los Angeles judge may have finally pulled the plug.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald Sohigian told label co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight that he is prepared to take control of all of Knight's assets, including Death Row, after determining that Knight had avoided paying a $107 million civil judgment won by a former business partner, according to a Reuters report.

Sohigian said Knight could avoid the order if he fully disclosed his assets in a debtor's exam scheduled for April 1. Otherwise, the judge would appoint a court officer to take over Knight's finances after he said the rap impresario failed to pay off the $107 million judgment awarded last March to Lydia Harris, who claimed Knight cheated her out of a 50 percent stake in the label (see "Suge Ordered To Pay $107 Million To Ex-Death Row Partner").

"Because he had a long history of deceiving the court and avoiding payment, I asked the court to appoint a receiver to take over," Harris' attorney, Rex Julian Beaber, said according to Reuters. "If Knight cooperates in providing the information, he can ask the court to remove the receiver. But I don't think there's a chance in hell Knight is going to cooperate."

Beaber claimed that Knight, 40, had spent the past year "playing games" in court to avoid paying the judgment. "There has been a very, very protracted history of difficulty in the case," Sohigian said. Death Row, once home to Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur, has crumbled over the past decade due to the defection of its biggest talent, Shakur's 1996 murder and a pair of prison stints by Knight that effectively stalled the label's momentum.

Things haven't been easier since his release, as Knight was shot in the leg at a party thrown by Kanye West in Miami in August and less than 24 hours later, had his assets frozen when he was named an "interested party" in the Harris' divorce (see "Suge Knight Recovering After Being Shot At Kanye West Party In Miami" and "Suge Knight's Assets Frozen In Divorce Dispute").

Michael Harris, a convicted drug dealer serving a 28-year term at San Quentin State Prison, claims he's entitled to half of his wife's $107 million judgment. According to The Associated Press, Michael Harris filed for divorce in June 2005 when he learned his wife was engaged in settlement negotiations with Suge.

Knight's lawyer, Dermot Givens, said Sohigian had not formally signed the order seizing Knight's assets and he expected it to be overturned by providing proof that Knight and Harris had reached a settlement in the case.

"In May of 2005, [Lydia Harris] received a million dollars and rights to various music, and she signed a settlement agreement," Givens told Reuters. He claimed Harris was trying to back out of that settlement under pressure from ex-husband Michael, who would be entitled to share in the original $107 million judgment.

Beaber and a lawyer for Michael Harris, Steven Goldberg, said there was no such agreement. Goldberg predicted Knight would end up losing control of his record label.

"I think it's a death knell for Death Row," Goldberg said.

• Marion "Suge" Knight

Photo: Bad rap, LLC

Like a lot of people, Don Sikorski had long heard rumors of a "hip-hop squad" within the New York Police Department set up to investigate ties to money laundering, drug trafficking and several violent incidents involving rappers. But it wasn't until the first-time director picked up a camera and began asking rappers about their experiences that he realized there may be more to the story than he thought.

Sikorski's three-years-in-the-making documentary, "Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops," features interviews with everyone from Kanye West and Cam'ron to RZA, Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg, Ja Rule, Game, Wyclef, Freeway, Russell Simmons, Suge Knight and Beanie Sigel, some talking for the first time about their experiences with authorities in the shadowy squad.

"About three years ago, there were these rumors going around about some sort of covert unit out of the NYPD, and I had some friends in the hip-hop industry, so I started poking around to see what the story was," said Sikorski, 27, who ended up shooting 300 hours of footage for the project. "Around that time, the FBI raided the offices of Murder Inc. and I started hearing about some other 'hip-hop cops,' which sounded like a good story to me. It had the aura of violence in hip-hop, the laundering of drug money, the NYPD, the FBI and a music that has captured American popular culture."

What Sikorski didn't envision was a project that would take over his life for three years, put him in contact with more than 150 of the most powerful people in hip-hop and result in him being trailed and photographed in the same way his subjects claim they have been. He also didn't expect to get his hands on the fabled 500-page dossier on hip-hop figures that contains home addresses, license plate and Social Security numbers, profiles of the people they associate with and a raft of other highly personal information on many of his subjects, some of which he began to fear was so privileged that it might spark the very kind of violent incidents the squad was set up to investigate.

Though Sikorski was able to get former law enforcement and FBI agents to speak to him, no current law-enforcement agents would go on the record for the film, especially the members of the secretive New York/ New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, an agency formed in the early 1990s to combat high-end drug trafficking. Sikorski said HIDTA is the lead intelligence-gathering agency in the hip-hop cop program, but a spokesperson for the NYPD said the department had no comment on Sikorski's film or his claims. The NYPD has also previously denied the existence of any special hip-hop task force.

"I actually sent pages of this 500-page book with the HIDTA logo on the top of every page to the NYPD and FBI asking for comment, and every call was denied," Sikorski said. "And I wasn't taking the side of hip-hop or saying this is wrong. I wanted the story from both sides." The story of how Sikorski got the dossier is itself a bit of a mystery. He said that after more than 15 failed Freedom of Information Act requests, one day he got a call out of the blue from someone at the Miami Police Department who asked for his FedEx number. The book showed up a few days later.

In the film, Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight is heard saying, "I ain't seen the book, I ain't read the book, I ain't heard about the book." That kind of paranoia is warranted, according to Sikorski, who said that when he went to Los Angeles to meet with Knight, he was followed by undercover police cars and spotted someone photographing him from the roof of an adjacent building.

"These guys are watched," Sikorski said. The director added that halfway through the filming of the movie, he suddenly stopped receiving his mail for a month and a half. "And I got a few phone calls here and there saying, 'Don't put this film out.' "

Sikorski ended up spending so much time on the movie that he used the raid of the Murder Inc. offices and the eventual acquittal of Inc. bosses Irv and Chris Lorenzo on money-laundering charges in late 2005 — as well as a recent murder on the set of a Busta Rhymes video — as framing devices for the film (see "Gotti Brothers Found Not Guilty Of Money Laundering" and "Police Want To Question Busta Rhymes About Fatal Shooting At Video Set"). "A lot of these guys were scared to talk to me at first," he said. "But they opened up eventually and it became easier to get their candid thoughts. What I found was that there were people within hip-hop who said they deserve this scrutiny if they're going to be talking about drugs and guns and carrying guns."

The message is brought home by Beanie Sigel, who says, "Anybody in hip-hop that's got a name, got a voice, is a target."

A rough cut of the film, which features performances from Eminem, Fat Joe, Jadakiss and Lloyd Banks, will have its first public screening at the IFC Film Center in New York on April 6.

Check out "Hip-Hop Cops: Is The NYPD At War With Hip-Hop?" for an in-depth look at the NYPD's alleged clampdown on the rap industry.

• Marion "Suge" Knight
• Beanie Sigel
• Kanye West
• Cam'ron

Suge Knight
Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images

What's worse than getting shot in the leg? Well, not much. But if you're Marion "Suge" Knight, having your finances put on ice isn't a lot better.

According to The Associated Press, a California judge added Knight's name as an "interested party" to the divorce of Lydia and Michael Harris on August 29 — a move that placed a block on Suge's accounts.

The decision followed just over 24 hours after a bone in Knight's leg was shattered by a bullet fired by an unknown gunman during a party honoring Kanye West at Miami's Shore Club (see "Suge Knight Recovering After Being Shot At Kanye West Party In Miami"). The Death Row Records head has since been released from the hospital.

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Adrienne M. Grover made the ruling to tie Knight to the Harris divorce just six months after Lydia Harris was awarded $107 million in damages by a different judge. That earlier decision brought an end to civil proceedings Harris filed against Knight back in 2002 (see "Suge Ordered To Pay $107 Million To Ex-Death Row Partner"). Lydia Harris sued Knight for unpaid royalties and profits, claiming she was entitled to a 50 percent stake in Death Row Records; Suge had inked a partnership deal with her husband, Michael, during the rap label's infancy.

But Michael Harris, a convicted drug dealer serving a 28-year term at San Quentin State Prison, claims he's entitled to half of his wife's $107 million judgment. According to the wire service, Michael Harris filed for divorce in June when he learned his wife was engaged in settlement negotiations with Suge.

"She was trying to settle separately and cut him off the $107 million award," said Michael Harris' attorney, Steven Goldberg. Goldberg explained that by filing divorce papers, his client hoped to impede settlement talks. Adding Knight's name to the divorce action bars the rap mogul from "disposing or transferring his assets away," the attorney told the AP.

• Marion "Suge" Knight