As everyone was speculating about who was responsible for Tupac’s death, Snoop Dogg had his own suspicions. He blamed the man driving the car that night—the one who was feared by everyone in hip hop. Snoop confronted him, saying, “You put all of our lives at risk. You don’t care about Pac.” Then he issued a challenge: “Come to my room. Just me and you. This is either the moment you kill me, or we finally clear the air.”
But did Snoop have a sense that something was going to happen that night? The next day, the news was filled with scenes of police tape and tragedy. Tupac had been shot four times after leaving a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, with Marion “Suge” Knight, the head of Death Row Records, behind the wheel.
Snoop recalled, “I jumped in my Hummer, and we drove straight to Vegas. When we got there, Suge was at home, standing up, but his head was wrapped up in a bandage. He started telling us what happened, and he almost seemed happy about it. He said, ‘Man, when those guys started shooting at us, Tupac was trying to jump in the backseat.’ I told him, ‘Get down,’ and I pulled him down… The way he was talking, it was like Pac was still full of life, you know? Even when he talked about driving to the hospital, it was like Pac was still there with him.”
So I jumped on the highway to go see him. We finally had a chance to sit down and talk, but at that time, things were tense between us. We weren’t on the best of terms—it was all bad. He was my friend even before Death Row came into the picture. I first met him at the ‘Poetic Justice’ wrap party. I got to the party, and the DJ announced, “Yeah, I got my little cousin Snoop Dogg in the house, gonna come up here and rap.” But before I could grab the mic, Tupac took it. He did his thing, and when it was my turn, he took the mic back. We ended up rapping at each other, real aggressive, back and forth for like four or five rounds. Before we knew it, the whole party had circled around us. After it was over, we stepped outside, and I was like, “Let me get your number, cuz. I’m gonna hit you up.” From that moment, I clicked with him. I thought, “This dude is hard!” So I went to Suge and said, “We need him on our team. He’s already got that energy we have, and with us, he’ll elevate everything. We’re already great, but with him, we’ll be unstoppable.”
When asked if working together in the studio was intimidating, Snoop replied, “Nah, he pushed me to be better. Snoop took the baton and ran with it, but when Tupac got it, he took Death Row to a whole new level. Next year, Death Row’s gonna start printing our own money.” But Snoop started to notice Suge Knight’s growing influence on Tupac. “I think Suge steered him in the direction he wanted to go. Pac was drawn to that glamorous gangster mafia lifestyle, and Suge gave it to him. Suge was a master at giving you what you wanted. If he cared about you, he’d go all out. Death Row was like a family. But if he didn’t like you, you were done.”
Suge Knight, the controversial CEO of Death Row Records, was one of the most feared figures in hip-hop. He was known for vicious assaults, beatings, and even pistol-whipping. “If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what I would’ve done. This guy was facing 25 years to life, and I didn’t hesitate to put up nearly $5 million for attorney fees. I had 50, 60 guys escort him to court so he wouldn’t get jumped. He was the fixer, the cleaner.” “Yeah, if something went wrong, he knew how to handle it. I see it like this—if I’m with you, I’m with you. If we’re on the same team, I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”
But Snoop was concerned about the kind of help Tupac wanted from Suge. “Pac had this spirit of animosity, revenge, retaliation. He believed that Puff Daddy and Notorious B.I.G. were involved in his New York shooting. Pac was like, ‘Look, I went to New York, I went to the studio, and these guys set me up and shot me, period.’ I told him, ‘Well, you’re with us now. Your friends are my friends, and your enemies are my enemies.’ But I never really felt they were involved—it just didn’t add up. They were his friends back then. He got shot five times, came out of jail, and sold 5 million records. He was like, ‘They can’t mess with us. That’s how we roll on the West side. Forget that peace talk. I’m not even trying to make peace. Forget them all.’
“If anyone was gonna mess with Pac, I’d be right there with him.” They created a war, fueling each other’s fire. It was like a tit-for-tat situation. No one was there to cool things down. And it escalated beyond just Tupac and Biggie. “When you see a Vibe magazine cover with Puff and Biggie and the headline ‘East vs. West,’ people in the hood don’t read the articles—they just see ‘East vs. West’ and think it’s on. They’re ready to throw down when they see them. It became about who could win in a physical confrontation, whose crew was tougher if they ever clashed. We had the numbers. We already ran the streets out here. All these other guys were just trying to play catch-up. They turned it into a battle between East and West, like it was some kind of game. But this ain’t a game. If it was chess, we’d be yelling checkmate three years ago because we’d already won.”
These days, it doesn’t take much to spark a gang war. What started as music meant to inform has turned into music that incites violence. Gang violence in Los Angeles has claimed three lives. The shootings were part of this ongoing warfare. “The East-West thing isn’t a Snoop Dogg problem. If it’s personal, it should stay personal. Handle it, deal with it, but keep it out of our faces. I’ve been dealing with this kind of stuff my whole life. This isn’t a joke to us.”
Tupac Shakur dropped a diss track where he implied he had slept with Biggie’s wife, stoking the already heated East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry. “When he first played it for me, I was like, ‘Man, I’m not sure about this…’ It felt like he was pushing things too far. We wanted to crush them, just like we did with Biggie. You notice how he’s been silent as a mouse since then? But by doing this, you’re just inviting more trouble, man. I don’t have any mercy left in me. If you’re going to act like a gangster, like you’re the king of New York, then I expect you to back that up. And when you don’t, I’m going to tear down everything you’ve built. That time has come.”
But just a few days later, Snoop Dogg’s worst fears came true. Tupac Shakur was rushed to the hospital, clinging to life. His friends and family gathered around, praying he’d pull through. “When I saw him, it wasn’t what I expected. He wasn’t moving, he wasn’t talking, he wasn’t even breathing on his own. His mom pulled me aside, and that’s when I realized how bad it was. She was trying to keep me strong, telling me to stay positive, but I could see it was serious. Pac was just lying there, and I got close to him, whispering in his ear, trying to talk to him. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced. As soon as I left the room, I went straight to the bathroom and threw up.”
Did you know then that Pac wasn’t going to make it? “No, I didn’t. Pac was like Superman to us. I really believed he’d come out of it. We’d seen him bounce back before. I thought, ‘He’ll be okay. He’s going to pull through,’ but when he didn’t… it broke my heart. We all felt that way. We were Death Row; we felt untouchable until that day.”
While Snoop was grieving, Suge Knight was locked up for violating his parole on the night Tupac was shot. But even from behind bars, Suge was determined to get revenge. “When Tupac got shot, my focus was on keeping the crew together. There wasn’t time to be weak or feel sorry for ourselves. If something had to be done, it had to be done.”
In Compton, California, a gang war erupted into a five-day bloodbath, leaving three men dead and ten more wounded. “Some of these shootings might be retaliation for what happened in Vegas,” police said. “There’s been a spike in violence in Compton since September 7th.” We were right in the thick of it, surrounded by all that chaos, death, and loss. “Pac didn’t realize how much influence he had, but he was also deeply influenced by others…”
Snoop started to wonder if Suge had something to do with Tupac’s death. “It was like we were all being led down a dark path, and Suge was at the front. When you put everyone’s lives at risk like that, it shows you don’t care about anyone but yourself, and that’s exactly what happened. Our lives were on the line. That’s when I started realizing Death Row wasn’t the place for me. I came here to make music, to create something good. That’s why I signed with Death Row—to make music, not to hurt people or spread hate. I’ve been down that road, and I’m done with it. I’m choosing a different path now.”
After years with Death Row Records, Snoop decided to leave and join No Limit Soldiers, leaving the drama behind. Suge wasn’t happy about it. He expected loyalty. “You’re either with us or against us. There’s no middle ground. If you’re not with us, you’re nothing.”
“Things started to change after that,” Snoop said. “There was tension, bitterness. We lost our biggest star, and then I started hearing all these threats. People were saying, ‘They’re gonna mess you up. They’re gonna cut your head off.’ And Suge had Crips working for him who were supposed to come after me. If it weren’t for Suge Knight, he’d still be stuck in someone’s cell, cooking dinner and doing laundry.”
Suge Knight recently said that he used to be a superstar, but now he’s just a No Limit Soldier. What’s your response to that?
Once a powerful CEO, now just another inmate.
Thanks a lot.
Snoop might’ve thought he was safe, but Suge was about to remind him that he was still a force to be reckoned with.
We were at Universal, with No Limit, just chilling. We were at the show, sitting inside, when the Death Row crew walked up. Suge came in, all friendly, smiling, shaking hands. He walked me over to a corner, chatting like nothing was up. But before I knew it, more of them started closing in. Five minutes later, I’m surrounded by about seven of them, and I hadn’t even noticed.
The Soldiers hit the stage, and there I was, back there alone, talking to these Death Row dudes. Then they hit me with, “You owe Suge an apology.” I was like, “Man, f*** Suge.” They didn’t like that. One of them tried to swing on me but missed. I got out of there quick. And Snoop just came flying by…
Master P and his crew got wind of it while they were still on stage. They literally ran off in the middle of their performance. Chaos broke out; everyone was running for the gates, and we were right behind them. It turned into a full-blown riot. I managed to escape unharmed, but ran right into the cops, with weed in my pocket and all, just trying to save my life.
As soon as we got outside, officers were there, guns drawn, with a helicopter overhead. “Get on the ground!” they yelled. They didn’t know where Snoop was and kept shouting, “Where the f*** is Snoop? Is Snoop alright?”
Snoop Dogg narrowly escaped Suge’s ambush, but his actions started becoming reckless.
I was planning to drop a diss track aimed at Death Row. Something like, “F*** Death Row.” I didn’t care anymore; they were after me, so I was going to go after them. Suge Knight was talking, but I was ready to end it. Suge’s message was clear: “You better respect me, or I’ll teach you how.”
After five years for a probation violation, Suge Knight, the former Death Row Records CEO, celebrated his release. “Nothing’s changed,” he boasted. “Death Row’s back on the streets and in the clubs.” LA was divided—Suge could go anywhere, but Snoop couldn’t step out without an entourage. “I’ll respect you, but if you don’t respect me, I’ll make you,” Suge warned.
With Suge back on the streets, Snoop was always on edge, but things were about to get worse.
I’d just finished a show and was ready to head home. I drove a block and a half before I was surrounded by a hundred cops, guns drawn, and they weren’t messing around. They pulled me out of the car and started asking, “Do you know this guy?” I didn’t, but they said he claimed to have sold me multiple guns. “You can play dumb, but we’ve got your wife and kids under arrest. We’ll tear through your whole house unless you cooperate.”
I had to think quickly. My daughter and son were in the house. Did I really want them to go through this? This didn’t bother me, but they had never experienced anything like this. So, I asked, “If I give you a few guns, will you let my family go?” I told them where the guns were hidden, and after verifying, they let my family go. But I had to take the probation deal.
That incident made me fire every security guard with a criminal record because they couldn’t be around me without violating my probation. So, there I was, without protection, knowing people wanted to kill me.
Once again, Snoop Dogg was facing death, but this time, he was more vulnerable than ever. He had to take a hard look at how things had escalated.
It broke me. Winning my murder case, Tupac getting killed, Death Row wanting me dead—it all happened in the same year. I didn’t understand death, even when my homies from gangbanging days started dying. You never become numb to it, but it becomes a part of life, like, “I guess this is what it’s supposed to be.”
Looking back, all the rappers writing about death… they’re all dead now. Our pens wrote our fate. “I hope I live to see 21,” and similar lines. We were preparing ourselves for death. But then, I had a family, and I realized I wanted to live.
Snoop Dogg knew it was time to face Suge Knight one last time.
I saw him in Vegas, going about my business. My security spotted him before I did and stepped up. Suge was like, “Doggy Dogg! Tell your guy I’m not tripping, man. Tell him to chill.” I said, “You know where I’m at.” Suge wanted to talk, so I told him to meet me later.
About 45 minutes later, I sent my guy to fetch Suge and told him, “Give Suge the room key and let him come up alone.” When he arrived, it was just us. I told him, “Man, I loved you. I could have saved you. I had nothing but love for you.” He responded, “I love you too. I’ve got nothing but love for you.”
“Then why did you try to get me hit if you loved me?” I asked. “There are guys outside who want your head right now. But you know what? I forgive you. Walk out of here, and we’ll be cool from now on.”
And we’ve been straight ever since. I wasn’t ready for war, but my pride almost pushed me into one. Sometimes, you have to be smarter than the average bear. I had to think about my family and the future, which made me take a different path.
I started writing about life. My pen became about living, having fun, and waking up tomorrow. And my life followed that path.
I barely made it out, so I wanted to give my kids a better chance by putting them in a safer environment, away from gangs and violence.
As I grew older, I realized it’s my job to do what’s right. You have to start doing things that matter for the future. In a family, there’s always something or someone that falls, but it’s about surviving and carrying on the legacy.
Now, I focus on being peaceful and smart enough to leave the past behind. To make people happy, to inspire, and to influence. I love the fact that people love and follow me. I want to be loved while I’m here, and the only way to get love is to give love.
