Marion “Suge” Knight’s belongings were auctioned off on the A&E show “Storage Wars,” where the participants buy storage lockers in default and then resell the lockers to whomever offers the highest bid.
Among the items confiscated in the show that premiered this past week were a flat screen TV and a large photo of Knight and Tupac Shakur — which went for only $100, according to media reports. It was revealed that Knight had been seven months in arrears on the storage locker in Simi Valley, Calif.
Perhaps the auction could help Knight get in good with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Knight still owes the IRS more than $6.5 mil in back taxes. Seeing how Knight only makes about $1200 a month, which was revealed when his ex-girl friend took him to court, there’s no way he could make a serious dent in that daunting debt.
To add insult to injury, Knight was scooped up by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after a $40,000 bench warrant was issued after Knight passed on a court appearance. Knight was booked at a West Hollywood police station shortly after 1:15 a.m. Before being released on his own recognizance, Knight was given a citation and ordered to sign a promise to appear.
Millions of hip-hop fans undoubtedly see this as karma coming back on Knight. From the time he allegedly channeled his best inner Don Vito Corleone to secure the services of promising producer Dr. Dre from the clutches of seminal rap group NWA, and even before that, most believe that Knight did some serious dirt in his life to arrive at the pinnacle of music. And though Death Row Records facilitated the legendary careers of Tupac, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg — who churned out multi-platinum records at a rate rarely matched in the history of the industry — the acts of evil he committed in his past have come back to haunt him in a profound way.
I remember when Knight supposedly incited a brawl and stabbing (which started when someone sucker punched Dr. Dre) during the now defunct annual Source Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., several years ago. I recall how Knight’s artist-flunkie Pete Pablo tried to convince the media afterwards that Knight had nothing to do with it. I still have that image of Knight’s smugness as he puffed away at one of his signature Stogies as he stood behind Pablo. Someone in the media line said — or rather whispered — that Knight is going to get his one day. It looks like that day is here in full force.
–terry shropshire
