Suge Knight Reveals Janet Jackson’s Dad Kept Him from Slapping Jermaine Dupri Over Money Dupri Owed to Bow Wow

Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight Jr., 59, continues to spill tea about his peers in the music industry despite being behind bars.

Suge is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for killing his friend, Terry Carter, in 2015. However, his voluntary manslaughter conviction in California has not stopped him from giving interviews from the penitentiary.

“The Art of Dialogue” spoke to the former music executive over the phone. In the audio, released on Feb. 26, Suge was asked about rumors that he physically attacked So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri, 52.

According to Knight, he recruited platinum-selling rapper Shad “Bow Wow” Moss, 36, to his Death Row roster before the then-child star eventually inked a deal with Dupri’s So So Def.

The story goes that Death Row signee Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus Jr., 53, introduced Bow Wow to Dupri. Knight claimed he had a contract with Moss at the time.

“Jermaine Dupri and them knew he was signed to me, and a lot of money was passed hands. I didn’t want to mess up the little dude’s career and try to destroy his life,” Suge stated. 

The Compton native went on to discuss allegedly running into Dupri one night. Knight claimed he confronted the music producer over money he supposedly owed Bow Wow.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna tell you one more time. What’s brackin’?’” Suge recalled saying to Dupri, before suggesting he hit the Atlanta-raised record executive.

Suge added, “It wasn’t one of those somebody gets slapped so hard they slide down the street. But it was something that made you get your attention.” 

The incarcerated agitator also called Dupri “one of the smartest little motherf—– around” before revealing the “Money Ain’t a Thang” hitmaker sought reinforcements.

“He called Joe Jackson and put it on speaker,” Suge asserted, referring to the father of Dupri’s then-girlfriend, entertainment superstar Janet Jackson, and the late King of Pop Michael Jackson.

Knight continued, “He tells Joe Jackson, ‘Help, Suge is right in front of me mad.’” The ex-college football player said he gave his word to Joe that he would not “beat the s— out of” Dupri before allegedly dumping a cup of coffee on his head.

“I could hear Joe Jackson shouting. The phone fell on the ground. It was still on,” Suge noted. Perhaps sarcastically, Suge offered a mea culpa to Dupri by apologizing to “all the short people” he offended.

Dupri has already responded to the allegations that he got slapped by the gangsta rap mogul. On Feb. 26, JD posted a clip to his Instagram Story of Death Row’s former head of security, Reggie Wright Jr., talking about the alleged slapping incident.

Wright appeared on the Bomb1st YouTube channel in April 2024 in a video titled “I Told You Suge Knight Didn’t Slap Diddy and Jermaine Dupri! People Lie For Views!” The ex-bodyguard denied seeing Suge smack Dupri at a party in Atlanta, like behind-the-scenes gossip claimed.

“He’s talking about pouring hot coffee on motherf—-. Why wouldn’t he say he slapped somebody? Hot coffee is a more serious crime than a slap. So miss me with that,” Wright argued as a counter to people who defended Suge for not outright confessing to slapping the “Life in 1472” album creator.

Suge previously spoke about the supposed bad blood with Dupri over a Bow Wow contractual dispute. A March 2024 episode of his “Collect Call” podcast featured Suge saying he poured hot coffee on JD, but he did not outright admit to slapping him.

Dupri did not add a caption or any commentary to his Instagram Story post about Wright’s take on the situation. Instead, two hours later, he moved on to sharing a video of himself introducing Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ State of the City address on Feb. 25.

Bow Wow has also addressed Suge claiming he struck his musical mentor in the face. In February 2024, the “Let Me Hold You” rapper had his own interview with The Art Of Dialogue where he contradicted tales of his longtime friend being the victim of Suge’s aggressive tactics.

“Suge ain’t never done no s— like that,” Bow Wow declared. The star of movies such as “Like Mike” and “Lottery Ticket” insisted Knight was always cordial when they ran into each other in Los Angeles.

Bow Wow was directly responding to other “Art of Dialogue” interviewees like former Bad Boy Entertainment artist Mark Curry telling the same story in December 2023 about Suge allegedly slapping JD.

While Suge now maintains he did put hands on Dupri at one point, JD is on the record saying he had been on good terms with the ex-Death Row general since the 1990s.

Bad Boy founder Sean “Diddy” Combs, a longtime rival of Suge and Death Row, once claimed Knight’s infamous acceptance speech at the 1995 Source Awards was actually directed at rising Southern acts like Dupri.

“Any artist out there wanna be an artist and wanna stay a star and don’t have to worry about the executive producer being all in the videos, all on the records, dancing, come to Death Row,” Knight offered from the stage inside New York City’s Paramount Theater.

Many hip-hop historians credit that moment at the Source Awards as one of the flashpoints in the 1990s-era East Coast vs. West Coast rap feud. In 2016, Diddy told “Drink Champs” hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN that Suge told him that diss was really meant for Dupri.

During his sitdown with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s “Drink Champs” podcast in 2017, JD pushed back on Diddy’s narrative about who Suge was targeting at the Source Awards. 

“I’m the guy that’s been on the forefront of everybody’s movement. Me and Snoop were like this [crosses his fingers]. That’s how Bow Wow came [to So So Def]. So, me having beef with Death Row? Never. Suge was in my office, coming to Atlanta, kicking it,” Dupri said.

Bow Wow sat beside Dupri for that “Drink Champs” conversation. They have been professionally linked since Moss burst onto the scene in the early 2000s with hits like “Bounce with Me” and “Bow Wow (That’s My Name).”

Snoop Dogg also played a major role in Bow Wow’s introduction to the hip-hop game. The rap legend gave Moss his original “Lil Bow Wow” stage name after discovering the then-six-year-old aspiring entertainer at a concert.