Chapter 82: Suge Knight's Troubles
[Chapter 82: Suge Knight's Troubles]
Inside Miramax, Bob Weinstein leaned over his desk, his face riddled with worry.
Noticing Jill Messick's puzzled expression beside him, he spread his hands and explained, "It's Harvey. He asked me to look into Death Row Records. Apparently, Charlie has some plans for it, and he convinced Harvey to get involved too.
The problem is, we know nothing about the black gangsta rap scene. I'm struggling to figure out who to contact for help."
Jill was surprised, her tone a mix of shock and anger. "Is Harvey out of his mind? I mean, Charlie Corleone is a total bastard, and partnering with someone like him requires extreme caution. Jumping blind into an unfamiliar industry isn't wise."
Bob chuckled, confident in his brother. "Don't worry, don't you know who Harvey is? Charlie just got lucky attracting Fox's help, but Harvey will eventually take over Corleone Studios."
Seeing Jill still frowning after months working together, Bob smiled lightly and asked, "You seem to hold a grudge against Charlie, it's not just anger, but fear and other feelings?"
"No!" Jill firmly denied. A flicker of nostalgia crossed her eyes; she grew a bit uneasy, looked down, and casually brushed her hair to change the subject. "You should ask Samuel -- he might have some ideas."
"Oh, wow!" Bob hit his forehead and shook his head with a smile. "I almost forgot! He's definitely the one!"
The helper they referred to was Samuel L. Jackson.
This renowned independent actor was currently as influential in commercial movies as Eddie Murphy.
An even greater black actor was Morgan Freeman, comparable to Will Smith in blockbuster films!
Early in his career, Samuel had received much support from Spike Lee.
However, his social network was far more complex than traditional filmmakers like Spike.
Samuel attended segregated schools growing up. During Martin Luther King Jr.'s active years, he was a vibrant teenager involved in numerous civil rights activities and had connections with prominent black activists like Stokely Carmichael.
Carmichael was a Black Panther honorary consul and later a core member of several black political groups.
In summary, Samuel had a complex social network before becoming an actor. He spent ten years in New York theater.
He starred in Miramax's production Pulp Fiction, after which he developed a close relationship with Quentin Tarantino.
Bob was confident that Samuel's influence in the black community could help uncover the real situation at Death Row Records.
After a few calls, two hours later, Bob stared at the faxed documents with surprise.
...
The owner of Death Row, Suge Knight, had recently been busy appearing on various TV and radio interviews, furiously attacking "BIG" Wallace and Bad Boy Records.
"They are the killers -- I can assure all Tupac's brothers that those who killed him will face God's justice!"
Suge cleverly avoided direct death threats, which could be used against him legally, by phrasing it as a curse.
Meanwhile, he pushed his company to speed up production of a Tupac tribute album, aiming for one last payday.
However, a few days ago, Suge learned that Charlie was trying to acquire his record company.
He was furious and had publicly cursed Charlie in front of many employees.
"That bastard... we let him go easy, and now he dares to mess with us? Unless Charlie Corleone blasts my brains out right now, I will never sell the company."
Suge's words were mainly to show his toughness and assure his crew that the East-West hip hop battle wouldn't break him.
Later that day, outside Death Row's headquarters, a dozen unfamiliar Bloods gang members shouted in righteous anger as Suge was about to leave by car.
"Boss Suge, we'll get revenge! We'll tear that fat pig Wallace apart!"
News of the shooting incident became another hot topic in the media coverage of the Tupac case.
Suge himself paid it little attention.
...
However, Bob noticed from the documents that several hip-hop heavyweights, including Puff Daddy and Andre Harrell, were meeting frequently in Los Angeles and other areas amid the East-West coastal hip hop feud.
He sensed trouble.
That very night, a dramatic event unfolded.
...
In the early hours, BIG Wallace, Tupac's rival, was driving on a lonely highway.
The vast, silent desert road hardly saw any cars or leather-clad bikers for minutes.
Inside the car, Wallace's face showed intense anger; he gripped the steering wheel tightly, muttering, "Damn Suge Knight. You had your assistant threaten me to be in L.A. on time to meet you. Do you think I'm scared?"
His crew in the car cursed and agreed. "Suge's a coward; he must be crazy to threaten you like that."
Suddenly, two blinding headlights appeared in the opposite lane.
"What the hell -- how's this guy driving?" Wallace cursed.
The headlights sped toward him, and "Bang!" a black pickup slammed hard into Wallace's Wrangler. His head slammed against the steering wheel before he could react.
"Bam bam bam..." the driver inside the Wrangler blazed 17 bullets from a Glock in seconds.
It was exactly 4 a.m.
When Suge's men retaliated and eliminated the attackers, they looked at their lifeless leader, stunned.
...
Half an hour earlier, at a dimly lit bar south of Los Angeles, Kirk glanced at his watch anxiously before calling Detective Ophir.
"Hey, Detective, I have important info to report. My guys heard from Suge knight's assistant Sally that there was a plan to attack Wallace."
...
Sirens wailed across the desert road as the East-West hip hop feud began to close down.
But the media went wild, scrambling overnight to change headlines and share the latest explosive update on the feud.
...
At dawn in a Las Vegas Bally's hotel room, Harvey, wrapped in a bathrobe, had no time to admire the lady on the bed. Holding a copy of The Washington Post, he looked mockingly at the news.
No need to gather more info.
"That bastard Charlie had a keen eye -- he accurately predicted Suge would be in trouble."
He emphasized the words vision and prediction through gritted teeth.
...
Ophir and his team arrived at Suge's house in Santa Monica.
Surrounded by a swarm of reporters, they knocked and announced, "Mr. Knight, you are a suspect in a shooting. Please cooperate with our investigation!"
"Is this revenge, Mr. Knight? The shooting happened at 4 a.m., the same time as the Tupac attack. How do you explain that?" they grilled.
"News reports say the shooter Byron once talked to you directly. Did you order him?"
"Your assistant said Wallace went to L.A. late at night at your invitation. Suge, what's your response?"
Reporters pushed forward with questions.
Suge's face turned dark purple with anger; veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted, "It's a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy!"
Once inside the police car, the noise finally faded. Suge could think clearly about the sudden events.
Minutes later, he recalled that Charlie Corleone was also detained in L.A. days before and was planning to buy Death Row Records.
"That bastard! He's framing me!"
...
In Bally's deluxe suite, Vera Farmiga, clad in a thin silk nightgown, watched the TV news, astonished.
"Charlie, look! The owner of the company you want to buy is really in trouble."
Her eyes showed fear as she hesitated, "Is this... you?"
"Of course not!" Charlie smiled and stretched.
He didn't lie but kept his explanations vague while openly showing his happiness; his grin almost reached his ears.
*****
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