Suge Knight's Son Says His Father's Situation in Prison Is 'Getting Better' After Alleging Abuse
Suge Jacob Knight is forging his own path.
The 23-year-old son of incarcerated music executive Marion “Suge” Knight leads a new VH1 eight-episode docuseries premiering on Monday night titled Love & Listings, which follows him and a group of young, ambitious real estate agents as they try to make a name for themselves in Los Angeles’ cutthroat housing market.
“I’ve been working really hard for this, and now it’s really paying off,” Suge Jacob tells PEOPLE of the series. “I hope that people get inspired, and I hope that I get my own spotlight.”
During the series, viewers will get to see Suge Jacob speak to his father from prison for the first time in more than three years. Previously, Suge Jacob says there was a communication ban that blocked anyone from speaking with Suge Sr., 54, outside of his lawyers.
In a clip from episode two of the series shared with PEOPLE, Suge Jacob gets some advice from his father after telling him that he is pursuing a career in real estate.
“To sell somebody a house, number one, they got to be comfortable with you,” Suge tells his son over the phone. “They got to be able to trust you.”
“You know how you judge a man’s wealth? By his happiness,” he continues. “So the most important thing about life you got to be happy, no matter what it is. If you’re so tired, you can’t tell the difference if you’re eating a lobster or you’re eating a hot dog. But if you’re going to do real estate, be the best at it. Put your heart into it and give it your all. I’m happy for you.”
While speaking with PEOPLE, Suge Jacob reiterates that his dad is “really proud” of him.
“I’m always writing him a letter every day and keeping them updated,” he says.
Suge Sr., the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, is currently behind bars serving a 28-year prison sentence on manslaughter charges for the January 2015 hit-and-run death of 55-year-old Terry Carter in Compton.
He was arrested that month and sentenced nearly four years later, in October 2018, after agreeing to plead no contest in exchange for a plea deal.
Though Suge Jacob previously said in a 2017 interview with BET.com that Suge Sr. was being mistreated in prison and neglected by law enforcement, he now says his father’s situation is “getting better.”
“Things are getting better and his health is getting better,” he says. “He’s active, he’s actually doing push-ups. We actually have a push-up competition with each other. He always tells me, ‘If I’m happy in here, you should be happy out here.’ So he always keeps my spirits up.”
Growing up with the weight of a name like “Suge Knight” wasn’t always easy for Suge Jacob, but he still sees it as a “blessing.”
“When people see my name, they stop and they take the time to look,” he says. “And I feel like that’s a good thing. That’s a good trait to have. I’m a positive person, so I always use my name for good.”
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At the end of the day, Suge Jacob wishes people knew that Suge Sr. “is a great father, a terrific businessman and a really great influencer.”
As to what he has learned from his father and is taking with him in this new chapter, Suge Jacob says, “Taking pride in being yourself and having self-love.”
“Just working hard for anything that you want to do,” he adds. “Because with a name like Suge Knight, everybody’s watching you.”
With a baby girl on the way, Suge Jacob says he plans to honor his father with her name in some way.
“I’m thinking Baby Knight,” Suge Jacob told Access Live on Thursday.
Love & Listings premieres Monday, July 29 at 10 p.m. ET on VH1.
