Editing Death Row Records (section)

== Gang violence ==

Death Row Records has been referred to as "the most controversial record label in history", due to Suge Knight's practice of hiring gang members and the gang-related violence which plagued the record label.<ref>{{Cite book |last=R|first=Ronin |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53123117 |title=Have gun, will travel : the spectacular rise and violent fall of Death Row Records |publisher=Quartet |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7043-8102-5 |location=London |oclc=53123117}}</ref> Knight, who was a member of the [[Mob Piru|Mob Piru Bloods]], hired gang members from his set, as well as other sets, including the [[Fruit Town Piru]] and Lueders Park Piru.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Philips |first=Chuck |date=2003-08-01 |title=As Associates Fall, Is 'Suge' Next? |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-aug-01-fi-suge1-story.html |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> There have been several murders committed by gang members affiliated with Death Row Records. Furthermore, many of the Bloods who worked for the record label would eventually be murdered.

=== Murder of William "Rat" Ratcliffe ===
In 1995, an aspiring rapper and member of the [[Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods|Bounty Hunter Bloods]] named William "Rat" Ratcliffe was pressuring Suge Knight to sign him to Death Row Records. After Ratcliffe confronted Knight with 10 other Bounty Hunter Bloods, Knight ordered [[Wardell Fouse|Wardell "Poochie" Fouse]], who was a fellow Mob Piru member, to kill Ratcliffe.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kading |first=Greg |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/759515876 |title=Murder rap : the untold story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur murder investigations |date=2011 |publisher=One-Time Publishing |isbn=978-0-9839554-8-1 |edition=1st |location=United States |oclc=759515876}}</ref>

=== Murder of the Notorious B.I.G. ===
{{Main|Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.}}
After the murder of Tupac Shakur, Knight was incarcerated due to probation violations. Knight held [[Sean Combs]], the CEO of [[Bad Boy Records]], responsible for the death of Shakur and sought revenge.<ref name=":1" /> Through his then-girlfriend Theresa Swann, the incarcerated Knight contacted Wardell Fouse and hired him to kill The Notorious B.I.G.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Adam |date=2011-10-03 |title=Ex-Detective Says the LAPD Knows Who Killed Tupac and Biggie |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/10/ex-detective-says-lapd-knows-who-killed-tupac-and-biggie/337184/ |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> Swann was given $25,000, of which $13,000 would go to Fouse.<ref name=":1" />

During the initial investigation into Wallace's murder, Fouse was not a suspect, as detective [[Russell Poole]]'s prime suspects were the LAPD officer [[David Mack (police officer)|David Mack]] and Mack's friend Amir Muhammed (Harry Billups).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Randall |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51618088 |title=LAbyrinth : a detective investigates the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the origins of the Los Angeles Police scandal |publisher=Grove Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-8021-3971-X |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=51618088}}</ref> After Poole resigned from the department in 1999, the case stalled. After the case was reopened in 2006, the lead detective, Greg Kading, concluded that Wardell Fouse was the shooter.<ref name=":1" /> As Fouse was murdered in 2003, no charges were pressed against him.

=== Feud between the Mob Piru and Fruit Town Piru ===
By the early 2000s, a rivalry had developed between the Mob Piru Bloods and the Fruit Town Piru Bloods, resulting in the deaths of several Mob Pirus associated with Death Row Records, including (but not limited to):

* [[Murder of Alton McDonald|Alton "Buntry" McDonald]], who was shot dead on April 3, 2002, allegedly by George Williams, who also went by the nicknames "G" or "Ponytail".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tupac Pal Shot To Death |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tupac-pal-shot-to-death/ |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=www.cbsnews.com |date=April 5, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Murder of Henry Smith|Henry "Hendog" Smith]], who designed the logo for Death Row Records.<ref name=":0" /> Smith was shot dead on October 16, 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry Lee Smith, 33 - The Homicide Report |url=https://homicide.latimes.com/post/henry-lee-smith/ |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=homicide.latimes.com |date=October 16, 2002 |language=en}}</ref> Smith was killed by a member of the Denver Lanes Bloods.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=Chuck |date=September 15, 2003 |title=Knight Associate to Go on Trial |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-15-me-roo15-story.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |newspaper=LA Times}}</ref>
* [[Wardell Fouse|Wardell "Poochie" Fouse]], who was shot dead on July 24, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wardell Fouse, 43 - The Homicide Report |url=https://homicide.latimes.com/post/wardell-fouse/ |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=homicide.latimes.com |date=July 24, 2003 |language=en}}</ref>

This feud started when George "G" Williams, who worked as a bodyguard for Suge Knight, was fired after he failed to return two Death Row Records cars which he borrowed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pugmire |first=Lance |date=2005-07-29 |title=Knight ex-bodyguard convicted in PCP case |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-suge29jul29-story.html |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> After Williams was fired, he became a close associate of Rodrick Cardale "Lil Rod" Reed, a Fruit Town Piru member. The pair are alleged to be behind the murders of the Mob Piru Bloods from Death Row Records.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Brennan |first1=Tim |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1128129589 |title=Once upon a time in Compton : From gangsta rap to gang wars ... The murders of Tupac & Biggie ... This is the story of two men at the center of it all |last2=Ladd |first2=Robert |date=2017 |isbn=978-1-9841-6386-8 |location=Houston, Texas |oclc=1128129589}}</ref>