Lyor Cohen’s visit to Suge Knight in prison to negotiate Snoop Dogg’s contract at the time did not end so well. The 57-year-old allegedly spat in the label executive’s face, per a story told by Reggie Wright Jr.
“There’s a bidding war going on for Snoop with Def Jam,” the former Death Row Records executive told Boss Talk 101 podcast about Knight and Cohen’s initial meeting. “So at this time, Suge tells Lyor a crazy number like $13 million. $13 million if he wants Snoop over there. Lyor goes back to his board because he wasn’t owning Def Jam outright. Columbia was owning Def Jam at the time, it was in partnership.”
He went on to say how he drove Cohen back to the prison, and they discussed the music climate at the time with Jay-Z, Redman, and Method Man all doing well. “He comes and offers Suge $7 million […] Suge never really liked the East Coasters or labels or whatever. And I’m like, ‘Okay, Lyor, yeah, we got a deal.’ Suge goes and tells Lyor, ‘No.’ Spits in Lyor face.”
Wright also told the story of another meeting that took place between Priority Records found Bryan Turner and Master P, who signed Snoop in 1998 after he left Death Row. Negotiations between Suge, Turner, P, and Wright were successful, but left the “Gin & Juice” artist displeased with how much Knight benefitted from him.
This realization led the Baby Boy actor to name his 2000 album Tha Last Meal because he declared that it was the last time Suge Knight would ever be able to “eat” off of him.