Opinion
Eazy-E and Jerry Heller overlooking Dr. Dre birthed Death Row Records
“I don't think that Eazy-E, rest in peace, and Jerry Heller, also deceased, understood what, understood Dre's value to the point where it shouldn't have been, ah, overlooked, and so that opened up an opportunity”
What-if
Harris: Suge Knight could have been a top entrepreneur without imploding
“I think Shud was really creative, and he was in the right place at the right time, and he was able to connect the right people, and so in the beginning, Shud, to me, could have been one of our Biggest entrepreneurs. Had he not, ah, imploded, you know”
Disclosure
Harris: My cocaine operation generated approximately $2 million per day at peak
“Yeah, I think it said two. I'm not proud of that, so.”
Assertion Supported
Harris: Attorney David Kenner helped me assemble Death Row from prison
“I worked with my attorney at the time that was working with me on my appeal. David Kenner was also part of that partnership that helped assemble that company for me while I was behind bars.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Warner Brothers almost exited the music industry due to Death Row
“From Universal to increasing their distribution because of his relationship with Death Row and Interscope, and Warner Brothers almost getting out of the music business because of the way they mishandled their relationship with Death Row and Interscope.”
Insight
Harris: Farming out excess limo bookings pays a 50% broker fee
“I would parlay it out to what they call form out to the other companies, which you get 50% of the service that is conducted... You get half of what it is because you're the one who initiated the sale.”
Opinion
Harris: Public perception unfairly conflates all Death Row Records members together
“Probably later on when the death row stuff happened, I just think people conflate everybody's attitude as one, and, you know, we all were different, you know, we all came from different, ah, vantage points to help create that, and I just think that sometimes p…”
Disclosure
Harris: Partnered with Snoop Dogg to reacquire Death Row as COO
“Me and Snoop Dogg are working together. Snoop Dogg, we acquired Death Row, and we're partners, and I'm the COO of the new Death Row that I helped create 37 years ago.”
Disclosure
Harris: Heard Dr. Dre's The Chronic in Prison Before Public Release
“I got to hear the whole album, The Chronic, before it came out, and so, but the first, when I heard the first song that was done on Deep Cover soundtrack, the single that Snoop and Dre did and I was in prison”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Harris: Death Row Broke Independent Hip-Hop Into the Major Labels
“We took it from an independent type of setting with Rufus and NWA and Defro was able to submerge itself into the majors and become a major player, which changed the game for a lot of rappers that are quite successful today.”
Insight
Harris: Suppressing an artist's background diminishes their creative output
“In music, or any creative, I just think that you have to take people where they are, you know, and so what happens is, if you take away something, it takes away something. And so, we all get to elevate in life. And so, who you were and what you came from and t…”
Insight
Harris: High-profile figures must guard their inner circle like their food
“You have to guard the people that surround you as much as you guard the food that you digest. And sometimes you could be a big-name person and Other people around you could do something that you get it because you're the easy victim. You know, you're the one w…”
Opinion
Harris: Tech entrepreneurship parallels hip-hop by creating global movements from nothing
“I think that it's quite relatable the a lot of the internet tech entrepreneurs that, that whole, you know, creating something out of nothing I think It's relatable for people in the hip hop business, you know, creating something that was meant for a particular…”
Disclosure
Harris: Owned probably 30 or 40 buildings during early career
“Probably 30 or 40 buildings.”
Assertion Partly supported
Harris: Exonerated of attempted murder charge after 23 years
“I was I was arrested for, one, for attempted murder, and two later for drug conspiracy, and the later, the drug, the attempted murder was, I was exonerated at the end after 30, after 23 years.”
Assertion Partly supported
Harris: My sentence was 25 years to life plus 20 federal years
“I had a 25 of life, and on top of that, I had a twenty-year sentence for the federal with the feds.”
Assertion Supported
Harris: Death Row Records earned $3 to $4 per $10 cassette sold
“Yeah, that's about right, man. It's not bad.”
Disclosure
Harris: Early ventures included limo service, construction, music, salons, and real estate
“First business I had was a limousine service that was quite profitable, and I also had a construction company, I had production companies, I had music companies, I had salons, like beauty salons, I had real estate investment companies”
Disclosure
Harris: My strategy required partners to teach me their industry completely
“Part of that, that, that, that relationship, that merging of that relationship, you need to teach me everything you know about what you do. And then I, you know, Compile that with my management skills, and then we could, you know, move on to the next level, bu…”
