Did Prince start the Suge Knight and Diddy feud? Ex-Death Row Records CEO opens up

Suge Knight is convinced that the late Prince instigated the age-old feud between him and Diddy.

The 60-year-old, who is currently serving a 28-year sentence at California’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility for a hit-and-run in 2015, spoke to People Magazine in an exclusive interview. Knight, who is the last man alive to have witnessed Tupac Shakur's murder, opened up about why he thinks Prince started the feud between him and Diddy.

Recalling their confrontation at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, he claimed Prince set the meeting up with him and Diddy.

“I’m sitting there, eating,” Knight recalled, “And everybody’s always thinking the gangster’s the guy in the room looking all hard and tough. But let me tell you, the gangster was Prince.”

Suge Knight said the Purple One sent someone in the middle of his performance to call him over.

“Then they come over and say, ‘Man, Prince is performing right now, and he wants you to come watch the show. He has a special table for you.’ Who gonna say no to Prince? Sh--” Knight said. “You already know.”

He went on,

“He set me down at this table where Puffy was there. Nas was there, other people. Prince knew what he was doing. Must’ve been pissed at Puffy. He knew we hated each other. I think he [allegedly] planted me at that table on purpose.”

As for how he confronted Diddy, he said,

"I got under Puff’s skin. I told him, ‘Let’s go to the restroom together and get it out of the way.’ You know, settle it.” He added, "The rest I said to Puffy... well some things are best left unsaid. He stood up, heated. That’s when I realized he wasn’t ready for it — 'cause not only did they rush him out, they [allegedly] threw coats and sh-- over his head so you couldn’t see his face and had jackets to hide him.”

Now, decades later, Suge Knight is ready to move on, though he does think Diddy deserves jail time:

“I just want to take a deep breath and heal,” he told People Magazine. “[I believe] Diddy does deserve jail for it.”

As reported by People Magazine, Suge Knight has long accused Diddy of being involved in Tupac's murder, though the latter has vehemently maintained his innocence. Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who had been charged with the hit, also accused Diddy of the same, noting that the latter offered him $1 million to "handle the problem."

However, a public information officer for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told the outlet in July last year that the Bad Boy Records founder had never been formally charged with the incident, nor was he ever considered a suspect:

"Sean Combs has never been considered a suspect in the Tupac Shakur homicide investigation."

Suge Knight gives Diddy two pieces of advice from prison

Earlier last month, amid Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial, Suge Knight called on Diddy to take the stand. The latter did not take the stand in his trial at all, despite witness testimonies from 34 people against him. He has since been convicted of two prostitution related charges, though he was cleared on the three federal sex trafficking charges.

As reported by The Atlanta Voice on June 1, CNN's Laura Coates spoke to the imprisoned rap mogul, who was once the CEO of Death Row Records, about the trial. Suge Knight said at the time that Combs should “humanize” himself.

“I feel if he do tell his truth, he really would walk,” he said. “If Puffy goes up there and says, ‘Hey … I did all the drugs, I wasn’t in control of my life at the time, or myself’ – he can humanize his old self and the jury might give him a shot. But if they keep him sitting down, it’s like he’s scared to face the music,” he added. “He should just have his faith in God, put up his pants and go up there and tell his truth.”

He spoke to Coates again this week, following Diddy's conviction, and issued him some unsolicited advice. When asked what Diddy's future looks like, he said:

"The industry is forgiving. I think the industry is driven by money, success, and fun. Because the majority of the industry is doing the same thing that Puffy was doing, the only difference is, Puffy got caught. The only thing that was different, is he pissed off the wrong person."

When asked what he would say to Puffy now, Suge Knight said:

"I would say, as two guys who don't get along, I think we all should not be enemies. Number one, take your time when you go to prison, and work on you. When you're paroled from prison, don't worry about try to recreate Bad Boy, worry about spending time with your kids, with your grandkids."

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

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