Michael “Harry-O” Harris helped change the face of music as the co-founder of Death Row Records with Suge Knight. A South Central Los Angeles native, Harris made his in the drug trade during the crack-infested 1980s. Despite his 7-year run in the streets, Harris maintained an interest in the arts and entertainment.
In the early 1990s, Harris played a pivotal role in funding Death Row Records alongside Suge Knight, even though his connection to the brand was primarily financial and from behind the scenes. His influence helped the label become a dominant force, reshaping Hip-Hop forever. On other fronts, he worked with a young Denzel Washinton to bringing a play to Broadway, a revolutionary act at the time. Eventually, he’d wind up in jail, a 33-year commitment.
This interview brings together Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and Grouchy Greg for an insightful conversation with Harry-O. Harry-O explains his transformative journey from incarceration to reentry, underscoring the mental preparation and self-education that ensured success. He also sheds light on how Donald Trump recognized his efforts but insists he’s riding with the hood. Harry-O tells Jigsaw and Grouchy about his thoughts on Suge Knight, Kamala Harris, and how he helped Denzel Washington launch his stellar career.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: How have you readjusted? 33 years is a long time, and I would imagine a lot has definitely changed. How has your life been since you came home roughly three years ago?
Harry-O: When you say readjusted, I think it’s different for different people. I mean, by that, I don’t mean I have no PhD on readjustment. I’m just saying that even before you readjust, you have to be somewhere. Mentally, you have to be prepared to reenter. And so that makes a difference. When it’s time to reenter how your readjustment goes. Once you get to a certain level of wisdom, you approach things differently. And so knowing that you’re going to come back home, praying that you come back home, you are always preparing to come back home. And so you have to educate yourself. I’m looking to connect and make things happen. Always been like that.
Grouchy Greg: Now, I have a question for you. You bring up Opportunity Zones, which were introduced by Trump under the Trump administration. Do you have any leanings yet? Are you leaning towards him?
Harry-O: My concern is the community first and whoever supports that. I thanked Trump for letting me out. I done that. You know what I mean? Three years ago, I thanked him for that. I really meant that. I thank God every day for that. But when it comes to the community, I don’t play with that. So it’s about who has the policies or are willing to get behind policies that will affect our daily lives.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: What would you say are the demands that we should have for these political people? What are we asking for?
Harry-O: The main thing is, and you know this, you can’t run a business without capital. You can have all the great ideas, but it’s going to take some resources to make Even the set up you guys have there happen. You can’t just sit around all day.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: No doubt, no doubt. I’m with you. So I wanted to shift gears just a little bit. Are you working on…I’m asking this very directly. Are you working on a story about your life? A movie really is what I’m thinking.
Harry-O: I’m going to break some news here. Of course, I’m working on my story, and it is funny because I’ve been working on it a long time. I got some people that stepped up and want to work with me on it and people that I’ve been working with for years and I respect their craft. And when it comes to how this story has to come out, because my story got different components to it, and you got to be careful not to glorify some of it, but you have to show the real. So you can’t show the real and not show the cautionary tale in that. So I got some people that you know that want to help produce and direct it.
Grouchy Greg: It got to be TDE, it got to be Top Dawg. It got to be Top Dawg.
Harry-O: TDE, my folks too. But it’s people like Denzel, and we’ve been talking about doing some things, and my folks from Death Row, we got a documentary coming out, and it is going to be on the next level. It’s probably the most comprehensive documentary that’s ever been done about Death Row [Records]. And so I don’t really want to get all into it, but I just want you to know that it’s coming and it’s coming soon. It’s done. We just trying to figure out how we want to deliver it to the world. But that story is coming and I’ve just been blessed. I thank God for that to have people that feel that my story should be told. And we just trying to figure out should it be a series or which way it’s going to be because we got some pearls to drop.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: Yeah. Oh man. Now I got a million questions. So you famously gave Denzel his start on stage on Broadway.
Harry-O: Yeah. I like to bring clarity to that because my guy [Denzel]…I don’t want [him] to show up there next week, and he is talking about [I started his career]. Know what I mean? So I just want to be clear, that’s my guy. I was blessed to work with him in the early days of his career. He was already acting and did a show or two, but we spent a couple of years together working on plays, and then that play actually was able to go to Broadway. So yeah, I was there in his early days and certain things parlayed from him being in that play. I think he started doing business with Spike Lee based on Spike coming to the play on Broadway and seeing him and they started working together. So yeah, it was a spark there.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: Yeah, definitely. You and Death Row have a really complicated relationship.
Harry-O: Is there a better way to say that that’s the best way between the three of us? It’s crazy.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: Isn’t one of the first things you did when you came home was get back right with the company because now Snoop owns it.
Harry-O: Yeah, we sat down at the time. We just talked about how we can collectively get it back. And it was just because I just feel like too many times we create companies and we just, like you say, should fought that. And we went into bankruptcy and got lost for years. So we just thought it was a chance to bring it back home, build it up, bring the family back, and for everybody can get their flowers.
It was something that was created with my investment years ago. I had decisions to make when you’re behind the walls, money started to disappear, so you got to make a sacrifice. I made a sacrifice to make sure that that company did what it did. And then once it started doing what it do, now everybody believes in it now. So big boys come in and they want to take it. They want and they got different ways they take it. You know what I mean? It is yours, but it’s not really yours. We can break that down. Where they come in and put in monies and distribution systems and just surround your IP [intellectual property].
And if people stop thinking like we did in the beginning, then they’re able to divide us and conquer us. And so Death Row is just a whole different story all by itself. You what I mean? Because Death Row should have been a multi-billion dollar company. And Godfather Entertainment actually was a parent company.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: The irony that Suge is doing 30 years as you come home after doing 30 years, is crazy. How do you feel about the whole Suge situation? While you were locked up for 30 years, they basically took the company from you and then as you come home, he’s doing 30 years and you take the company back.
Harry-O: I had talks with him over the years when we was fighting and I would be like, man, what is this about? Why is this even happening, man? I mean, is this the legacy we want to lead to our families that we couldn’t figure this out, that we had to fight this out when we know how all this started? And then some people, they don’t see it until it’s too late and tragic.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur: Suge has a jailhouse podcast now and he talked about you this summer. I don’t want to speak for him, but the title of that particular podcast was “Dirty Harry.” And I didn’t fully understand why you would be mentioned, but he’s basically reminiscing on old stuff and Death Row is one of those things.
Harry-O: I’m just glad I wasn’t that guy when I was in prison. You what I mean, I always try to keep it positive. I always try. I try not to get into a name-calling. And especially about untruths. I mean I kept it 100 man. When I was in prison, man, whatever my cases were, I took responsibility for them. I did my time. I never put nobody in prison. I never spoke on nobody else. I never said it was this person’s fault, that person fault. I did my time. And while I was in there, it changed my life.
Some people can’t handle prison, and they can’t handle their loss. Everybody has their own karma. I have mines and everybody got their karma. So I don’t really talk about what other people went through or going through, you know what I mean? It’s like I, I’m trying to figure out how to make something work. You know what I mean? How can we work together and not get caught up in this bullsh#t? And I hate that. I hate to hear that. I saw what you’re talking about and it just like when you listen to it, it just like rambling. Keep your name, bro.
Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur : I guess they were just trying to get a rise out of people or trying to get people to listen or whatever, but But respectfully, you’re right.
Harry-O: I know that I changed and I pray that he changed. I pray that he changed, but that’s going to be up to him. Only God can open your heart up to be who you need to be. You know what I mean? And then prison ain’t no joke. You know what I mean? So, especially at this age, it’s a different thing. And like I say, he was out there. Death Row is one of them situations that everything about it made it what it was. Does that make sense?
Grouchy Greg: Yeah.
Harry-O: Like Suge Knight did what he did. And Dr. Dre did what he did coming out of NWA. Snoop Dogg got introduced to the game, D.O.C., Warren G, Dogg Pound, Jewel, [Lady of] Rage. So many people helped build this company and not just one person. I think it just got promoted as it was one person’s effort. And anytime I see revisionist history where people try to say this person and this person, only thing that matters, that’s disheartening to me because how could you forget the family that helped create everything that is. And so that’s what it is.
And we done lost the Nate Dogg and we done lost Tupac unnecessarily. We lost great artists that everybody pumped in everything they had. No one person could say I did that.
