Death Row Records Co-Founder Pardoned After Snoop Dogg Lobbies Trump
In the final full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, Snoop Dogg is hoping for a pardon for his friend.
According to TMZ, the rap icon is reportedly asking the president to free Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris from an attempted murder conviction.
During the presidential transition, Snoop has been secretly lobbying Trump to commute Harris’ sentence. Alice Marie Johnson, whose life sentence was commuted by Trump with the help of Kim Kardashian, is also seeking clemency for Harris and says the president is aware of Harris’ case.
“The president knows about it. I’ve spoken with Ivanka [Trump] and I’ve spoken with Jared [Kushner], and I’ve been told that President Trump is aware of the case and has been reviewing it,” Johnson told The Daily Beast. “I’ve spoken to [White House chief of staff] Mark Meadows about it, and he said he’d take a look at it.”
Harris, who is nearly 60, started Death Row Records with Suge Knight in 1992 and helped sign Snoop and Tupac to the label. He is serving time on attempted murder and drug charges at California’s Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc. Harris has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years and is not supposed to be released until at least 2028, but he insists that he’s a changed man.
“Over 30 years ago, I was part of the problem. However, over the years I have repeatedly proven myself to be part of the solution,” Harris told the Daily Mail in 2019. “It’s about returning to society with my newfound vision, talents, and insights [and] giving back to the communities where my help is so desperately needed.”
Snoop has been an outspoken critic of Trump in the past. In 2017, he mocked the president in his “Lavender (Remix)” video by pulling a novelty gun on a Trump look-alike named Donald Klump.
“Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!” Trump tweeted amid the controversy.
In addition to Harris, Lil Wayne and Kodak Black are reportedly being considered for pardons. Trump is expected to announce his remaining grants of clemency before he leaves office on Wednesday.
UPDATE: On Tuesday (Jan. 19), President Trump commuted the prison sentence of Michael “Harry-O” Harris for attempted murder and cocaine trafficking, according to the New York Post.
Snoop Dogg and Alice Marie Johnson had lobbied for the Death Row Records co-founder’s release, along with music producer Weldon Angelos, who credited the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump for her role in commuting Harris’ sentence.
“The credit on this one goes to Ivanka Trump because Ivanka Trump was not going to take no for an answer,” said Angelos, who added that Ivanka “did this for Alice Johnson and this is a huge win for hip-hop.”
Harris’ release comes seven years before it was scheduled to take place on June 13, 2028.