Dave Mays Says Suge Knight Podcast Will Mix Beef and Biz

Suge Knight's "Collect Call" podcast cohost Dave Mays thinks the incarcerated mogul's gotten a bad rap -- so he's helping him set the record straight once and for all!!!

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with the Breakbeat CEO this week and he assured us Suge's podcast commentary would be just as spicy as we'd expect it to be, but it won't be all sauce and no substance either.

They dropped the first episode on audio today, and as you can hear Suge's doing his fair share of reflection and deflecting -- in this case -- at his ex-Death Row Records henchman Mob James.

As the trailer revealed, Dave says Suge will be responding back to the commentaries from the likes of Master P, Wack 100, Warren G, Akon, and many more -- with dramatic flair.

Dave tells us they used a bit of AI to make the visuals pop. Remember, Suge's serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter, so they did what they could to spruce up his current digs!!!

The Source Magazine founder doesn't feel Suge got a fair shake in his criminal trial due to his reputation at the time. He says their friendship dates back to the early '90s when Dr. Dre was set to take the world by storm with his classic debut album, "The Chronic."

Dave convinced Suge to let Dre do the iconic gun-to-the-head cover photo, which led on to more explosive moments with The Source ... like the infamous "come to Death Row" line at the '95 Source Awards.

Suge shared Death Row stories with TMZ Hip Hop earlier this year ... admitting the label had its fair share of rough patches too.