| Death Row Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1991; 34 years ago (1991) (original) February 9, 2022; 3 years ago (2022-02-09) (revival) |
| Founder | |
| Status | Active |
| Distributor(s) | |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Beverly Hills, California |
| Official website | deathrowrecords |
Death Row Records is an Americanrecord label that was founded in 1991 byThe D.O.C.,Dr. Dre,Suge Knight, andDick Griffey.[8] The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums byWest Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre (The Chronic),Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle) and2Pac (All Eyez on Me) during the 1990s. At its peak, Death Row made over US $100 million annually.[9]
By the late 1990s, the label began to decline after the death of its star artist, 2Pac, imprisonment of Suge Knight, and the departures of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Although Death Row was enjoying financial success, it was embroiled in controversies, lawsuits, and violence by its artists and associates.
Death Row Records filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was auctioned to WIDEawake Entertainment for $18 million on January 15, 2009.[10] The owner of WIDEawake went bankrupt in 2012; the label was sold toEntertainment One, and it then became a division ofHasbro until April 2021, wheneOne Music was sold tothe Blackstone Group.[11] Snoop Dogg bought Death Row fromMNRK Music Group in February 2022, intending to revive the label.[12][13]
In 1987,N.W.A's Dr. Dre signed toEazy-E'sRuthless Records. As head of production at the label, Dr. Dre produced a large number of Ruthless projects, many of them successful; feeling the pressures of having to produce so many acts and feeling he was underpaid, Dr. Dre became frustrated with Ruthless.[14] After the departure ofIce Cube in 1989 over financial disagreements withJerry Heller,[15]Suge Knight andthe D.O.C. went over the books with a lawyer. Convinced that Jerry Heller and Eazy-E were dishonest, they approached Dr. Dre about forming a label with them, away from Heller and Eazy-E.[16] Allegedly using strong-arm tactics, Suge Knight was able to procure contracts from Eazy-E for the D.O.C., Dr. Dre,Jewell, andMichel'le.[17]
Dr. Dre and Suge Knight along with partners the D.O.C. andDick Griffey began the process of starting a record label and music partnership in anticipation of Dr. Dre's departure from Ruthless. Although the name of their new music venture was originally calledFuture Shock, both the D.O.C and Suge Knight's business associateMichael "Harry-O" Harris have claimed to have suggested changing the name of the new label to 'Def Row'[18] (a play onDef Jam),[19] but rights to the name were already owned bythe Unknown DJ, who also happened to be one of Dre's former music associates in the 1980s. Unknown stated in an interview that he created the name "Def Row" for a potential deal to start another record label underMorgan Creek.[20] However he later sold the naming rights to Dr. Dre and his partners in July 1991 and by 1992 the name changed to its eventual title ofDeath Row Records.[21] Knight approached Michael "Harry-O" Harris, a businessman imprisoned on drug and attempted murder charges. Through David Kenner, an attorney handling Harris's appeal, Harry-O set upGodfather Entertainment, a parent company for the newly christened Death Row.[22]
Knight approachedVanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle), using management connections with Mario "Chocolate" Johnson, claiming Johnson had produced and co-written the song "Ice Ice Baby", and had not received royalties for it.[23] After consulting with Alex Roberts, Knight and two bodyguards arrived atThe Palm in WestHollywood, Los Angeles, California, where Van Winkle was eating. After shoving Van Winkle's bodyguards aside, Knight sat down in front of Van Winkle, staring at him before asking "How you doin'?"[23] Similar incidents were repeated on several occasions, including alleged attempts to lure Vanilla Ice into a van filled withBloods andCrips, before Knight showed up at Vanilla Ice's hotel suite on the 15th floor of the Bel Age Hotel, accompanied by Johnson and a member of theLos Angeles Raiders. According to Vanilla Ice, Knight took him out on the balcony by himself, and implied he would throw Vanilla Ice off unless he signed the rights to the song over to Knight; Van Winkle's money helped fund Death Row.[23] Death Row was initially located at the intersection of Westwood Blvd and Wilshire Blvd, later to be relocated to the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and San Vicente Blvd.[24]
With the help of Kenner, Knight began signing young,inner-cityCalifornia-based artists and arranged for Death Row Records to contribute to thesoundtrack for the 1992 film,Deep Cover. The single, "Deep Cover", established Dr. Dre as a solo artist and a youngSnoop Doggy Dogg as his protégé. Work soon began onThe Chronic, Dr. Dre's debut solo album, which heavily featured Snoop and the rest of the label's core roster.
In 1992,Jimmy Iovine'sInterscope Records negotiated a $10-million deal withDr. Dre andMarion "Suge" Knight to finance and distribute Death Row. The meeting and negotiations were initiated by McClain, who met Dre when he was recording hisThe Chronic. Original plans had called for the album to be released through Sony, but Sony passed onThe Chronic due to Death Row's controversial nature and Dr. Dre's contractual status. After hearing the album, Iovine agreed to release it, although doing so required a complicated distribution agreement withPriority Records, Dre's label as a member ofN.W.A.The Chronic was released in December 1992.[25][26]The album, which was released on December 15 and peaked at number 3 on theBillboard Top 200, went on to sell 5.7 million records worldwide,[27] popularizing the distinctive style ofG-Funk.[28] The Death Row roster consisted of Dre, Snoop,Daz,Kurupt,Nate Dogg,The Lady of Rage,The D.O.C.,Jewell,RBX,Soopafly and many more.
After Snoop Dogg found solo success through his features on The Chronic, Dre began producingSnoop Dogg's debut albumDoggystyle throughout 1993. Snoop's debut was released on November 23, 1993 due to public demand and high pressure from retailers. Though unfinished,[29] it outperformedThe Chronic atQuadruple Platinum,[30] and garnered similarly glowing reviews.[31] Soon after the release of the album, Snoop Dogg was charged withmurder,[citation needed] fueling the debate that politiciansC. Delores Tucker and vice presidential candidateDan Quayle sparked[citation needed] by criticizinggangsta rap for being against American values, degrading to black women, and encouraging violence towards police officers. Throughout 1994, Death Row Records released the soundtracksAbove the Rim andMurder Was the Case.
On November 22, 1994, at the offices of The Brotherhood Crusade inLos Angeles, Suge Knight and several artists from Death Row such asTha Dogg Pound as well asDJ Quik distributed nearly 2,000 turkeys to the public.[32] Death Row also donated turkeys the following year as well.[33]
On March 13, 1995, Death Row Records hosted a private party at theEl Rey Theatre, whereKelly Jamerson, aRolling 60's Crip,[34] was severely beaten by severalBloods, who were allegedly from Suge Knight's inner circle.[35] As a result of his injuries, Jamerson died the next day at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
After an August visit to see 2Pac atClinton Correctional Facility in northern New York state, Suge traveled southward to New York City to join Death Row's entourage to the 2nd Annual Source Awards ceremony.[36] Already reputed for strongarm tactics on the Los Angeles rap scene, after giving a brief comment of support for Shakur,[37] Suge used his brief stage time mainly to disparageSean "Puff Daddy" Combs, CEO ofBad Boy Records, the label then leading New York rap scene. Knight criticized Combs for his habit of ad-libbing on his artists' music as well as making numerous cameo appearances in his artists' music videos.[38][39] Suge then invited artists seeking the spotlight for themselves to join Death Row.[38][39] Eventually, Puff recalled that to preempt severe retaliation from his Bad Boy crew, he had promptly confronted Suge, whose reply—that he had meantJermaine Dupri, ofSo So Def Recordings, in Atlanta—was politic enough to deescalate the conflict.[40]
Still, among the fans, the previously diffuserivalry between America's two mainstream rap scenes had instantly flared already.[38][37][39] And while in New York, Suge visitedUptown Records, where Puff, under its founderAndre Harrell, had started in the music business through aninternship.[41] Apparently without paying Uptown, Suge obtained the releases of Puff's prime Uptown recruitsJodeci, its producerDeVante Swing, andMary J. Blige, all then signing with Suge's management company.[41]
On September 24, 1995, at Jermaine Dupri's birthday party at the Platinum House nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia, Bad Boy's entourage entered a heated dispute with Suge and Suge's friend Jai Hassan-Jamal "Big Jake" Robles, a Campanella ParkPiruBloods gang member and Death Row bodyguard.[38][42] According to eyewitnesses, including a Fulton County sheriff working there as a nightclub bouncer, Puff had heatedly disputed with Suge inside the club.[38] Several minutes later, outside the club, Puff's childhood friend and own bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones was involved in a heated altercation with others that ultimately led to Robles being fatally shot while entering a Limousine.[38][43][44]
The attorneys of Puff and Jones both denied any involvement by their clients, while Puff's lawyer added that Puff had not even been with his bodyguard that night.[45] Over 20 years later, the case remains officially unresolved, and Jones himself was fatally shot in Atlanta in November 2003 during an altercation with theBlack Mafia Family.[46] Yet immediately and persistently, Suge blamed Puff, cementing the enmity between the two bosses, whose two record labels dominated the rap genre's two mainstream centers.[38][47]
In October 1995, Knight visited 2Pac in prison again and posted $1.4 million bond. 2Pac began work on his Death Row album, kicking off his tenure by insultingthe Notorious B.I.G.,Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Puff Daddy (the founder ofBad Boy Records), whom he accused of setting him up to be robbed and shot at Quad Studios on November 30, 1994, as well asMobb Deep,Jay-Z,A Tribe Called Quest,De La Soul,Jimmy Henchman,the Fugees andNas.Tha Dogg Pound's debut album,Dogg Food, continued the label's streak of commercial successes; its members – rappersKurupt andDaz Dillinger – then joined Snoop in ridiculing New York rappers with their single "New York, New York", featuring Snoop Dogg. The video, set inNew York City, New York, was also heightened when the set was fired upon in a drive-by. After the shooting, Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound filmed scenes kicking down a building in New York. The single provoked a response called '"L.A., L.A." by East Coast rappersCapone-N-Noreaga,Tragedy Khadafi, and Mobb Deep.
Another report was thatSam Sneed was beaten in one of the label's meetings by a group of Death Row affiliates, led by Suge Knight and 2Pac. According toDaz Dillinger, the reason this happened was that Sam Sneed had too many East Coast rappers in his "Lady Heroin" music video.[48] Disillusioned with the direction of Death Row, artistsRBX and the D.O.C. chose to leave, after which Suge Knight exercised tighter control over the rest of the roster.[22]Dogg Food was not produced by Dr. Dre but was mixed by Dr. Dre, a further testament to Dre's dwindling involvement with Death Row. Dr. Dre also grew tired of Knight's violence within the label, although he contributed toward two tracks on 2Pac'sAll Eyez on Me. The rest of the tracks on the album, however, were mostly produced by Daz Dillinger andJohnny J, despite Dr. Dre being nominally titled as Executive Producer. 2Pac's behavior reportedly became erratic as he continued his verbal wars with the Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, and Prodigy, including many violent confrontations with many of those rappers at some points. On March 22, 1996, due to the infighting, Dr. Dre officially left Death Row Records to foundAftermath, which provoked 2Pac to turn against Dr. Dre.
Suge Knight's relationship withMC Hammer dates back to 1988. With the success of Hammer's 1994 album,The Funky Headhunter, Hammer signed with Death Row in 1995, along with his close friend, Tupac.[49] The label did not release the album of M.C. Hammer's music (titledToo Tight), although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album.[50][51] However, Hammer did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa" (along withBig Daddy Kane andDanny Boy).[52] After the death of Tupac in 1996, MC Hammer left the label.[53][54]
Formerly a united front of artists, Death Row's roster fractured into separate camps. Daz, now head producer, worked on Snoop Dogg's second albumTha Doggfather, which featuredBad Azz and Techniec of theLBC Crew,Warren G andNate Dogg of his group213 and Tha Dogg Pound. 2Pac shut himself into the studio with Hurt-M-Badd and Big "D", craftingThe Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - unlikeAll Eyez on Me, it was devoid of high-profile Death Row guest appearances, instead showcasingThe Outlawz and Bad Azz, and had a much darker tone. Suge Knight was now barely reachable by his staff, and employees were assaulted as punishment for not following orders.[29]
In New York City for theMTV Video Music Awards, 2Pac was interviewed onDeath Row East, an East Coast subsidiary branch of Death Row.[55] It was also during this time that Alex Roberts and David Kenner had been seen at Suge Knight's Vegas Club 662, in discussion about the possibility of having Roberts' New York underworld connections help pave the way for Death Row East. The record label was supposed to be run byEric B. and Big D withCraig Mack being the first artist signed to the label. On September 7, 1996, Suge Knight and 2Pac were caught on surveillance camera at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas attacking gang memberOrlando Anderson, who was a member of the South SideCompton Crips street gang. Later that night, 2Pac was shot four times in adrive-by shooting in the front seat of Suge Knight'sBMW 750iL waiting at a redtraffic light atcrossroads; en route to Knight's Las Vegas Club 662;[56][57] despite living six days in critical condition, 2Pac died on September 13, 1996. He was 25 years old.
2Pac's "The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory" was released in November 1996, just one week before Snoop Dogg's "Tha Doggfather", which both achievedMulti-Platinum sales. The following months, Death Row releasedDeath Row Greatest Hits,Christmas on Death Row,Gridlock'd, andGang Related.Nate Dogg's album,G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 was supposed to be released on January 14, 1997, but got shelved due to issues at Death Row Records, despite getting released independently as a double disc the following year.
On February 28, Suge Knight was convicted of probation violation and sentenced to nine years in prison,[58] causingInterscope to drop their distribution deal with the label.[59]
Suge Knight's control over the label diminished, asNate Dogg was able to leave, followed by Snoop Dogg and Kurupt.The Lady of Rage left after the release of her solo albumNecessary Roughness to pursue an acting career, so didMichel'le withHung Jury. Daz Dillinger departed in 1999 after the release of his debut albumRetaliation, Revenge and Get Back, but produced for Big C-Style, and he later formedD.P.G. Recordz. During Knight's incarceration, Death Row releasedSuge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000 andToo Gangsta for Radio, which both received negative reviews. Both albums had the label's new signees,Tha Realest andYGD Tha Top Dogg, who were criticized for imitating the styles, looks, and vocals of 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. Also,Dead Man Walkin', a Snoop Dogg compilation of unreleased recordings, was released without his authorization.
Maintaining artistic control from behind bars, Suge Knight launched smear campaigns against his former artists, most notablySnoop Dogg, death threats were exchanged, and Snoop Dogg responded by publicly dissing Suge Knight, leaving the label, and later releasing adiss track named "Pimp Slapp'd", critically acclaimed bymusic magazineComplex.[60][61][62][63] The label supported itself with releases pulled from vaults—most successfully various posthumous 2Pac albums, along with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg re-releases. He signed new talent, includingCrooked I, who had been lighting up the Californian underground with his rhyming ability, particularly the Wake Up Show with Sway & King Tech.
On August 6, 2001, Suge Knight was released from prison.[64][65] Despite bad blood, Kurupt would again sign with Suge Knight in exchange for the position of Vice President, which sparked a feud between himself and Daz Dillinger and Snoop Dogg. He began work onAgainst tha Grain; his verbal feud with his former partners continued from 2002 to 2005.[66] The same year, Knight decided to enter the UK market with Death Row Records operating as an independent record label in conjunction with the Ritz Music Group,[67] a company known for its success with Irish country music artists such asDaniel O'Donnell[68] The joint-venture signed British R&B singer Mark Morrison[69] to a five-year deal with Death Row Records UK, with a single called "Thank God It's Friday" and an album calledInnocent Man scheduled for a 2002 release. However, the single did not chart in the UK and the album ended up being released by footballer Kevin Campbell's record label 2 Wikid, before being re-issued in 2006 by Mona Records.
Left Eye, member of the R&B girl groupTLC signed with Death Row after finishing her solo deal withArista who released her first albumSupernova in 2001. At this time, Death Row changed intoTha Row Records. Lopes joined to record a second solo album under the pseudonymN.I.N.A. (New Identity Not Applicable), while also working on TLC's new album3D. N.I.N.A. was canceled after her death in April 2002. The album was leaked online in 2011.
After promoting his new talent from prison, directing a campaign against his former artists and exacerbating the conflict between Daz Dillinger, Snoop Dogg and Kurupt,[70] Suge had still yet to release any albums by his new artists. After Kurupt's second departure,Against tha Grain was released; soon after, citing dissatisfaction with serving five years on the label and seeing no release,[71] Rapper Crooked I left Death Row, eventually filing a gag order on Knight to prevent him from interfering with him finding a new deal.[72]Petey Pablo, who had signed in 2005 and started the never-released albumSame Eyez on Me,[73] left along with rapper Tha Realest[74] in 2006.
On April 4, 2006, both Death Row Records and Suge Knight simultaneously filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the appointment of a Receiver to acquire and auction off assets of both Death Row Records and Suge Knight in thecivil case filed by Lydia Harris. Among those listed as unsecured creditors to Death Row include the Harrises ($107 million), theInternal Revenue Service ($6.9 million),Koch Records ($3.4 million),Interscope Records ($2.5 million) and a number of artists previously signed to the label. Suge Knight eventually lost control of Death Row Records and his personal assets when Chapter 11 Trustees took over both cases.
On January 15, 2009, Death Row Records was successfully auctioned for $18 million toOntario-based WIDEawake Entertainment Group that was founded in 2008 by Lara Lavi, with financing from New Solutions Financial Corporation.[75] On January 25, 2009, a public auction was held for everything found in Death Row's office after it filed for bankruptcy. Of note was the Death Row electric chair which went for US$2,500.[76] Lavi was removed from WIDEawake and Robert Thompson-So of New Solutions took over day-to-day operations. Lavi then sued her former company WIDEawake, along with New Solutions and Thompson-So inNew York County Court on November 19, 2009.[77]
WIDEawake issued previously unreleased material from such artists as Kurupt, Danny Boy,Crooked I,Sam Sneed,LBC Crew, Jewell andO.F.T.B. Dr. Dre's,The Chronic Re-Lit was released on September 1, 2009 and containedThe Chronicremastered with seven unreleased songs featuring Snoop Dogg, CPO, Kurupt, Jewell, and a bonus DVD containing a Dr. Dre interview, a Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg mini movie, and television commercials for the originalThe Chronic.[78] The album also contained a scene from an unfinished feature film entitled, SAIGON, CA, which was to launch WIDEawake's film studio.[79][80]Death Row The Lost Sessions Vol 1 by Snoop Dogg was released October 13, 2009 and contained 15 previously unreleased tracks, including some produced by Dr. Dre.[81]Death Row: The Ultimate Collection was released on November 24 and was a special box set containing three audio CDs (one greatest hits disc and two discs of unreleased content), one DVD of music videos including the unreleased Dr. Dre music video "Puffin' On Blunts".[82]
On December 5, 2012, Jonathan Hay, a former Death Rowpublicist reported throughHipHopDX that New Solutions Financial Corporation, the Canadian company that owned WIDEawake Death Row, had gonebankrupt and sold both the label and catalog to a publicly held company in a deal that would be closed on December 10.[83] In 2013,Entertainment One purchased the rights to the Death Row catalog. New Solutions Financial Corporation was eventually exposed as an allegedPonzi scheme.[84]
On August 23, 2019, American toy companyHasbro announced a $4 billion purchase ofeOne, making them the owners of Death Row Records.[85] In April 2021, Hasbro and Entertainment One announced it would sell-offeOne Music toThe Blackstone Group, which its acquisition was completed in June 2021.[86][87]
On February 9, 2022, ahead of the release of his next album and his appearance in theSuper Bowl LVI halftime show, Snoop Dogg announced that he would acquire the rights to the Death Row Records trademarks from MNRK Music Group (the renamed eOne Music). The sale did not immediately include rights to the label's catalog, but it was reported that he was nearing a deal to acquire the catalogs of himself and other Death Row artists from MNRK. On February 11, 2022, Snoop Dogg released histhird studio album on Death Row Records, marking a 26-year lapse from the label afterTha Doggfather album.[88][89][90]
Snoop Dogg's purchase of Death Row Records did not include the rights to Tupac or Dr. Dre's albums originally which those rights have been reverted back toInterscope Records. On March 4, 2022, in an interview withTidal, Snoop Dogg stated he acquired the rights to all the albums previously released on Death Row Records, including his debut studio albumDoggystyle and Dr. Dre'sThe Chronic. Despite the interview, Dr. Dre's lawyer, Howard King, later refuted the "false reports" two days later, stating that Dre still retains total control ofThe Chronic, which came back to streaming services on February 1, 2023.[91][92][93] On April 18, 2022, it was announced that Death Row Records would have its own streaming service, which pays higher royalties to its artists than main music streaming services.[94]
In December 2022, Snoop Dogg sold a stake of Death Row's catalogue to formerApple Music's Global Creative DirectorLarry Jackson's music labelGamma.[95] During the onset of 2023, Jane Handcocks'sWorld of Women andOctober London'sThe Rebirth of Marvin were released. On February 12, 2023, Snoop Dogg announced that Death Row's catalogue would return toTikTok via association with music distribution company SoundOn.[96] Death Row's catalogue returned to all music streaming services on March 9, 2023.[97]
Death Row Records has been referred to as "the most controversial record label in history", due to Suge Knight's practice of hiring gang members and the gang-related violence which plagued the record label.[98] Knight, who was a member of theMob Piru Bloods, hired gang members from his set, as well as other sets, including theFruit Town Piru and Lueders Park Piru.[99] There have been several murders committed by gang members affiliated with Death Row Records. Furthermore, many of the Bloods who worked for the record label would eventually be murdered.
In 1995, an aspiring rapper and member of theBounty Hunter Bloods named William "Rat" Ratcliffe was pressuring Suge Knight to sign him to Death Row Records. After Ratcliffe confronted Knight with 10 other Bounty Hunter Bloods, Knight orderedWardell "Poochie" Fouse, who was a fellow Mob Piru member, to kill Ratcliffe.[100]
After the murder of Tupac Shakur, Knight was incarcerated due to probation violations. Knight heldSean Combs, the CEO ofBad Boy Records, responsible for the death of Shakur and sought revenge.[100] Through his then-girlfriend Theresa Swann, the incarcerated Knight contacted Wardell Fouse and hired him to kill The Notorious B.I.G.[101] Swann was given $25,000, of which $13,000 would go to Fouse.[100]
During the initial investigation into Wallace's murder, Fouse was not a suspect, as detectiveRussell Poole's prime suspects were the LAPD officerDavid Mack and Mack's friend Amir Muhammed (Harry Billups).[102] After Poole resigned from the department in 1999, the case stalled. After the case was reopened in 2006, the lead detective, Greg Kading, concluded that Wardell Fouse was the shooter.[100] As Fouse was murdered in 2003, no charges were pressed against him.
By the early 2000s, a rivalry had developed between the Mob Piru Bloods and the Fruit Town Piru Bloods, resulting in the deaths of several Mob Pirus associated with Death Row Records, including (but not limited to):
This feud started when George "G" Williams, who worked as a bodyguard for Suge Knight, was fired after he failed to return two Death Row Records cars which he borrowed.[107] After Williams was fired, he became a close associate of Rodrick Cardale "Lil Rod" Reed, a Fruit Town Piru member. The pair are alleged to be behind the murders of the Mob Piru Bloods from Death Row Records.[108]
| Act | Years on the label | Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Snoop Dogg | 1991–1998[109] 2022–present | 4 |
| Merkules[110] | 2022–present | – |
| Jane Handcock[111] | 2022–present | 1 |
| October London[112] | 2023–present | 2 |
| Julian Torres[113] | 2023–present | – |
| D Smoke | 2023–present | – |
| Tha Dogg Pound | 1992–1998, 2024–present | 2 |
| Danny Boy | 1994–1999, 2002–2005, 2024–present | 1 |
| Northern Jermain | 2024–present | 1 |
| Charlie Bereal | 2024–present[114] | 1 |
| Act | Years on the label | Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Dre | 1991–1996 | 1 |
| Michel'le | 1991–1999 2002–2003 | 1 |
| Jewell | 1991–1997 | 1 |
| Nate Dogg | 1992–1998 | – |
| Kurupt | 1992–1998, 2002–2005 | 1 |
| Daz Dillinger | 1992–1998 | 1 |
| CPO | 1993–1996 | – |
| Sam Sneed | 1993–1996 | 1 |
| O.F.T.B. | 1993–1998 | 1 |
| J-Flexx | 1994–1999 | – |
| Young Soldierz | 1994–1998 | – |
| Redrum 781 | 1995–1996 | – |
| 2Pac | 1995–1996 | 5 |
| MC Hammer | 1995–1996 | – |
| Prince Ital Joe | 1995–1998 | – |
| Outlawz[115] | 1997–1999 | – |
| Top Dogg[116] | 1997–2001 | – |
| Tha Realest | 1996–2005 | – |
| Lil' C-Style | 1998–2001 | – |
| Mac Shawn[117] | 1998–2001 | – |
| Above the Law | 1999–2002 | – |
| Crooked I | 1999–2004 | 1 |
| Lisa Lopes | 2001–2002 | – |
| Producer | Years on the label |
|---|---|
| Dr. Dre | 1991–1996 |
| Chris "The Glove" Taylor | 1991–1996 |
| Rhythm D[118] | 1991–1992 |
| Sam Sneed | 1993–1996 |
| Hurt-M-Badd | 1995–1998 |
| Cold 187um | 1999–2002 |
| Johnny "J" | 1995–1997 |
| Daz Dillinger | 1992–1998 |
| Artist | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Dre | The Chronic |
|
| Snoop Doggy Dogg | Doggystyle |
|
| Tha Dogg Pound | Dogg Food |
|
| 2Pac | All Eyez on Me |
|
| Makaveli | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory |
|
| Snoop Doggy Dogg | Tha Doggfather |
|
| The Lady of Rage | Necessary Roughness |
|
| Daz Dillinger | Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back |
|
| Michel'le | Hung Jury |
|
| 2Pac | Until the End of Time |
|
| 2Pac | Better Dayz |
|
| Kurupt | Against the Grain |
|
| Danny Boy | It's About Time |
|
| Crooked I | Hood Star |
|
| Sam Sneed | Street Scholars |
|
| LBC Crew | Haven't You Heard |
|
| O.F.T.B. | Damn Near Dead |
|
| Jewell | Black Diamond |
|
| Snoop Dogg | BODR |
|
| Jane Handcock | World of Women |
|
| October London | The Rebirth of Marvin |
|
| Tha Dogg Pound | W.A.W.G. (We All We Got) |
|
| October London | October Nights |
|
| Snoop Dogg | Missionary |
|
| Charlie Bereal | Walk With the Father |
|
| Artist | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Various Artists | Above the Rim |
|
| Various Artists | Murder Was the Case |
|
| Various Artists | Death Row Greatest Hits |
|
| Various Artists | Christmas on Death Row |
|
| Various Artists | Gridlock'd |
|
| Various Artists | Gang Related |
|
| 2Pac | Greatest Hits |
|
| Various Artists | Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000 |
|
| Various Artists | Too Gangsta for Radio |
|
| Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dead Man Walkin' |
|
| Tha Dogg Pound | 2002 |
|
| Snoop Doggy Dogg | Death Row: Snoop Doggy Dogg at His Best |
|
| Various Artists | Dysfunktional Family |
|
| 2Pac | Nu-Mixx Klazzics |
|
| Various Artists | The Very Best of Death Row |
|
| Various Artists | 15 Years on Death Row |
|
| 2Pac | Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 |
|
| 2Pac | Best of 2Pac, Part 1: Thug |
|
| 2Pac | Best of 2Pac, Part 2: Life |
|
| Snoop Doggy Dogg | Death Row: The Lost Sessions Vol. 1 |
|
| Tha Dogg Pound | Doggy Bag |
|
| Tha Eastsidaz | Still Easty |
|
| Chocc | Journals to Johnny |
|
| Various Artists | Death Row Revue |
|
It was founded by Tracy "The D.O.C." Lynn Curry, Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, Knight and Richard Gilbert "Dick" Griffey.
He, Dre and Suge did, in fact, soon quietly launch a label called Futureshock, named for a Curtis Mayfield song. Their fourth partner in the venture was Dick Griffey, the cofounder of Soul Train Records and founder of Solar Records. The name wouldn't stick. "Futureshock Records?" Suge said. "That sounds like some bullshit. It's gonna be called Death Row... Dick Griffey, also an original Death Row founder, later testified that Suge Knight "secretly incorporated" Death Row and "transferred into it all of the assets" from their original partnership. In 1997 — with Suge behind bars — Griffey and D.O.C. successfully sued Death Row, alleging that they'd been cut out of the label's profits.
"I'm the one who told Dre to change the name to Death Row," Curry says.
The name Death Row came from my partner, Unknown [DJ]. Initially it was supposed to be Def Row, as in Def Jam. D-E-F. And Dre bought the name Def Row and changed the name.
In 1995 a Rolling 60s Crip, Kelly Jamerson, was stomped to death at a Death Row party
A fight broke out between this Crip and some of the Bloods that were in Suge's circle.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
