US rapper and entrepreneur, Snoop Dogg, has acquired Death Row Records, the label that launched his career.
Snoop Dogg in a statement noted that the move was an “extremely meaningful moment” for him and he was looking forward to “building the next chapter” of the record label.
The ace rapper, in a released statement said: “I am thrilled and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire the iconic and culturally significant Death Row Records brand, which has immense untapped future value. It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members”.
Snoop Dogg later posted an image on Instagram, alongside the caption: “Bacc on Death Row”.
It can be recalled that the Californian hip-hop star shot to fame following the Death Row release of his 1993 hit debut album, ‘Doggystyle’. It featured hits singles such as ‘Gin & Juice’, ‘Doggy Dogg World’ and ‘Murder Was The Case’.
Death Row Records was founded in 1992 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, the DOC, and Dick Griffey. Snoop Dogg was signed after one of his early mixtapes impressed NWA co-founder, Dre, who invited him to an audition and then appear on his own debut record, 1992’s, ‘The Chronic’.
Both debut records went multi-platform and set Death Row on its way to becoming a multi-million-dollar business. Prior to that, Snoop Dogg, who was then in his teens, spent time in prison for a drug offense.
‘Doggystyle’ sold millions of copies around the world and was followed up by ‘Tha Doggfather’ in 1996. However, he left the record label in 1998, after a ruckus about the terms of his contract and the alleged withholding of royalty payments. He went on to enjoy further success as a musician, actor, and media personality.
Death Row Decline
Death Row began to decline in the late 90s after the death of one of its stars, Tupac Shakur, and the imprisonment of Suge Knight, as well as the departure of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
Controversy and legal cases followed before the label filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was auctioned to WIDEawake Entertainment for 18miliion dollars in 2009.
The infamous label was later sold to Entertainment One, after the owner of WIDEawake went bankrupt in 2012, and then became a division of Hasbro, until last year when One Music was sold to The Blackstone Group.
It’s now back in the hands of one of its original stars, who was awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2018.
Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, was previously appointed creative chairman of Priority Records in 2009. His other business ventures include the release of the Snoopify app, as well as cannabis products called Leafs by Snoop. In 2019 he moved into esports, creating the Gangsta Gaming League.
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