Hip-Hop icon Snoop Dogg has returned to the label where his legendary career was launched. According to a press release from Business Wire, he's the new owner of Death Row Records. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Snoop acquired the Death Row Records brand from MNRK Music Group. The acquisition was announced as he anticipates the release of his latest album, B.O.D.R (Born On Death Row) which is set to drop on February 11, 2022.
In a statement, Snoop spoke about the full-circle moment of purchasing his former label.
“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,” Snoop said. “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. This is an extremely meaningful moment for me. I would like to personally thank the teams at Blackstone, MNRK, and especially David Kestnbaum, who worked collaboratively with me over several months to make this exciting homecoming a reality. I’m looking forward to building the next chapter of Death Row Records.”
In an interview with GQ, Snoop expressed his desire to purchase the rights to Death Row when the assets of the label were being sold to various investors.
“eOne Music [which owned Death Row Music until April 2021] didn’t want to give me action at it,” he recalled. “So then I asked could I buy it? And they acted like they didn’t want to sell it. Then they sold it [to the Blackstone Group], and the man in me was hurt, but the businessman in me said, Okay, I got to find something else to do to take this energy of mine that I’m holding on to.”
Founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, The D.O.C., and Dick Griffey, Death Row became one of the seminal labels in hip-hop in the 90s. The label was home to some of the greatest artists in the history of West Coast rap such as Tupac Shakur, MC Hammer, Lady of Rage, Tha Dogg Pound, and many others.
Snoop’s first two albums Doggystyle in 1993 and The Dogg Father in 1996 were released on the label.
Currently, Snoop is the executive creative consultant at Def Jam Recordings.
