Earlier in 2022 Snoop Dogg bought Death Row Records – which was founded by Suge Knight, Dr. Dre and Michael ‘Harry O’ Harris in 1991 – and he’s explained his decision to pull its collection from various services.
He told DJ EFN and N.O.R.E.’s “Drink Champs” podcast: “First thing I did was snatch all the music off those platforms traditionally known to people because those platforms don’t pay.
“And those platforms get millions of millions of streams, and nobody gets paid other than the record labels.”
Now, Snoop – who helped secure the label’s legendary status alongside the likes of Dre and 2Pac – is looking at other options for its future.
“So what I wanted to do is snatch my music off, create a platform similar to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu,” he explained. “It’ll be a Death Row app, and the music, in the meantime, will live in the metaverse.”
Snoop shot to fame after appearing on Dr. Dre’s acclaimed 1992 The Chronic released on the legendary record label, and was later signed himself and went on to put out his debut album, Doggystyle, a year later.
The rapper – whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr. – acquired the company from MNRK Music Group for an undisclosed sum.
“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 Dogg said.
“It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and [was] one of the founding members. This is an extremely meaningful moment for me.”
Death Row, which was also the home of the likes of the late Tupac Shakur and Nate Dogg, filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was sold in 2012 after founder Suge Knight faced serious financial and legal issues.
