Featured Image Credit: Snoop Dogg/Instagram
Topics: Snoop Dogg, Rap, Music
Cameron Frew
After nearly 30 years since his debut, Snoop Dogg is now the official owner of Death Row Records.
Founded by Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., Michael ‘Harry O’ Harris and Suge Knight in 1991, the label was home to a roster of major artists including Snoop, Tupac Shakur, Tha Dogg Pound, MC Hammer, as well as Dre himself.
However, it's been married with a number of issues over the years: after Tupac's death, Knight was charged with a parole violation and sentenced to nine years; the label filed for bankruptcy in 2006, following the departure of Dre and Snoop; and it's changed hands several times, even ending up under the Hasbro Toy Company at one time.
Of course, Snoop's success speaks for itself: he's released a total of 20 studio albums, sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, reached number one countless times internationally and received 20 Grammy nominations. Now, he's put his money where his mouth is and bought the label which launched his career in the first place.
As per a Business Wire press release, Snoop acquired the company from MNRK Music Group, controlled by private equity funds managed by global investment firm Blackstone. Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, so it's unclear how much the acquisition was valued at.
'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 said in a statement.
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'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.'
Chris Taylor, President and CEO of MNRK Music Group, said Snoop is 'clearly the executive to take Death Row into its next 30 years... MNRK has been honoured to oversee this legendary brand over the last decade and enjoyed introducing it to millions of new fans in 2021 through our award-winning 30th anniversary marketing campaign.'
Snoop is also due to release a new album: B.O.D.R., an acronym that stands for 'Bacc on Death Row', and he'll also perform during the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
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