Death Row Records
Death Row Records, founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., and Suge Knight, emerged as a significant force in the hip-hop industry during the 1990s. Initially supported by Interscope Records, the label gained prominence with the release of Dr. Dre's solo album "The Chronic" in 1992, which introduced a new wave of rap artists, including Snoop Dogg, who would later achieve significant fame. Following the success of "The Chronic," Death Row released Snoop's debut album "Doggystyle," which debuted at number one, solidifying the label's reputation. However, this rise to fame was accompanied by controversy, as the label faced criticism for its depiction of crime and violence.
The label's landscape changed dramatically with the signing of Tupac Shakur in 1995, whose album "All Eyez on Me" became its most successful release. The rivalry with Bad Boy Records, fueled by tensions between artists like Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., further defined the era. However, after Tupac's tragic death in 1996 and Suge Knight's subsequent incarceration, Death Row struggled to maintain its former glory. By the late 1990s, the label faced significant losses, including the departure of major artists and financial difficulties, leading to bankruptcy in 2006. Today, Death Row’s catalog continues to be influential in hip-hop, having produced some of the genre's most iconic figures while also highlighting the complex interplay of music, culture, and controversy during its peak years.
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Subject Terms
Death Row Records
Identification Rap music record label
Date Founded in 1991
Place Los Angeles, California
Death Row Records was responsible for launching the careers of some of America’s most successful rap artists.
Death Row Records was founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., and Marion "Suge" Knight. Rapper Dr. Dre (Andre Young) had had a successful career in the music industry with the pioneering 1980s gangsta rap group NWA. While trying to break his contract with NWA's label, Ruthless Records, he met Knight, bodyguard to rapper The D.O.C. (Tracy Curry). The three began talking with artists and started Death Row with the help of studio engineer John Payne and a few others.
Interscope Records provided the financial backing for the label in exchange for exclusive distribution of their artists. Death Row’s first release, Dr. Dre’s solo album, The Chronic (1992), featured new rap artists, including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Lady of Rage, RBX, and Snoop Doggy Dogg (later just Snoop Dogg). The album sold more than three million copies by the end of 1993 and legitimized Death Row.
The following year, Death Row released Snoop Doggy Dogg’s debut album, Doggystyle. The album rocketed to number one, outselling The Chronic. Along with the record label’s early successes, Death Row produced multiplatinum sound tracks, including music for the movie Above the Rim (1994) and Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Murder Was the Case (1994).
With the label’s success and attention also came criticism and concern. The label was blasted for glorifying crime and violence. As the controversy increased, Interscope’s parent company, Time Warner, sought to disassociate itself with the label and sold all of its shares in Interscope to MCA Music Entertainment in 1995.
In 1995, Suge Knight posted bail for rap artist Tupac Shakur in exchange for Shakur signing with Death Row. Shakur became Death Row's newest star artist, and the two developed a rivalry with the newly formed New York–based Bad Boy Records and its CEO Sean Combs (known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, etc.) and rapper Notorious B.I.G. The two labels began a bicoastal feud, in which artists on both labels would lyrically insult and antagonize one another. Shakur’s All Eyez on Me, released in 1996, sold over ten million copies by 2014 and became Death Row’s most successful album.
In September 1996, Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada, while riding in Knight’s car. Knight, who had taken full control of the label after the departure of Dre and The D.O.C., was sentenced to nine years in prison after violating his parole by engaging in a fight prior to Shakur’s death. With Shakur's death and Knight’s incarceration, the label was crippled. In 1997, Interscope sold its interest in the label. Death Row Records limped along, losing additional major artists like Snoop Dogg and Kurupt. Knight managed the label from prison until his 2001 release, after which he was unable to return Death Row to the greatness of the 1990s. In 2006 both Death Row and Knight filed for bankruptcy. In 2009 it was acquired by Toronto-based WIDEawake Entertainment Group, which continued releasing material from the label's archives. In 2012 the Death Row catalog was purchased by the Canadian mass media company Entertainment One.
Impact
Death Row Records is responsible for discovering and producing some of rap’s most successful acts. It provided encouragement, financial backing, and distribution for artists who had no other vehicle and elevated rap music in the 1990s by delivering it to the masses.
Bibliography
Brown, Jake. Suge Knight: The Rise and Fall of Death Row Records. Phoenix: Colossus Books, 2002.
Ro, Ronin. Dr. Dre: The Biography. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2007.
Ro, Ronin. Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records. New York: Broadway Books, 1999.