Death Row Records

Founding

Death Row Records was founded in Los Angeles in 1991 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, The D.O.C. and Dick Griffey. Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. had both recorded for Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, and the new company was built around Dre’s production work after he left N.W.A. The label set up offices at 8200 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. A financing and distribution agreement with Interscope Records, reported at $10 million, gave the young company access to national retail and radio.

Rise

The first major release was Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” in December 1992. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum, and its slow, synthesizer-led G-funk sound became the dominant style of West Coast rap. Snoop Dogg, who appeared throughout “The Chronic,” followed with “Doggystyle” in 1993. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified four times platinum. Tha Dogg Pound’s “Dogg Food” (1995) also reached number 1 and went double platinum. At its peak the company was reported to earn more than $100 million a year.

Key releases

In 1995 Suge Knight signed 2Pac, and the double album “All Eyez on Me” arrived in February 1996. It debuted at number 1 and was eventually certified Diamond by the RIAA. Snoop Dogg’s “Tha Doggfather” (1996) also opened at number 1 and went double platinum. After 2Pac was killed in September 1996, the label released “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory” under the name Makaveli that November. It debuted at number 1, sold 664,000 copies in its first week and was certified four times platinum. By then Dr. Dre had left to start Aftermath Entertainment. Interscope ended its relationship with the label, and later releases were handled by Priority Records and then Koch Records.

Bankruptcy, sales and legacy

Death Row filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006, with debts that included $107 million owed to Lydia and Michael Harris. In 2009 the catalog was auctioned to WIDEawake Entertainment for $18 million. After WIDEawake’s owner went bankrupt in 2012, the label passed to Entertainment One, which was later acquired by Hasbro. The Blackstone Group bought eOne’s music business, renamed MNRK Music Group, in 2021. In February 2022 Snoop Dogg acquired the Death Row brand and returned it to active releasing, putting out Tha Dogg Pound’s “W.A.W.G.” and his own “Missionary” in 2024. The label’s early 1990s run remains the commercial high point of West Coast gangsta rap.