Snoop Dogg is now the head honcho of Death Row Records, the label that launched his career nearly 30 years ago. The hip-hop mogul picked up the brand from Blackstone investment firm and MNRK Music Group, and while there’s no word on how much the rapper paid, the label has had several owners since going into bankruptcy in 2006.
Snoop's career has finally come full circle as he returns to Death Row Records. The rapper originally joined the label in 1993 where he released his debut album, Doggystyle, which went on to sell over 11 million copies worldwide.
The label was founded by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, The D.O.C., and Dick Griffey in 1991 and quickly became a cultural powerhouse for rap music in the ‘90s. Some of the biggest names to come out of the west coast rap scene had signed to the label with Death Row Records finding success with Dre’s The Chronic and Tupac Shakur’s All Eyez on Me, among others.
"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.
The label began to decline after the departures of Snoop and Dre, who left in the aftermath of Tupac’s death. Despite the label’s troubles, Snoop has continued to express his desire to own the label. In an interview with GQ, the rapper said he felt “hurt” after not getting a chance to buy Death Row when it was up for sale previously.
Snoop’s homecoming was met with praise from fellow rappers, including Kanye West, who has been promoting Black History Month on social media and took a moment to congratulate the hip-hop star on his big move.
“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.”
Snoop is also releasing a new album, B.O.D.R, an acronym that stands for “Bacc on Death Row” in conjunction with his return to the label that launched his career. Snoop will also take the stage this week to perform in the Super Bowl halftime show with Death Row Records album Dre.
Source: TMZ, Rolling Stone