2eys1i2017 Death Row Records - Wikipedia WIKIPEDIA Death Row Records Death Row Records (formerly Tha Row Records) was an American record company founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight and ‘The D.O. The record label almost instantly became a sensation by releasing a succession of multi-platinum hip-hop albums from West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre (The Chronic), Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle), Tupac Shakur (All Eyez on Me), ‘Tha Dogg Pound (Dogg Food) and others. At its peak, Death Row Records was making over $10,000,000 a year, "! but by the late 1990's the label began to decline in the wake of the shooting death of its star artist Tupac Shakur and imprisonment of co-founder Suge Knight. Despite the financial suecess, Death Row would be embroiled in ‘many controversies, lawsuits, legal troubles and violence by its artists and associates. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and on January 15, 2009, was auctioned to entertainment development company WIDEawake Entertainment Group, Ine. for $18,000,000! Death Row Records’ legacy has been credited in popularizing the form of gangsta rap music to a wider audience. Contents 1 ory 1.1 The Chronic and Ruthless Records feud 1.2 Doggystyle 1.3 Signing Tupac and Suge Knight's rise 14 Bad Boy feud and Dr. Dre's departure 1.8 MC, Hammer's involvement and departure 16 Tupac Shakur's murder and Suge Knight's incarceration 1.7 2nd generation exodus 1.8 Chapter 11 Bankruptcy 1.9 From WIDEawake acquisition to E1 Former Artists Releases See also References Further re ing External links History Death Row Records Founded Founder Status Genre Country of origin Location Dr. Dre The D.O.C, ‘Suge Knight Inactive Hip hop, R&B, gangsta rap United States Los Angeles, California In the late-1980s, producer Dr. Dre was a member of N.W.A, signed to friend Eazy E's Ruthless Records. As head of production at the label, Dre produced a large number of Ruthless projects, many of them successful; feeling the pressures of having to produce so many acts and feeling he was underpaid, Dr. Dre became frustrated with Ruthless Records.!4I After the departure of Iee Cube in 1989 over financial disagreements with N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller,!I hitps:ifen wikipedia.orgwiciDeath_Row Records ana2artti2017 Death Row Records - Wikipedia Suge Knight and fellow Ruthless artist, The D.0.C. went over the books with a lawyer. Convineed that Heller was dishonest, they approached Dr. Dre about forming a label with them, away from Heller and Eazy-E.1 Allegedly using strong-arm tactics, Knight was able to procure contracts from Eazy-E for The D.O.C., Dr. Dre and Ruthless singer, Michelle! Dr. Dre, Suge Knight along with partners The D.O.C. and SOLAR Records founder Dick Griffey began the process of starting a record label and music partnership in anticipation of Dre's departure from Ruthless Records. Although the lled Future Shock Entertainment, The D.O.C. claimed to have suggested changing the name of the new label to "Def Row"! (a play on the hip-hop label Def Jam),0l but rights to the name of their new music venture was originally ‘name were already owned by The Unknown DJ, who also happened to be one of Dre's former music associates in the 1980's. Unknown stated in an interview that he created the name "Def Row” for a potential deal to start another record label under Morgan Creek Entertainment Group. !9 However he later sold the naming rights to Dr. Dre and his partners in July 1991 and by 1992 the name changed to its eventual tile of Death Row Records. !"1) Knight approached Mi David Kenner, an attorney handling Harris's appeal, Harry-O set up Godfather, a parent company for the newly christened Death Row."2] ae] "Harry-O" Harris, a businessman imprisoned on drug and attempted murder charges. Through Knight approached Vanilla Iee, using management connections with Mario "Chocolate" Johnson, claiming Johnson 1131 After consulting with Alex Roberts, who sources suggest was Suge Knight's connection to the underworld, Knight and two bodyguards arrived at The Palm in had produced the song “Ice Iee Baby", and had not received royalties for i West Hollywood, where Van Winkle was eating. After shoving Van Winkle's bodyguards aside, Knight sat down in front of Van Winkle, staring at him before asking "How you doin’?"\"5I Similar incidents were repeated on several occasions, including alleged attempts to lure Vanilla Ice into a van filled with Bloods and Crips, before Knight showed up at Vanilla Iee's hotel suite on the fifteenth floor of the Bel Age Hotel, accompanied by Johnson and a member of the Oakland Raiders. According to Vanilla Ice, Knight took him out on the balcony by himself, and implied he would throw Vanilla Ice off unless he signed the rights to the song over to Knight; Van Winkle's money helped fund Death Row.("31 At one time, Death Row was located at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and San Vicente Blvd.("4] Knight was seen on several occasions leaving Alex Roberts’ home in Malibu. The Chronic and Ruthless Records feud With the help of Kenner, Knight began signing young, inner-city California-based artists and arranged for Death Row Records to handle the soundtrack for the 1992 film, Deep Cover. The single, "Deep Cover", established Dr. Dre as a solo artist and a young Snoop "Doggy” Dogg as his protégé. Work soon began on The Chronic, Dr. Dre's debut solo album, which heavily featured Snoop and the rest of the label's core roster. ‘The album went on to sell 5,700,000 records in the US;'"5 establishing the West Coast in the hip-hop industry and popularizing the distinctive style of G-Funk."1 Doggystyle After finding solo success, Dr. Dre began crafting Snoop Dogg's debut album Doggystyle; the process took two years. ‘Snoop's debut was released in 1993 due to public demand and high pressure from retailers. Though unfinished,("7Jit outperformed ‘The Chronic at Quadruple Platinum,®) and gamered similarly glowing reviews.(!%) Soon after the release of the album, Snoop Dogg was charged with murder,!°! fueling the debate that politicians C. Delores Tucker and then-Viee Presidential candidate Dan Quayle sparked by denouncing gangsta rap as against American values, encouraging violence towards police officers, and degrading to Black women. Signing Tupac and Suge Knight's rise hitps:ifen wikipedia.orgwiciDeath_Row Records 242artti2017 Death Row Records - Wikipedia By 1995, the label began to flood with Suge Knight's cronies—friends and gang members fresh out of jail, as well as off- duty LAPD officers later implicated in the Rampart scandal working as security. Emboldened, Knight began taking ‘more control of the label and further sought the spotlight, while Dr. Dre receded into the background, shying away from the violent atmosphere and Suge Knight's newfound volatility. Tucker's pressure to conform extended to a joint proposal by herself and a Warner executive to set up a record label with Knight to put out content-controlled hip-hop music, which Knight billed as a breach of contract!"2] resulting in a switch in distribution from Time Warner to Interscope. At The Source Awards in 1995, the Death Row roster’s performance garnered a poor reception from the mainly East Coast audience; Knight also made comments pertaining to Bad Boy CEO Puff Daddy, sparking friction between the two labels (and, soon after, the two entire coasts). Knight soon signed 2Pac,and Lord Autopz of Ruthless Criminalz while 2Pae was incarcerated on a sexual abuse conviction, after agreeing to post 2Pac’s bail. At the same time, a rift between Michael and Lydia Harris and Suge and David Kenner began to grow, with the latter pair denying Harris’ involvement in the company and refusing to take his phone calls. Bad Boy feud and Dr. Dre's departure 2Pac began work on his Death Row album, kicking off his tenure by insulting The Notorious B.1.G., Junior M.A.F.LA. and Puff Daddy (the founder of Bad Boy Records), whom he accused of setting him up to be robbed and shot earlier that year, as well as Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Fugees and Nas. Tha Dogg Pound's debut album, Dogg Food, continued the label's streak of commercial successes; its members — rappers ‘Kurupt and Daz Dillinger — then joined Snoop in ridiculing New York rappers with their single "New York, New York", featuring Snoop Dogg. The video, set in New York City, New York, was also heightened when the set was fired upon in a drive-by. After the shooting, Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound filmed scenes kicking down a building in New York. ‘The single provoked a response called "'L.A., L.A." by East Coast rappers Capone-N-Noreaga, Tragedy Khadafi, and Mobb Deep. Another report was that Sam Sneed was beaten in one of the label's meetings by a group of Death Row affiliates, led by Suge Knight and 2Pac. According to Daz Dillinger, the reason this happened was that Sam Sneed had too many East Coast rappers in his Lady Heroin musie video.2'l Disillusioned with the direction of Death Row, artists RBX and The D.O.C. chose to leave, after which Suge Knight exercised tighter control over the rest of the roster.!"2I Dogg Food was not produced by Dr. Dre but was mixed by Dr. Dre, a further testament to Dre's dwindling involvement with his own record label. Dr. Dre also grew tired of Knight's violence within the label, although he contributed toward two tracks on 2Pac's All Eyez on Me. The rest of the tracks on the album, however, were mostly produced by Daz Dillinger and Johnny J, despite Dr. Dre being nominally titled as Executive Producer. Shakur's behavior reportedly became erratie as he continued his verbal wars with The Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, and Prodigy, including many violent confrontations with many of those rappers at some points. In 1996, due to the infighting, Dr. Dre left Death Row Records to found Aftermath; which provoked 2Pac to turn against Dr. Dre. M.C. Hammer's involvement and departure Suge Knight's relationship with MC Hammer dates back to 1988. With the success of Hammer's 1994 album, The Funky Headhunter (featuring Tha Dogg Pound), Hammer signed with Death Row in 1995, along with Snoop Dogg and his close friend, 2Pac.!2I The label did not release the album of M.C. Hammer's music (titled Too Tight), although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album.25124l However, Hammer did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa’ (along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy).*I25l after the death of 2Pac in 1996, MC Hammer left Death Row Records.?7128) Tupac Shakur's murder and Suge Knight's incarcera hitps:ifen wikipedia.orgwiciDeath_Row Records a4