Snoop Dogg takes ownership of iconic hip hop label Death Row Records

West Coast rapper and hip hop legend, Snoop Dogg has announced this morning (Wednesday 9th February 2022) his takeover of one of the most iconic labels in the music business - Death Row Records. 

The label, which played a major part in launching Snoop's prolific career, releasing acclaimed LPs such as Doggystyle and Tha Dogfather, became a worldwide phenomenon back in the early 90s, bringing attention to a score of artists that would later go on to change the face of music forever - From MC Hammer to Nate Dogg and Tupac Shakur.

Check out the official video for Doggystyle party anthem, 'Gin N Juice', below...

Founded by Dr.Dre and controversial music executive, Suge Knight, back in 1992, the label was marred from the very beginning, becoming a talking point across the globe as co-founder, Knight found himself in trouble with the law.

Frequent probation violations and altercations with the police, and a hit-and-run charge were all brought before a judge in 2018, who sentenced Knight to twenty-eight-year prison sentence. Subsequently, Death Row filed for bankruptcy in 2006, running through various owners hands before ending up in the care of Snoop Dogg.

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Taking to his Instagram account just a few hours ago, the fifty-year old rap titan made this comment:

"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,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement."

“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.”

“This is an extremely meaningful moment for me,” he added. “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."

It goes without saying, we can all expect big things from the new head honcho of Death Row Records in the year to come.

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Header image credit: Snoop Dogg / Facebook