Snoop Dogg Now Owns Death Row Records
Snoop Dogg’s lastest career move takes him back to his start. The West Coast rapper now has ownership of Death Row Records, the label responsible for his acclaimed 1993 debut album Doggystyle. According to a press release, the 50-year-old rapper acquired the Death Row Records brand from MNRK Music Group, which is controlled by private equity funds managed by leading global investment firm Blackstone. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“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,” shared the “Gin And Juice” rapper. “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. 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.”
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“Snoop is clearly the executive to take Death Row into its next 30 years. MNRK has been honored to oversee this legendary brand over the last decade and enjoyed introducing it to millions of new fans in 2021 through our award-winning 30th-anniversary marketing campaign,” added Chris Taylor, President & CEO of MNRK Music Group.
Death Row was launched in the early 1990s by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Dick Griffey, and the D.O.C and helped establish the careers of artists such as Snoop Dogg as well as 2Pac, Dr. Dre himself, and Nate Dogg. In 2019, the Death Row Records catalog was sold to The Blackstone Group as part of the acquisition of eOne Music from Hasbro, which bought Entertainment One that same year for $4 billion.
The news comes as Snoop Dogg prepares to release his upcoming album Bacc On Death Row, which he announced back in January. B.O.D.R. is scheduled to drop on Feb. 13, the same day Tha Doggfather is set to perform the halftime show during Super Bowl LVI alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige.