According to press materials released via Business Wire, Veteran West Coast Rapper Snoop Dogg now owns legendary hip-hop label Death Row Records. Snoop procured Death Row—which released his 1993 debut album Doggystyle—from MNRK Music Group. Terms of the purchase 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,” Snoop said of his new role as label head in a press release.
Death Row was launched in the early 1990s by co-founders Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Dick Griffey, and the D.O.C. Snoop’s debut and sophomore albums were released on the label that released music from some of the biggest names in music – including M.C. Hammer, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur to name a few. Snoop left the label in 1998.
“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. “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.”
Information from Business Wire, Pitchfork and Complex contributed to this report.
