American Rapper and Entrepreneur Snoop Dogg announced he’d acquired the Death Row Records brand in February, the terms of the deal were still up in the air. It was reported he wouldn’t have access to several classic Death Row releases, including multiple Dr. Dre and 2Pac albums.
In a recent interview with TIDAL, the inimitable Doggfather provided some clarity on what exactly owning the Death Row brand means. In the process, he revealed he’s acquired Dr. Dre’s 1992 debut The Chronic, his own 1993 solo classic Doggystyle and the Above The Rim soundtrack, among others. As for 2Pac’s Death Row releases, he’s confident he’ll be able to wrangle those, too.
“To be in control of the brand means that I got all of the pieces that I need to do what I got to do, from the masters to the publishing, to the IP, to the label, to the logo, to everything,” he said. “It’s all mine. I’m able to move it around and do what I need to do with it. As far as 2Pac’s masters, 2Pac’s masters came back to him last year.
“But I got a great relationship with his estate, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be able to work something out … to continue some Death Row 2Pac business now that Snoop Dogg is in control of Death Row. Same with Dr. Dre and The Chronic. I got The Chronic album. I got Doggystyle, Tha Doggfather, Murder Was the Case, Dogg Food, Above the Rim. I got all those records.”
Snoop Dogg recognizes the relevance of the Death Row Records catalog, especially to those who grew up in the 1980s and ’90s. As he said, “It’s doing what needs to be done with the catalog, because these songs are symbolic in a lot of people’s lives and upbringings.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Snoop Dogg promised some singles previously unavailable on digital streaming platforms would eventually resurface, including Dr. Dre’s 1992 single “Deep Cover (187),” which introduced the young Snoop to the world.
“I’m bringing all that back,” he said. “I got all of that. I’m thinking about doing a DJ Snoopadelic mix with all of those hidden gems from Death Row that you can’t find. Then once I put them in a mix, then you got them and you can mix them and blend them however you want to.
“I want to mix it, talk over it, give you some history when you hearing it, like, ‘This record right here, ‘Puffin’ on Blunts,’ it featured Daz, Kurupt, Lady of Rage, produced by Dre. Check this shit out.’ Give you a little insight when that shit come on.”
