🎵 Death Row Records — Key Facts
| Current Owner | Snoop Dogg (Shawn Broadus Carter) |
| Acquisition | Purchased from MNRK Music Group (formerly Entertainment One), Feb 2022 |
| Original Founder | Suge Knight (Marion Knight Jr.), 1991 |
| Peak Era Artists | Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, MC Hammer |
| Type | Private company (NFT/streaming-focused post-2022) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, USA |
Death Row Records — the legendary West Coast hip-hop label that defined an era of gangsta rap in the 1990s — is now owned by Snoop Dogg, who acquired the label in February 2022 from MNRK Music Group. This completed a remarkable circle: Snoop Dogg was one of Death Row’s biggest artists during its peak years, and now owns the catalog that includes some of his earliest and most iconic recordings.
Who Is the Owner of Death Row Records?
Death Row Records is owned by Snoop Dogg (Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.). He purchased the label in February 2022 from MNRK Music Group (formerly known as Entertainment One, or eOne). The purchase price was not publicly disclosed. Snoop Dogg has described the acquisition as deeply personal — Death Row launched his career with his debut album Doggystyle (1993), which is one of the fastest-selling rap albums in history. By owning Death Row, Snoop now controls his early masters as well as the iconic label imprint.
Death Row’s Founding and Suge Knight
Death Row Records was founded in 1991 by Marion “Suge” Knight — a physically imposing music industry figure who built the label into one of the most dominant and controversial forces in 1990s hip-hop. Knight co-founded Death Row with Dr. Dre (Andre Romelle Young) and businessman Dick Griffey, with early financing from former cocaine dealer Michael “Harry-O” Harris. The label signed Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, and others, releasing landmark albums including The Chronic (1992), Doggystyle (1993), and Tupac’s All Eyez on Me (1996). Knight’s violent management style, legal troubles (including a murder voluntary manslaughter conviction), and financial mismanagement led to Death Row’s bankruptcy in 2006.
Death Row After Snoop’s Acquisition
After acquiring Death Row, Snoop Dogg made a high-profile move: he pulled the label’s catalog from all major streaming platforms in 2022, making it the first major hip-hop label to move exclusively to NFT distribution. However, the catalog later returned to streaming services. Snoop has used the Death Row brand for merchandise, new artist signings, and continued release of classic material, positioning the label as both a legacy music property and a modern entertainment brand.
