Death Row Records

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Death Row Records was born from tensions at Ruthless Records. After Ice Cube left in 1989 over financial disagreements with Jerry Heller, Suge Knight and The D.O.C. reviewed the books with a lawyer. Convinced Heller and Eazy-E were dishonest, they approached Dr. Dre about forming a new label. Using strong-arm tactics, Knight secured contracts for The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Jewell, and Michel'le from Eazy-E. The label was originally called Future Shock, then 'Def Row' (a play on Def Jam), but rights were owned by the Unknown DJ, who sold the naming rights to Dr. Dre and his partners in July 1991. By 1992, the name changed to Death Row Records. Knight approached Michael 'Harry-O' Harris, a businessman imprisoned on drug and attempted murder charges, who set up Godfather Entertainment as a parent company. Knight also pressured Vanilla Ice into signing over royalties for 'Ice Ice Baby,' using that money to help fund Death Row.

In Their Own Story

In 1992, Jimmy Iovine's Interscope Records negotiated a $10-million deal with Dr. Dre and Suge Knight to finance and distribute Death Row, after Sony passed on The Chronic due to its controversial nature. The Chronic was released in December 1992, peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Top 200, and sold 5.7 million records worldwide, popularizing G-funk. Snoop Dogg's debut Doggystyle was released unfinished on November 23, 1993, due to public demand and retailer pressure, but still went quadruple platinum. On November 22, 1994, Suge Knight and Death Row artists distributed nearly 2,000 turkeys to the public. On March 13, 1995, at a Death Row party at the El Rey Theatre, Kelly Jamerson, a Rolling 60's Crip, was severely beaten by Bloods allegedly from Suge's inner circle and died the next day. In 1995, Suge visited 2Pac at Clinton Correctional Facility, then at the Source Awards disparaged Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs. On September 24, 1995, at Jermaine Dupri's birthday party, a dispute led to the fatal shooting of Death Row bodyguard Jai Hassan-Jamal 'Big Jake' Robles, a Campanella Park Piru Bloods gang member—a case that remains officially unresolved over 20 years later.

Reader's Guide

Death Row Records filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was auctioned to WIDEawake Entertainment for $18 million on January 15, 2009. The owner of WIDEawake went bankrupt in 2012; the label was sold to Entertainment One, then became a division of Hasbro until April 2021, when eOne Music was sold to the Blackstone Group. Snoop Dogg bought Death Row from MNRK Music Group in February 2022, intending to revive the label. The label's history is marked by controversies, lawsuits, links to organized crime, and extreme violence by its artists and associates, despite its financial success.

Did You Know?

• Death Row Records was originally called Future Shock, then 'Def Row,' before the name was changed in 1992.
• The label made over US $100 million annually at its peak.
• Suge Knight pressured Vanilla Ice into signing over royalties for 'Ice Ice Baby' to help fund Death Row.
• Death Row filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was auctioned for $18 million on January 15, 2009.
• Snoop Dogg bought Death Row from MNRK Music Group in February 2022.