Snoop Dogg may look like just another rapper but he is one good business person. The other day he took over the popular record label Death Row Records that has once helped launch his successful career as a musician.
Snoop acquired the record label brand from MNRK Music group, which until recently was managed by a private equity fund managed by Blackstone Inc. So far, it has not been revealed how much Snoop paid to acquire death row records or what type of deal was brokered.
Snoop said he was very excited to acquire the label brand and plans to make it even bigger- and judging by his business acumen, there is no doubt he will do just that. Fifty-year-old Snoop recently said, “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,” he added, “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.”
It was in the 1990s when Snoop found success in the music industry when he was with Death Row Records, a company that was founded by Dr. Dre, Surge Knight, Dick Giffey, and DOC in 1992. Death Row Records evolved after the dissolution of N.W.A.
And Blackstone Inc is pleased that Snoop has come on board, chiefly because the rapper is popular and has been successful in many business ventures outside of music. Kestenbaum, senior director at Blackstone said, “We are excited to put the Death Row Records brand back in the hands of a legend like Snoop Dogg. We wish him success in the years ahead as the brand moves forward under his leadership and vision.”
Over the past several decades, Death Row Records has released some classics of the hip hop genre that include Snoop’s debut ‘Doggystyle’ and Dr. Dre’s first solo album, ‘The Chronic.’
Another famous rapper who was part of the label in the 90s was Tupac Shakur; sadly he was killed in 1996 while riding a car driven by Knight in las vegas. Soon after the death of Tupac, the label saw a decline in its popularity which also led to the downward fall in the career of Knight himself. In 2006, Death Row was bankrupt and Knight filed for chapter 13. Knight had always had a penchant for violence and eventually, it caught up with him as he served time in prison following the bankruptcy filing
With Snoop’s intellect and knowledge, everyone is hoping that he will bring back Death Row to the top once again. Snoop is one of the most successful rappers having sold over 23 million albums in the US alone, and millions more globally. In addition, he has 7 platinum and one gold albums.
And when not making music, Snoop has featured on many TV shows and movies. Snoop is also very charitable having given many opportunities to underprivileged students in the Los Angeles area. Business-wise he has invested in Reddit and many marijuana ventures. So far he has proven to have the Midas touch; hope he can do the same to Death Row Records.
