Snoop Dogg is the new owner of Death Row Records.
The West Coast legend acquired the label from MNRK Music Group, which was formerly known as eOne Music. Snoop Dogg and Blackstone, the investment firm that manages MNRK, announced the transaction on Wednesday (February 9).
“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 Dogg said in a press release. “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.”
He added, “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.”
The acquisition brings Snoop Dogg’s career full circle as he now owns the label where he started his journey in the music industry. Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed.
Death Row Records was co-founded by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight in 1991. Snoop Dogg released his classic debut Doggystyle on the label in 1993.
After a memorable run in the ‘90s, Death Row Records fell on hard times. The label filed for bankruptcy in 2006 before eventually being acquired by WIDEawake Entertainment Group in 2009.
WIDEawake’s own bankruptcy resulted in the label being sold to eOne Music in 2013. Death Row Records became a division of Hasbro at one point until eOne was bought by Blackstone in 2021.