Death Row East
| Death Row Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parent company |
Entertainment One Music (current) Godfather Entertainment, Time Warner, Interscope (former) |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., Suge Knight |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Hip hop, R&B, gangsta rap |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
Death Row Records is a record company founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., Dick Griffey and Suge Knight. Many west coast artists were on the label such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, The Outlawz, The Lady of Rage, MC Hammer, Young Soldierz, Sam Sneed, LBC Crew, RBX, Michel'le, Jewell, Danny Boy, DJ Quik, O.F.T.B., Nate Dogg, and the rap group Tha Dogg Pound consisting of rappers Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Soopafly, and many others. Death Row Records was making $100 million a year and by 1996 most of the aforementioned artists departed from the label after the death of 2Pac. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and on January 15, 2009, was auctioned to entertainment development company WIDEawake Entertainment Group, Inc. for $18 million.
In the late 1980s, producer Andre "Dr. Dre" Young was a member of gangsta rap group N.W.A, signed to fellow member Eric "Eazy-E" Wright's label Ruthless Records. As head of production at the label, Dre produced a large number of Ruthless projects, many of them high-selling; feeling the pressures of having to produce so many acts, Dre became frustrated with Ruthless. After the departure of Ice Cube over financial disagreements with manager Jerry Heller, Suge Knight and artist and friend The D.O.C. went over the books with a lawyer. Convinced that Heller was dishonest, they approached Young about forming a label with them, away from Heller and Eazy-E. Allegedly using strong-arm tactics, Knight was able to procure contracts from Eazy for The D.O.C., Dr. Dre and singer Michel'le.
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