Snoop Dogg officially acquires Death Row Records

Snoop Dogg has officially acquired Death Row Records after first rising to fame on the label in the 1990s. 

As reported by Variety, the hip hop mogul purchased the label from the Blackstone-controlled company MNRK Music Group. Snoop will now lead Death Row Records for the coming years as its new owner.

Full terms of the transaction have not been disclosed, but Snoop's acquisition is thought to be the first part of a transaction that is expected to see him also purchase some of Death Row's music rights. The deal is slated to be completed in the coming weeks.

"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 shared in a press release about the acquisition. "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.

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."

Death Row Records was founded in 1992 by Suge Knight and Dick Griffey and rappers Dr. Dre and The D.O.C.. With a roster that included Dre, Snoop, Tupac Shakur, and Nate Dogg, Death Row would become one of the most formidable and influential labels in music history.

Things began to go wrong for the label following Tupac's murder in 1996, which occurred in a car Knight was driving. Despite legal difficulties, he kept Death Row going for many years before he and the label declared bankruptcy in 2006. It's since changed hands several times, with some major titles from its catalogue moving to competing labels.

Snoop initially joined Death Row back in 1993, almost three decades ago. He dropped his seminal debut album, Doggystyle, on the label. Death Row will also be releasing his forthcoming album, B.O.D.R., on Friday, February 11th.