Snoop Dogg Says That He Now Owns Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ Masters
Snoop has clarified what his ownership of Death Row Records involves after acquiring the iconic rap label last month. Following his recent acquisition of the renowned record company, Snoop Dogg has announced that he now owns the masters of Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic,’ as well as other Death Row recordings.
The famed rapper’s official ownership of Death Row Records, the historic record label where he began his career 30 years ago, was disclosed last month.
The entire terms of the deal had not been published at the time of the acquisition. According to some accounts, Snoop will be denied access to a number of legendary Death Row recordings, including many albums by Dr. Dre and 2Pac.
In a new interview, Snoop Dogg clarified what his ownership of the Death Row label entails, stating that he does indeed own the masters of some of the label’s most memorable titles.
“To be in control of the brand means that I got all of the pieces that I need to do what I got to do, from the masters to the publishing, to the IP, to the label, to the logo, to everything,” he told TIDAL’s Elliott Wilson. “It’s all mine. I’m able to move it around and do what I need to do with it.”
He continued: “As far as 2Pac’s masters, 2Pac’s masters came back to him last year. But I got a great relationship with his estate, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be able to work something out…to continue some Death Row 2Pac business now that Snoop Dogg is in control of Death Row.”
“Same with Dr. Dre and ‘The Chronic’. I got ‘The Chronic’ album,” he confirmed, before reeling off a list of other Death Row albums he now owns, including his own first two albums, ‘Doggystyle’ and ‘Tha Doggfather’, Tha Dogg Pound’s ‘Dogg Food’, and the soundtracks for Above The Rim and Murder Was The Case. “I got all those records,” he said.
Snoop recently shared a photo of Death Row’s archive on his Instagram account. He also stated that some of the label’s most legendary records, including Dr. Dre’s 1992 single ‘Deep Cover (187),’ which initially introduced the world to a young Snoop, would be made available on streaming services in the future.
“I’m bringing all that back,” he said. “I got all of that. I’m thinking about doing a DJ Snoopadelic mix with all of those hidden gems from Death Row that you can’t find. Then once I put them in a mix, then you got them and you can mix them and blend them however you want to.”
“I want to mix it, talk over it, give you some history when you hearing it, like, ‘This record right here, ‘Puffin’ On Blunts’, it featured Daz, Kurupt, Lady of Rage, produced by Dre. Check this s**t out.’ Give you a little insight when that shit comes on.”
Suge Knight, Dr. Dre, and Michael “Harry O” Harris launched Death Row Records in 1991. Along with Dre and 2Pac, Snoop was one of the three primary artists responsible for the famed west-coast rap label’s success.
Before leaving for Master P’s No Limit Records in 1998, he recorded his first two albums on the label, ‘Doggystyle’ (1993) and ‘Tha Doggfather’ (1996). In the meantime, Snoop Dogg recently recalled how Queen Elizabeth saved him from being deported from the United Kingdom in the 1990s.
–Aditi Manjunath
