Misplaced Pages

#341658

123-408: Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C. , Dr. Dre , Suge Knight , and Dick Griffey . The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast -based artists such as Dr. Dre ( The Chronic ), Snoop Dogg ( Doggystyle ) and 2Pac ( All Eyez on Me ) during the 1990s. At its peak, Death Row was making over US $ 150 million

246-598: A Rolling 60's Crip , was severely beaten by several Bloods , who were allegedly from Suge Knight's inner circle. As a result of his injuries, Jamerson died the next day at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. After an August visit to see 2Pac at Clinton Correctional Facility in northern New York state, Suge traveled southward to New York City to join Death Row's entourage to the 2nd Annual Source Awards ceremony. Already reputed for strongarm tactics on

369-551: A "record group" which is, in turn, controlled by a music group. The constituent companies in a music group or record group are sometimes marketed as being "divisions" of the group. From 1929 to 1998, there were six major record labels, known as the Big Six: PolyGram was merged into Universal Music Group (UMG) in 1999, leaving the remaining record labels to be known as the Big Five. In 2004, Sony and BMG agreed to

492-481: A $ 10 million deposit as an incentive to consider the site. Despite a further $ 10 million being invested by the city into environmental surveys, legal fees, and approvals for usage of the land. For conflicted reasons, Davis accepted the $ 10 million from the city's bid, but later declined any future proposals for the site. On June 23, 1995, Davis signed a letter of intent to move the Raiders back to Oakland. The move

615-516: A $ 4 billion purchase of eOne , making them the owners of Death Row Records. In April 2021, Hasbro and Entertainment One announced it would sell-off eOne Music to The Blackstone Group , which its acquisition was completed in June 2021. On February 9, 2022, ahead of the release of his next album and his appearance in the Super Bowl LVI halftime show , Snoop Dogg announced that he would acquire

738-604: A 2002 release. However, the single did not chart in the UK and the album ended up being released by footballer Kevin Campbell's record label 2 Wikid, before being re-issued in 2006 by Mona Records. Left Eye , member of the R&;B girl group TLC signed with Death Row after finishing her solo deal with Arista who released her first album Supernova in 2001. At this time, Death Row changed into Tha Row Records . Lopes joined to record

861-533: A 27–1 vote with two abstentions, a resolution supporting a plan to build a $ 200 million, privately financed stadium on property owned by Hollywood Park in Inglewood for the Raiders. The stadium would have also been the home of the UCLA Bruins football team, opened in 1997, and been guaranteed at least two Super Bowls . Al Davis balked and refused the deal over a stipulation that he would have had to accept

984-405: A 50% profit-share agreement, aka 50–50 deal, not uncommon. In addition, independent labels are often artist-owned (although not always), with a stated intent often being to control the quality of the artist's output. Independent labels usually do not enjoy the resources available to the "big three" and as such will often lag behind them in market shares. However, frequently independent artists manage

1107-441: A Campanella Park Piru Bloods gang member and Death Row bodyguard. According to eyewitnesses, including a Fulton County sheriff working there as a nightclub bouncer, Puff had heatedly disputed with Suge inside the club. Several minutes later, outside the club, Puff's childhood friend and own bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones was involved in a heated altercation with others that ultimately led to Robles being fatally shot while entering

1230-595: A Limousine. The attorneys of Puff and Jones both denied any involvement by their clients, while Puff's lawyer added that Puff had not even been with his bodyguard that night. Over 20 years later, the case remains officially unresolved, and Jones himself was fatally shot in Atlanta in November 2003 during an altercation with the Black Mafia Family . Yet immediately and persistently, Suge blamed Puff, cementing

1353-542: A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back , despite being a New York Jets fan. "Everyone liked the Raiders," he explained, "because they wore black and silver." This period – chronicled by the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Straight Outta L.A. – is considered the beginnings of Raider Nation . Today, a strong amount of Raider fans in Southern California still remain despite professional football having vacated

SECTION 10

#1732798224342

1476-562: A US Senate committee, that the Byrds never received any of the royalties they had been promised for their biggest hits, " Mr. Tambourine Man " and " Turn! Turn!, Turn! ". A contract either provides for the artist to deliver completed recordings to the label, or for the label to undertake the recording with the artist. For artists without a recording history, the label is often involved in selecting producers, recording studios , additional musicians, and songs to be recorded, and may supervise

1599-479: A bigger company. If this is the case it can sometimes give the artist greater freedom than if they were signed directly to the big label. There are many examples of this kind of label, such as Nothing Records , owned by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails ; and Morning Records, owned by the Cooper Temple Clause , who were releasing EPs for years before the company was bought by RCA . If an artist and

1722-528: A bodyguard for Suge Knight, was fired after he failed to return two Death Row Records cars which he borrowed. After Williams was fired, he became a close associate of Rodrick Cardale "Lil Rod" Reed, a Fruit Town Piru member. The pair are alleged to be behind the murders of the Mob Piru Bloods from Death Row Records. Record label [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company

1845-408: A conventional cash advance to sign the artist, who would receive a royalty for sales after expenses were recouped. With the release of the artist's first album, however, the label has an option to pay an additional $ 200,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the net income from all touring, merchandise, endorsements, and fan-club fees. Atlantic would also have the right to approve the act's tour schedule, and

1968-715: A deal with a proper label. In 2002, ArtistShare was founded as the Internet's first record label where the releases were directly funded by the artist's fans. Los Angeles Raiders The team's first home game in Los Angeles was at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the San Diego Chargers on November 22, 1982, after a 57-day player strike . They played their last game as a Los Angeles–based club on December 24, 1994, at

2091-509: A double disc the following year. On February 28, Suge Knight was convicted of parole violation and sentenced to nine years in prison, causing Interscope to drop their distribution deal with the label. Suge Knight's control over the label diminished, as Nate Dogg was able to leave, followed by Snoop Dogg and Kurupt. The Lady of Rage left after the release of her solo album Necessary Roughness to pursue an acting career, so did Michel'le with Hung Jury . Daz Dillinger departed in 1999 after

2214-566: A former Death Row publicist reported through HipHopDX that New Solutions Financial Corporation, the Canadian company that owned WIDEawake Death Row, had gone bankrupt and sold both the label and catalog to a publicly held company in a deal that would be closed on December 10. In 2013, Entertainment One purchased the rights to the Death Row catalog. New Solutions Financial Corporation was eventually exposed as an alleged Ponzi scheme . On August 23, 2019, American toy company Hasbro announced

2337-549: A good-faith deposit for a prospective stadium site, though Davis later kept the deposit despite the bid being abandoned by the team. During this time Davis also almost moved the team to Sacramento in a deal that would have included Davis becoming the managing partner of the Sacramento Kings . Negotiations between Davis and Oakland commenced in January 1989, and on March 11, 1990, Davis announced his intention to bring

2460-621: A joint venture and merged their recorded music division to create the Sony BMG label (which would be renamed Sony Music Entertainment after a 2008 merger); BMG kept its music publishing division separate from Sony BMG and later sold BMG Music Publishing to UMG. In 2007, the remaining record labels—then known as the Big Four—controlled about 70% of the world music market , and about 80% of the United States music market. In 2012,

2583-476: A label want to work together, whether an artist has contacted a label directly, usually by sending their team a demo, or the Artists & Repertoire team of the label has scouted the artist and reached out directly, they will usually enter in to a contractual relationship. A label typically enters into an exclusive recording contract with an artist to market the artist's recordings in return for royalties on

SECTION 20

#1732798224342

2706-462: A large international media group , or somewhere in between. The Association of Independent Music (AIM) defines a 'major' as "a multinational company which (together with the companies in its group) has more than 5% of the world market(s) for the sale of records or music videos." As of 2012 , there are only three labels that can be referred to as "major labels": Universal Music Group , Sony Music , and Warner Music Group . In 2014, AIM estimated that

2829-436: A large cultural impact on both the Raiders brand and Los Angeles. During this time, there was an explosion of popularity in both the team and the Raiders brand, as L.A. is America's second-largest media market. The team's early success was coupled with brand exposure by Hollywood celebrities, notably the gangsta rap group N.W.A. , wearing Raiders gear. Chuck D wears Raiders colours on the cover of Public Enemy 's It Takes

2952-559: A privately financed $ 1.78 billion stadium in Carson, California if they were to move to the Los Angeles market. Both teams stated that they would continue to attempt to get stadiums built in their respective cities. On April 22, 2015, the Carson City Council bypassed the option to put the stadium to public vote and approved the plan 3–0. The council voted without having clarified several issues, including who would finance

3075-605: A return by recording for a much smaller production cost of a typical big label release. Sometimes they are able to recoup their initial advance even with much lower sales numbers. On occasion, established artists, once their record contract has finished, move to an independent label. This often gives the combined advantage of name recognition and more control over one's music along with a larger portion of royalty profits. Artists such as Dolly Parton , Aimee Mann , Prince , Public Enemy , among others, have done this. Historically, companies started in this manner have been re-absorbed into

3198-554: A second NFL team at the stadium as soon as 1998. The team had also reconsidered the site adjacent to Interstate 210 's junction with Interstate 605 in Irwindale, California , 18 miles east of Los Angeles. Originally sought by the Raiders in 1987, plans continuously failed to materialize as the team looked to convert land formerly operated by a quarry as a candidate for a stadium site. City officials in Irwindale offered Davis

3321-552: A second solo album under the pseudonym N.I.N.A. (New Identity Not Applicable), while also working on TLC's new album 3D . N.I.N.A. was canceled after her death in April 2002. The album was leaked online in 2011. After promoting his new talent from prison, directing a campaign against his former artists and exacerbating the conflict between Daz Dillinger, Snoop Dogg and Kurupt, Suge had still yet to release any albums by his new artists. After Kurupt's second departure, Against tha Grain

3444-541: A solo artist and a young Snoop Doggy Dogg as his protégé. Work soon began on The Chronic , Dr. Dre's debut solo album, which heavily featured Snoop and the rest of the label's core roster. The album, which was released on December 15 and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Top 200 , went on to sell 5.7 million records worldwide, popularizing the distinctive style of G-Funk . The Death Row roster consisted of Dre, Snoop, Daz , Kurupt , Nate Dogg , Lady of Rage ,

3567-628: A stake of Death Row's catalogue to former Apple Music 's Global Creative Director Larry Jackson 's music label Gamma . During the onset of 2023, Jane Handcocks's World of Women and October London 's The Rebirth of Marvin were released. On February 12, 2023, Snoop Dogg announced that Death Row's catalogue would return to TikTok via association with music distribution company SoundOn. Death Row's catalogue returned to all music streaming services on March 9, 2023. Death Row Records has been referred to as "the most controversial record label in history", due to Suge Knight's practice of hiring gang members and

3690-555: A van filled with Bloods and Crips , before Knight showed up at Vanilla Ice's hotel suite on the 15th floor of the Bel Age Hotel, accompanied by Johnson and a member of the Los Angeles Raiders . According to Vanilla Ice, Knight took him out on the balcony by himself, and implied he would throw Vanilla Ice off unless he signed the rights to the song over to Knight; Van Winkle's money helped fund Death Row. Death Row

3813-489: A year. By the late 1990s, the label began to decline after the death of its star artist, 2Pac, imprisonment of Suge Knight, and the departures of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Although Death Row was enjoying financial success, it was embroiled in controversies, lawsuits, and violence by its artists and associates. Death Row Records filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was auctioned to WIDEawake Entertainment for $ 18 million on January 15, 2009. The owner of WIDEawake went bankrupt in 2012;

Death Row Records - Misplaced Pages Continue

3936-544: Is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos , or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture , distribution , marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos, while also conducting talent scouting and development of new artists , artist financing and maintaining contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from

4059-454: Is often marketed as a "unit" or "division" of the parent label, though in most cases, they operate as pseudonym for it and do not exist as a distinct business operation or separate business structure (although trademarks are sometimes registered). A record label may give a musical act an imprint as part of their branding, while other imprints serve to house other activities, such as side ventures of that label. Music collectors often use

4182-684: Is owned by Sony Group Corporation ). Record labels and music publishers that are not under the control of the big three are generally considered to be independent ( indie ), even if they are large corporations with complex structures. The term indie label is sometimes used to refer to only those independent labels that adhere to independent criteria of corporate structure and size, and some consider an indie label to be almost any label that releases non-mainstream music, regardless of its corporate structure. Independent labels are often considered more artist-friendly. Though they may have less sales power, indie labels typically offer larger artist royalty with

4305-563: The Bounty Hunter Bloods named William "Rat" Ratcliffe was pressuring Suge Knight to sign him to Death Row Records. After Ratcliffe confronted Knight with 10 other Bounty Hunter Bloods, Knight ordered Wardell "Poochie" Fouse , who was a fellow Mob Piru member, to kill Ratcliffe. After the murder of Tupac Shakur, Knight was incarcerated due to probation violations. Knight held Sean Combs , the CEO of Bad Boy Records , responsible for

4428-653: The Coliseum against the Kansas City Chiefs , a game which they lost 19–9 to eliminate them from playoff contention. After both the Raiders and the Rams left Los Angeles after the 1994 season , Los Angeles was left without an NFL team until the 2016 season. Prior to the 1980 season, Raiders owner Al Davis attempted unsuccessfully to have improvements made to the Oakland Coliseum , specifically

4551-588: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (who had recently lost the Los Angeles Rams to Anaheim ), but filed an antitrust lawsuit of their own. After the first case was declared a mistrial , in May 1982 a second jury ruled in favor of Davis and the Los Angeles Coliseum, clearing the way for the move. The Raiders finally relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 season , playing their home games at

4674-541: The Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier in the year. With the hiring, Shell became the first African American head coach in the modern NFL era, but the team still finished a middling 8–8. In 1990 , Shell led Los Angeles to a 12–4 record. They beat the Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs, but Bo Jackson had his left femur ripped from the socket after a tackle. Without him, the Raiders were crushed in

4797-722: The Rams' new stadium in Inglewood with the Rams if the Chargers opted to stay in San Diego. On January 12, 2017, the Chargers opted to join the Rams in Los Angeles, thereby closing the door on the return of the Raiders to the city. Although with an AFC West rival playing in Los Angeles, the Raiders get at least one game in Los Angeles each season playing the Los Angeles Chargers . The Raiders’ time in Los Angeles had

4920-463: The free software and open source movements and the success of Linux . In the mid-2000s, some music publishing companies began undertaking the work traditionally done by labels. The publisher Sony/ATV Music, for example, leveraged its connections within the Sony family to produce, record, distribute, and promote Elliott Yamin 's debut album under a dormant Sony-owned imprint , rather than waiting for

5043-816: The playoffs as the second wild card team. They were defeated by the Seahawks in the Wild Card Playoffs, 13–7. The 1985 campaign saw 12 wins and another division title, but the first-seeded Raiders suffered a humiliating 27–20 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots in the Divisional Playoffs. The Raiders' fortunes declined after the loss to the Patriots in the 1985 playoffs . From 1986 through 1989, they finished no better than 8–8 and posted consecutive losing seasons for

Death Row Records - Misplaced Pages Continue

5166-510: The "parent" of any sublabels. Vanity labels are labels that bear an imprint that gives the impression of an artist's ownership or control, but in fact represent a standard artist/label relationship. In such an arrangement, the artist will control nothing more than the usage of the name on the label, but may enjoy a greater say in the packaging of their work. An example of such a label is the Neutron label owned by ABC while at Phonogram Inc. in

5289-612: The AFC Championship by the Buffalo Bills 51-3. Jackson was forced to quit football as a result, although surgery allowed him to continue playing baseball until he retired in 1994. The team's fortunes faded after the loss. They made two other playoff appearances during the 1990s, and finished higher than third place only three times. In 1991, they got into the postseason as a wild card after a 9–7 regular season, but fell to Kansas City. 1992 saw them drop to 7–9. This period

5412-576: The Carson Site, but the Chargers and Raiders were unable to secure the votes they needed to move. After hours of debate, the NFL owners voted to allow the St. Louis Rams to move back to Los Angeles after a two decade long absence on January 12, 2016, with the San Diego Chargers having the option to join them within a year. It was still possible, however, for the Raiders to move as they could have moved into

5535-579: The Case . On November 22, 1994, at the offices of The Brotherhood Crusade in Los Angeles , Suge Knight and several artists from Death Row such as Tha Dogg Pound as well as DJ Quik distributed nearly 2,000 turkeys to the public. Death Row also donated turkeys the following year as well. On March 13, 1995, Death Row Records hosted a private party at the El Rey Theatre , where Kelly Jamerson ,

5658-567: The D.O.C. , Jewell , RBX , and many more. Later on, Death Row artist Lil 1/2 Dead's contract was sold to Priority Records where he released his debut album The Dead Has Arisen . After Snoop Dogg found solo success through his features on The Chronic, Dre began producing Snoop Dogg 's debut album Doggystyle throughout 1993. Snoop's debut was released on November 23, 1993 due to public demand and high pressure from retailers. Though unfinished, it outperformed The Chronic at Quadruple Platinum , and garnered similarly glowing reviews. Soon after

5781-568: The Divisional Playoffs and Seattle Seahawks in the AFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XVIII against the Washington Commanders . The Raiders built a 21–3 halftime lead over Washington en route to a 38–9 victory and their third NFL championship. The Raiders had another successful regular season in 1984, finishing 11–5, but a three-game losing streak in late October and early November forced them to enter

5904-516: The Fugees and Nas . Tha Dogg Pound 's debut album, Dogg Food , continued the label's streak of commercial successes; its members – rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger – then joined Snoop in ridiculing New York rappers with their single " New York, New York ", featuring Snoop Dogg. The video, set in New York City , New York, was also heightened when the set was fired upon in a drive-by. After

6027-726: The Los Angeles Coliseum. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, the team finished first in the AFC with an 8–1 record. They defeated the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the New York Jets in the second round. The following season, the team compiled a 12–4 record and a first-place finish in the AFC West . in the playoffs , they convincingly defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in

6150-409: The Los Angeles rap scene, after giving a brief comment of support for Shakur, Suge used his brief stage time mainly to disparage Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs , CEO of Bad Boy Records , the label then leading New York rap scene. Knight criticized Combs for his habit of ad-libbing on his artists' music as well as making numerous cameo appearances in his artists' music videos. Suge then invited artists seeking

6273-483: The NFL one game and prompted them to use substitute players. The Raiders fill-ins achieved a 1–2 record before the regular team returned. After a weak 5–10 finish, head coach Tom Flores moved to the front office and was replaced by Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan . Shanahan led the team to a 7–9 mark in 1988, and Allen and Jackson continued to trade places as the starting running back. Low game attendance and fan apathy were evident by this point, and in

SECTION 50

#1732798224342

6396-523: The Raiders back to Oakland. By September 1990, however, numerous delays had prevented the completion. On September 11, Davis announced a new deal to stay in Los Angeles, leading many fans in Oakland to burn Raiders paraphernalia in disgust. After starting the 1989 season with a 1–3 record, Shanahan was fired by Davis, which began a long-standing feud between the two. He was replaced by former Raider offensive lineman Art Shell , who had been voted into

6519-483: The UK market with Death Row Records operating as an independent record label in conjunction with the Ritz Music Group, a company known for its success with Irish country music artists such as Daniel O'Donnell The joint-venture signed British R&B singer Mark Morrison to a five-year deal with Death Row Records UK, with a single called "Thank God It's Friday" and an album called Innocent Man scheduled for

6642-456: The UK. At one point artist Lizzie Tear (under contract with ABC themselves) appeared on the imprint, but it was devoted almost entirely to ABC's offerings and is still used for their re-releases (though Phonogram owns the masters of all the work issued on the label). However, not all labels dedicated to particular artists are completely superficial in origin. Many artists, early in their careers, create their own labels which are later bought out by

6765-546: The United States would typically bear a 4th & B'way logo and would state in the fine print, "4th & B'way™, an Island Records, Inc. company". Collectors discussing labels as brands would say that 4th & B'way is a sublabel or imprint of just "Island" or "Island Records". Similarly, collectors who choose to treat corporations and trademarks as equivalent might say 4th & B'way is an imprint and/or sublabel of both Island Records, Ltd. and that company's sublabel, Island Records, Inc. However, such definitions are complicated by

6888-491: The Wake Up Show with Sway & King Tech. On August 6, 2001, Suge Knight was released from prison. Despite bad blood, Kurupt would again sign with Suge Knight in exchange for the position of Vice President, which sparked a feud between himself and Daz Dillinger and Snoop Dogg. He began work on Against tha Grain ; his verbal feud with his former partners continued from 2002 to 2005. The same year, Knight decided to enter

7011-422: The addition of luxury boxes . On March 1, 1980, he signed a memorandum of agreement to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles. The move, which required three-fourths approval by league owners, was defeated 22–0 (with five owners abstaining). When Davis tried to move the team anyway, he was blocked by an injunction . In response, the Raiders not only became an active partner in an antitrust lawsuit filed by

7134-407: The album will sell better if the artist complies with the label's desired requests or changes. At times, the record label's decisions are prudent ones from a commercial perspective, but these decisions may frustrate artists who feel that their art is being diminished or misrepresented by such actions. In other instances, record labels have shelved artists' albums with no intention of any promotion for

7257-531: The appointment of a Receiver to acquire and auction off assets of both Death Row Records and Suge Knight in the civil case filed by Lydia Harris. Among those listed as unsecured creditors to Death Row include the Harrises ($ 107 million), the Internal Revenue Service ($ 6.9 million), Koch Records ($ 3.4 million), Interscope Records ($ 2.5 million) and a number of artists previously signed to

7380-411: The artist from their contract, leaving the artist in a state of limbo. Artists who have had disputes with their labels over ownership and control of their music have included Taylor Swift , Tinashe , Megan Thee Stallion , Kelly Clarkson , Thirty Seconds to Mars , Clipse , Ciara , JoJo , Michelle Branch , Kesha , Kanye West , Lupe Fiasco , Paul McCartney , and Johnny Cash . In

7503-415: The artist in question. Reasons for shelving can include the label deciding to focus its resources on other artists on its roster, or the label undergoing a restructure where the person that signed the artist and supports the artist's vision is no longer present to advocate for the artist. In extreme cases, record labels can prevent the release of an artist's music for years, while also declining to release

SECTION 60

#1732798224342

7626-425: The artist is established and has a loyal fan base. For that reason, labels now have to be more relaxed with the development of artists because longevity is the key to these types of pact. Several artists such as Paramore , Maino , and even Madonna have signed such types of deals. A look at an actual 360 deal offered by Atlantic Records to an artist shows a variation of the structure. Atlantic's document offers

7749-484: The artists may be downloaded free of charge or for a fee that is paid via PayPal or other online payment system. Some of these labels also offer hard copy CDs in addition to direct download. Digital Labels are the latest version of a 'net' label. Whereas 'net' labels were started as a free site, digital labels represent more competition for the major record labels. The new century brought the phenomenon of open-source or open-content record labels. These are inspired by

7872-650: The circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information. Within the mainstream music industry , recording artists have traditionally been reliant upon record labels to broaden their consumer base, market their albums, and promote their singles on streaming services, radio, and television. Record labels also provide publicists , who assist performers in gaining positive media coverage, and arrange for their merchandise to be available via stores and other media outlets. Record labels may be small, localized and " independent " ("indie"), or they may be part of

7995-403: The company. Some independent labels become successful enough that major record companies negotiate contracts to either distribute music for the label or in some cases, purchase the label completely, to the point where it functions as an imprint or sublabel. A label used as a trademark or brand and not a company is called an imprint , a term used for a similar concept in publishing . An imprint

8118-400: The corporate mergers that occurred in 1989 (when Island was sold to PolyGram) and 1998 (when PolyGram merged with Universal). PolyGram held sublabels including Mercury, Island and Motown. Island remained registered as corporations in both the United States and UK , but control of its brands changed hands multiple times as new companies were formed, diminishing the corporation's distinction as

8241-524: The death of Shakur and sought revenge. Through his then-girlfriend Theresa Swann, the incarcerated Knight contacted Wardell Fouse and hired him to kill The Notorious B.I.G. Swann was given $ 25,000, of which $ 13,000 would go to Fouse. During the initial investigation into Wallace's murder, Fouse was not a suspect, as detective Russell Poole 's prime suspects were the LAPD officer David Mack and Mack's friend Amir Muhammed (Harry Billups). After Poole resigned from

8364-578: The department in 1999, the case stalled. After the case was reopened in 2006, the lead detective, Greg Kading, concluded that Wardell Fouse was the shooter. As Fouse was murdered in 2003, no charges were pressed against him. By the early 2000s, a rivalry had developed between the Mob Piru Bloods and the Fruit Town Piru Bloods, resulting in the deaths of several Mob Pirus associated with Death Row Records, including (but not limited to): This feud started when George "G" Williams, who worked as

8487-416: The early days of the recording industry, recording labels were absolutely necessary for the success of any artist. The first goal of any new artist or band was to get signed to a contract as soon as possible. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, many artists were so desperate to sign a contract with a record company that they sometimes ended up signing agreements in which they sold the rights to their recordings to

8610-512: The end of their contract with EMI when their album In Rainbows was released as a " pay what you want " sales model as an online download, but they also returned to a label for a conventional release. Research shows that record labels still control most access to distribution. Computers and internet technology led to an increase in file sharing and direct-to-fan digital distribution, causing music sales to plummet in recent years. Labels and organizations have had to change their strategies and

8733-609: The enmity between the two bosses, whose two record labels dominated the rap genre's two mainstream centers. In October 1995, Knight visited 2Pac in prison again and posted $ 1.4 million bond. 2Pac began work on his Death Row album, kicking off his tenure by insulting the Notorious B.I.G. , Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Puff Daddy (the founder of Bad Boy Records ), whom he accused of setting him up to be robbed and shot at Quad Studios on November 30, 1994, as well as Mobb Deep , Jay-Z , A Tribe Called Quest , De La Soul , Jimmy Henchman ,

8856-745: The first artist signed to the label. On September 7, 1996, Suge Knight and 2Pac were caught on surveillance camera at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas attacking gang member Orlando Anderson , who was a member of the South Side Compton Crips street gang. Later that night, 2Pac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in the front seat of Suge Knight's BMW 750iL waiting at a red traffic light at crossroads ; en route to Knight's Las Vegas Club 662; despite living six days in critical condition, 2Pac died on September 13, 1996. He

8979-518: The first time since 1961–62. Also, 1986 saw Al Davis get into a widely publicized argument with running back Marcus Allen , whom he accused of faking injuries. The feud continued into 1987, with Davis retaliating by signing Bo Jackson to take Allen's place. However, Jackson was also a left fielder for Major League Baseball 's Kansas City Royals , and could not play full-time until the baseball season ended in October. Even worse, another strike cost

9102-515: The friction is completely unknown but a contract dispute led Davis to refer to Allen as "a cancer on the team." By the late 1980s, injuries began to reduce Allen's role in the offense. This role was reduced further in 1987, when the Raiders drafted Bo Jackson—even though he originally decided to not play professional football in 1986 (when drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round). By 1990, Allen had dropped to fourth on

9225-631: The gang-related violence which plagued the record label. Knight, who was a member of the Mob Piru Bloods , hired gang members from his set, as well as other sets, including the Fruit Town Piru and Lueders Park Piru. There have been several murders committed by gang members affiliated with Death Row Records. Furthermore, many of the Bloods who worked for the record label would eventually be murdered. In 1995, an aspiring rapper and member of

9348-552: The infighting, Dr. Dre officially left Death Row Records to found Aftermath , which provoked 2Pac to turn against Dr. Dre. Suge Knight's relationship with MC Hammer dates back to 1988. With the success of Hammer's 1994 album, The Funky Headhunter , Hammer signed with Death Row in 1995, along with his close friend, Tupac. The label did not release the album of M.C. Hammer's music (titled Too Tight ), although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album. However, Hammer did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably

9471-429: The interview, Dr. Dre's lawyer, Howard King, later refuted the "false reports" two days later, stating that Dre still retains total control of The Chronic , which came back to streaming services on February 1, 2023. On April 18, 2022, it was announced that Death Row Records would have its own streaming service, which pays higher royalties to its artists than main music streaming services. In December 2022, Snoop Dogg sold

9594-451: The label after Tha Doggfather album. Snoop Dogg's purchase of Death Row Records did not include the rights to Tupac or Dr. Dre's albums originally which those rights have been reverted back to Interscope Records . On March 4, 2022, in an interview with Tidal , Snoop Dogg stated he acquired the rights to all the albums previously released on Death Row Records, including his debut studio album Doggystyle and Dr. Dre's The Chronic. Despite

9717-573: The label was sold to Entertainment One , and it then became a division of Hasbro until April 2021, when eOne Music was sold to the Blackstone Group . Snoop Dogg bought Death Row from MNRK Music Group in February 2022, intending to revive the label. In 1987, N.W.A 's Dr. Dre signed to Eazy-E 's Ruthless Records . As head of production at the label, Dr. Dre produced a large number of Ruthless projects, many of them successful; feeling

9840-503: The label, although he contributed toward two tracks on 2Pac's All Eyez on Me . The rest of the tracks on the album, however, were mostly produced by Daz Dillinger and Johnny J , despite Dr. Dre being nominally titled as Executive Producer. 2Pac's behavior reportedly became erratic as he continued his verbal wars with the Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, and Prodigy, including many violent confrontations with many of those rappers at some points. On March 22, 1996, due to

9963-477: The label, and later releasing a diss track named " Pimp Slapp'd ", critically acclaimed by music magazine Complex . The label supported itself with releases pulled from vaults—most successfully various posthumous 2Pac albums, along with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg re-releases. He signed new talent, including Crooked I , who had been lighting up the Californian underground with his rhyming ability, particularly

10086-405: The label. Suge Knight eventually lost control of Death Row Records and his personal assets when Chapter 11 Trustees took over both cases. On January 15, 2009, Death Row Records was successfully auctioned for $ 18 million to Ontario -based WIDEawake Entertainment Group that was founded in 2008 by Lara Lavi, with financing from New Solutions Financial Corporation. On January 25, 2009, a public auction

10209-734: The major divisions of EMI were sold off separately by owner Citigroup : most of EMI's recorded music division was absorbed into UMG; EMI Music Publishing was absorbed into Sony/ATV Music Publishing; finally, EMI's Parlophone and Virgin Classics labels were absorbed into Warner Music Group (WMG) in July 2013. This left the so-called Big Three labels. In 2020 and 2021, both WMG and UMG had their IPO with WMG starting trading at Nasdaq and UMG starting trading at Euronext Amsterdam and leaving only Sony Music as wholly-owned subsidiary of an international conglomerate ( Sony Entertainment which in turn

10332-433: The major labels (two examples are American singer Frank Sinatra 's Reprise Records , which has been owned by Warner Music Group for some time now, and musician Herb Alpert 's A&M Records , now owned by Universal Music Group). Similarly, Madonna 's Maverick Records (started by Madonna with her manager and another partner) was to come under control of Warner Music when Madonna divested herself of controlling shares in

10455-537: The majors had a collective global market share of some 65–70%. Record labels are often under the control of a corporate umbrella organization called a "music group ". A music group is usually affiliated to an international conglomerate " holding company ", which often has non-music divisions as well. A music group controls and consists of music-publishing companies, record (sound recording) manufacturers, record distributors, and record labels. Record companies (manufacturers, distributors, and labels) may also constitute

10578-532: The music business through an internship . Apparently without paying Uptown, Suge obtained the releases of Puff's prime Uptown recruits Jodeci , its producer DeVante Swing , and Mary J. Blige , all then signing with Suge's management company. On September 24, 1995, at Jermaine Dupri's birthday party at the Platinum House nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia, Bad Boy's entourage entered a heated dispute with Suge and Suge's friend Jai Hassan-Jamal "Big Jake" Robles,

10701-485: The name changed to its eventual title of Death Row Records . Knight approached Michael "Harry-O" Harris, a businessman imprisoned on drug and attempted murder charges. Through David Kenner, an attorney handling Harris's appeal, Harry-O set up Godfather Entertainment , a parent company for the newly christened Death Row. Knight approached Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle), using management connections with Mario "Chocolate" Johnson, claiming Johnson had produced and co-written

10824-493: The name of the new label to ' Def Row' (a play on Def Jam ), but rights to the name were already owned by the Unknown DJ , who also happened to be one of Dre's former music associates in the 1980s. Unknown stated in an interview that he created the name "Def Row" for a potential deal to start another record label under Morgan Creek . However he later sold the naming rights to Dr. Dre and his partners in July 1991 and by 1992

10947-507: The output of recording sessions. For established artists, a label is usually less involved in the recording process. The relationship between record labels and artists can be a difficult one. Many artists have had conflicts with their labels over the type of sound or songs they want to make, which can result in the artist's artwork or titles being changed before release. Other artists have had their music prevented from release, or shelved. Record labels generally do this because they believe that

11070-465: The pressures of having to produce so many acts and feeling he was underpaid, Dr. Dre became frustrated with Ruthless. After the departure of Ice Cube in 1989 over financial disagreements with Jerry Heller , Suge Knight and the D.O.C. went over the books with a lawyer. Convinced that Jerry Heller and Eazy-E were dishonest, they approached Dr. Dre about forming a label with them, away from Heller and Eazy-E. Allegedly using strong-arm tactics, Suge Knight

11193-465: The reason this happened was that Sam Sneed had too many East Coast rappers in his "Lady Heroin" music video. Disillusioned with the direction of Death Row, artists RBX and the D.O.C. chose to leave, after which Suge Knight exercised tighter control over the rest of the roster. Dogg Food was not produced by Dr. Dre but was mixed by Dr. Dre, a further testament to Dre's dwindling involvement with Death Row. Dr. Dre also grew tired of Knight's violence within

11316-548: The record label in perpetuity. Entertainment lawyers are usually employed by artists to discuss contract terms. Due to advancing technology such as the Internet , the role of labels is rapidly changing, as artists are able to freely distribute their own material through online radio , peer-to-peer file sharing such as BitTorrent , and other services, at little to no cost, but with correspondingly low financial returns. Established artists, such as Nine Inch Nails , whose career

11439-408: The release of his debut album Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back , but produced for Big C-Style, and he later formed D.P.G. Recordz . During Knight's incarceration, Death Row released Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000 and Too Gangsta for Radio , which both received negative reviews. Both albums had the label's new signees, Tha Realest and YGD Tha Top Dogg , who were criticized for imitating

11562-457: The release of the album, Snoop Dogg was charged with murder , fueling the debate that politicians C. Delores Tucker and vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle sparked by criticizing gangsta rap for being against American values, degrading to black women, and encouraging violence towards police officers. Throughout 1994, Death Row Records released the soundtracks Above the Rim and Murder Was

11685-469: The rights to the Death Row Records trademarks from MNRK Music Group (the renamed eOne Music). The sale did not immediately include rights to the label's catalog, but it was reported that he was nearing a deal to acquire the catalogs of himself and other Death Row artists from MNRK. On February 11, 2022, Snoop Dogg released his third studio album on Death Row Records , marking a 26-year lapse from

11808-418: The salaries of certain tour and merchandise sales employees hired by the artist. In addition, the label also offers the artist a 30 percent cut of the label's album profits—if any—which represents an improvement from the typical industry royalty of 15 percent. With the Internet now being the dominant source for obtaining music, netlabels have emerged. Depending on the ideals of the net label, music files from

11931-419: The selling price of the recordings. Contracts may extend over short or long durations, and may or may not refer to specific recordings. Established, successful artists tend to be able to renegotiate their contracts to get terms more favorable to them, but Prince 's much-publicized 1994–1996 feud with Warner Bros. Records provides a strong counterexample, as does Roger McGuinn 's claim, made in July 2000 before

12054-455: The shooting, Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound filmed scenes kicking down a building in New York. The single provoked a response called '" L.A., L.A. " by East Coast rappers Capone-N-Noreaga , Tragedy Khadafi , and Mobb Deep. Another report was that Sam Sneed was beaten in one of the label's meetings by a group of Death Row affiliates, led by Suge Knight and 2Pac. According to Daz Dillinger ,

12177-525: The song " Ice Ice Baby ", and had not received royalties for it. After consulting with Alex Roberts, Knight and two bodyguards arrived at The Palm in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California , where Van Winkle was eating. After shoving Van Winkle's bodyguards aside, Knight sat down in front of Van Winkle, staring at him before asking "How you doin'?" Similar incidents were repeated on several occasions, including alleged attempts to lure Vanilla Ice into

12300-503: The song " Too Late Playa " (along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy ). After the death of Tupac in 1996, MC Hammer left the label. Formerly a united front of artists, Death Row's roster fractured into separate camps. Daz, now head producer, worked on Snoop Dogg's second album Tha Doggfather , which featured Bad Azz and Techniec of the LBC Crew , Warren G and Nate Dogg of his group 213 and Tha Dogg Pound. 2Pac shut himself into

12423-599: The spotlight for themselves to join Death Row. Eventually, Puff recalled that to preempt severe retaliation from his Bad Boy crew, he had promptly confronted Suge, whose reply—that he had meant Jermaine Dupri , of So So Def Recordings , in Atlanta—was politic enough to deescalate the conflict. Still, among the fans, the previously diffuse rivalry between America's two mainstream rap scenes had instantly flared already. And while in New York, Suge visited Uptown Records , where Puff, under its founder Andre Harrell , had started in

12546-476: The stadium, how the required three-way land swap would be performed, and how it would raise enough revenue if only one team moved in as tenant. On May 19, 2015, the Chargers and Raiders announced that they had finalized a deal to secure land in Carson which was transferred to a joint powers authority in Carson after the 157-acre site was purchased by Carson Holdings, a company set up by the two teams. The league

12669-503: The studio with Hurt-M-Badd and Big "D", crafting The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - unlike All Eyez on Me , it was devoid of high-profile Death Row guest appearances, instead showcasing The Outlawz and Bad Azz, and had a much darker tone. Suge Knight was now barely reachable by his staff, and employees were assaulted as punishment for not following orders. In New York City for the MTV Video Music Awards , 2Pac

12792-409: The styles, looks, and vocals of 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. Also, Dead Man Walkin' , a Snoop Dogg compilation of unreleased recordings, was released without his authorization. Maintaining artistic control from behind bars, Suge Knight launched smear campaigns against his former artists, most notably Snoop Dogg , death threats were exchanged, and Snoop Dogg responded by publicly dissing Suge Knight, leaving

12915-592: The summer of 1989, rumors of a Raiders return to Oakland intensified when a preseason game against the Houston Oilers was scheduled at Oakland Coliseum. As early as 1986, Davis began to seek a new, more modern stadium away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the dangerous neighborhood that surrounded it at the time (which caused the NFL to schedule the Raiders' Monday Night Football appearances as away games). In addition to

13038-552: The team having to share the venue with the USC Trojans , the Coliseum was aging and still lacked the luxury suites and other amenities that Davis was promised when he moved the Raiders to Los Angeles. Finally, the Coliseum had 100,000 seats and was rarely able to fill all of them, and so most Raiders home games were blacked out on television. In August 1987, it was announced that the city of Irwindale paid Davis $ 10 million as

13161-504: The team's depth chart, leading to resentment on the part of his teammates. In late 1992 Allen lashed out publicly at Davis, and accused him of trying to ruin his career. In 1993, Allen left to play for the rival Kansas City Chiefs. Shell was fired after posting a 9–7 record in the 1994 season . In May 1995 after the departure of the Rams' for St. Louis , the owners of the National Football League teams approved with

13284-400: The term sublabel to refer to either an imprint or a subordinate label company (such as those within a group). For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, 4th & B'way Records (pronounced as "Broadway") was a trademarked brand owned by Island Records Ltd. in the UK and by a subordinate branch, Island Records, Inc., in the United States. The center label on a 4th & Broadway record marketed in

13407-418: The then CEO of The Walt Disney Company . Iger was appointed non-executive chairman of the Carson stadium project. On January 4, 2016, the Raiders filed for relocation alongside the Chargers and Rams. Despite the sales pitch from Bob Iger, many owners held reservations about the Carson site, with Jerry Jones even making a wise crack about Bob Iger. The committee set up by the league initially recommended

13530-433: The way they work with artists. New types of deals called "multiple rights" or "360" deals are being made with artists, where labels are given rights and percentages to artist's touring, merchandising, and endorsements . In exchange for these rights, labels usually give higher advance payments to artists, have more patience with artist development, and pay higher percentages of CD sales. These 360 deals are most effective when

13653-521: Was 25 years old. 2Pac's " The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory " was released in November 1996, just one week before Snoop Dogg's " Tha Doggfather ", which both achieved Multi-Platinum sales. The following months, Death Row released Death Row Greatest Hits , Christmas on Death Row , Gridlock'd , and Gang Related . Nate Dogg 's album, G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 was supposed to be released on January 14, 1997, but got shelved due to issues at Death Row Records, despite getting released independently as

13776-490: Was able to procure contracts from Eazy-E for the D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Jewell , and Michel'le . Dr. Dre and Suge Knight along with partners the D.O.C. and Dick Griffey began the process of starting a record label and music partnership in anticipation of Dr. Dre's departure from Ruthless. Although the name of their new music venture was originally called Future Shock , both the D.O.C and Suge Knight's business associate Michael "Harry-O" Harris have claimed to have suggested changing

13899-493: Was approved by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors the next month, as well as by the NFL. The move was greeted with much fanfare, and under new head coach Mike White . Hollywood Park would later become the site of an NFL Stadium for their former rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and a division rival, the Los Angeles Chargers . On February 19, 2015, the Raiders and the Chargers announced that they would build

14022-455: Was developed with major label backing, announced an end to their major label contracts, citing that the uncooperative nature of the recording industry with these new trends is hurting musicians, fans and the industry as a whole. However, Nine Inch Nails later returned to working with a major label, admitting that they needed the international marketing and promotional reach that a major label can provide. Radiohead also cited similar motives with

14145-473: Was groomed from childhood to play football; his strict upbringing led to him being called "Robo QB" in the sports press. He attended USC and was the 24th overall pick in the 1991 draft. However, he struggled on field and was cut after the 1992 season due to repeated substance abuse problems. Shell's five-plus-year tenure as head coach in Los Angeles was marked particularly by a bitter dispute between star running back Marcus Allen and Al Davis. The exact source of

14268-641: Was held for everything found in Death Row's office after it filed for bankruptcy. Of note was the Death Row electric chair which went for US$ 2,500. Lavi was removed from WIDEawake and Robert Thompson-So of New Solutions took over day-to-day operations. Lavi then sued her former company WIDEawake, along with New Solutions and Thompson-So in New York County Court on November 19, 2009. WIDEawake issued previously unreleased material from such artists as Kurupt, Danny Boy, Crooked I , Sam Sneed , LBC Crew , Jewell and O.F.T.B. Dr. Dre's, The Chronic Re-Lit

14391-409: Was initially located at the intersection of Westwood Blvd and Wilshire Blvd, later to be relocated to the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and San Vicente Blvd. With the help of Kenner, Knight began signing young, inner-city California -based artists and arranged for Death Row Records to contribute to the soundtrack for the 1992 film, Deep Cover . The single, " Deep Cover ", established Dr. Dre as

14514-405: Was interviewed on Death Row East , an East Coast subsidiary branch of Death Row. It was also during this time that Alex Roberts and David Kenner had been seen at Suge Knight's Vegas Club 662, in discussion about the possibility of having Roberts' New York underworld connections help pave the way for Death Row East. The record label was supposed to be run by Eric B. and Big D with Craig Mack being

14637-413: Was marked by the injury of Jackson in 1991, the failure of troubled quarterback Todd Marinovich , the acrimonious departure of Marcus Allen in 1993, and the retirement of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long after the 1993 season, where the Raiders went 10–6 and lost to Buffalo in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Todd Marinovich fiasco overshadowed the Raiders' 1991 and 1992 efforts. Marinovich

14760-419: Was released October 13, 2009 and contained 15 previously unreleased tracks, including some produced by Dr. Dre. Death Row: The Ultimate Collection was released on November 24 and was a special box set containing three audio CDs (one greatest hits disc and two discs of unreleased content), one DVD of music videos including the unreleased Dr. Dre music video "Puffin' On Blunts". On December 5, 2012, Jonathan Hay,

14883-471: Was released on September 1, 2009 and contained The Chronic remastered with seven unreleased songs featuring Snoop Dogg, CPO, Kurupt, Jewell, and a bonus DVD containing a Dr. Dre interview, a Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg mini movie, and television commercials for the original The Chronic . The album also contained a scene from an unfinished feature film entitled, SAIGON, CA, which was to launch WIDEawake's film studio. Death Row The Lost Sessions Vol 1 by Snoop Dogg

15006-509: Was released; soon after, citing dissatisfaction with serving five years on the label and seeing no release, Rapper Crooked I left Death Row, eventually filing a gag order on Knight to prevent him from interfering with him finding a new deal. Petey Pablo , who had signed in 2005 and started the never-released album Same Eyez on Me , left along with rapper Tha Realest in 2006. On April 4, 2006, both Death Row Records and Suge Knight simultaneously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following

15129-506: Was skeptical of the site due to a poorly drawn structure to apply for local bonds to fund the construction; and preferred the Rams' stadium plan on a site at Hollywood Park in Inglewood (which was privately financed), another proposed stadium site rejected by the Raiders in 1995. In response, Jerry Richardson , then owner of the Carolina Panthers , who supported the plan, convinced Chargers owner Dean Spanos to recruit Bob Iger ,

#341658