The Billion-Dollar Journey: 5 Shocking Owners Who Controlled Death Row Records Before Snoop Dogg’s Historic Buyout

The question of who owns Death Row Records is one of the most complex, tragic, and fascinating sagas in music history, a story that spans gangsta rap’s golden era, a spectacular bankruptcy, and even the toy industry. As of December 21, 2025, the iconic West Coast label is officially back in the hands of its most famous living artist, Snoop Dogg, who completed a historic acquisition that returned the brand and its core catalog to him after nearly three decades of corporate ownership. This return to artist control marks a powerful, emotional, and commercially significant moment for hip-hop culture, but the journey to get here involved a dizzying chain of owners, from its infamous co-founder to a multi-billion dollar investment firm. The deal, finalized in early 2022, saw Snoop Dogg—whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr.—acquire the label from MNRK Music Group, a company funded by the global investment giant Blackstone. This transaction was not just a business move; it was a cultural reclamation, allowing the artist to manage his own legacy and the future of the label where he launched his career with *Doggystyle* in 1993. However, the path to ownership was fraught with legal battles and corporate turnovers that saw the masters of legendary albums change hands multiple times.

The Current Owner: Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (Snoop Dogg)

The man currently steering the legendary label is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., universally known as Snoop Dogg. His return to the helm of Death Row Records is the culmination of a decades-long career that has cemented him as a global icon in music, entertainment, and business.

• Full Name: Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.
• Born: October 20, 1971 (Age 54 as of late 2025)
• Birthplace: Long Beach, California, U.S.
• Spouse: Shante Broadus (m. 1997)
• Children: Cordé Broadus, Cordell Broadus, Cori Broadus, Julian Corrie Broadus
• Career Highlights: Rapper, songwriter, actor, record producer, media personality, and entrepreneur. Released his debut album *Doggystyle* on Death Row Records in 1993.
• Acquisition Date: February 2022 (Acquired brand and select catalog from MNRK Music Group).
• Current Role: Owner and Chairman of Death Row Records.

Snoop Dogg’s acquisition included the core Death Row brand and a significant portion of its master recordings. The artist has since made headlines by removing much of the label's catalog from major streaming services, signaling a new, independent-minded direction for the label, including plans for NFT and Web3 integration. This bold move was a statement that the label would no longer operate under the traditional corporate music model.

The Tumultuous Timeline of Death Row Records Ownership

The ownership history of Death Row Records is a complex web of ambition, legal turmoil, and corporate finance. To understand who owns the label now, you must first understand the journey it took from a groundbreaking start-up to a corporate asset. This timeline highlights the five major entities that have controlled the label.

1. The Founders (1991–1997): Suge Knight, Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., and Dick Griffey

Death Row Records was founded in 1991 (incorporated in 1992) by Andre "Dr. Dre" Young and Marion "Suge" Knight, with contributions from The D.O.C. and Dick Griffey. It quickly became the powerhouse of West Coast hip-hop, launching the careers of Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, and, of course, Dr. Dre. Suge Knight, however, gained operational control and became the dominant, often controversial, figurehead. This era produced classics like *The Chronic*, *Doggystyle*, and *All Eyez on Me*.

2. The Bankruptcy and Receiver (1997–2009)

Following the death of 2Pac and the departure of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the label entered a period of decline. Legal troubles and a massive civil judgment against Suge Knight led the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006. Knight officially lost control of the label, and its assets, including the masters, were placed under the control of a court-appointed receiver.

3. WIDEawake Entertainment Group (2009–2013)

The label’s assets were eventually sold at auction in 2009 for $18 million to WIDEawake Entertainment Group, a Canadian company. This marked the first time the label was owned by a purely corporate, non-hip-hop entity. WIDEawake attempted to revive the brand but faced its own financial difficulties, eventually filing for bankruptcy as well.

4. eOne Music / Hasbro (2013–2021)

In 2013, the Death Row catalog was acquired by the multinational entertainment company Entertainment One (eOne). The most surprising twist came in 2019 when the toy giant Hasbro acquired eOne for approximately $3.8 billion. For a brief period, the masters of some of the most influential gangsta rap albums were technically owned by the same company that makes Monopoly and My Little Pony. This fact, while commercially logical, remains one of the most bizarre footnotes in music history.

5. MNRK Music Group / Blackstone (2021–2022)

Hasbro eventually sold eOne Music to the global investment firm Blackstone in 2021, which renamed the music division MNRK Music Group. This put the Death Row catalog under the control of a massive private equity firm, which sought to monetize the intellectual property. It was from this entity, MNRK Music Group, that Snoop Dogg was finally able to purchase the label’s brand and recordings catalog in February 2022.

The Missing Masters: The Catalog Controversy with Dr. Dre and 2Pac

One of the most persistent and complicated issues surrounding the Death Row acquisition is the status of the master recordings for the label’s two biggest non-Snoop Dogg artists: Dr. Dre and 2Pac.

Dr. Dre’s *The Chronic*

When Snoop Dogg acquired the Death Row brand, the master recordings for Dr. Dre's seminal 1992 album, *The Chronic*, were notably absent from the deal. The rights to the album were specifically structured to revert to Dr. Dre in 2023, a standard contractual arrangement from the early days of the label. In fact, Dr. Dre’s attorney confirmed in a public statement that Dr. Dre already owns the rights to *The Chronic*, meaning Snoop Dogg’s acquisition did not include this album’s masters. This is a crucial distinction, as it means one of the label's cornerstone albums is not controlled by the current Death Row ownership.

2Pac’s Catalog

Similarly, the master rights to 2Pac's Death Row albums, *All Eyez on Me* and *The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory*, were also not included in Snoop Dogg’s purchase. It is widely understood that 2Pac's catalog is controlled by his estate, which has been managed by his mother, Afeni Shakur (until her passing), and now other representatives. Snoop Dogg has publicly stated that he is "pretty sure" he will eventually acquire the masters for 2Pac's albums under the Death Row umbrella, but as of late 2025, that transaction has not been confirmed. The focus of the current Death Row is on new releases and monetizing the masters they *do* own, including Snoop Dogg’s *Doggystyle* and other key recordings.

The Future of Death Row: NFTs, Web3, and Reservoir Deal

Under Snoop Dogg’s leadership, Death Row Records has aggressively moved into the future of music monetization. The initial decision to pull the catalog from major streaming services was a calculated effort to reposition the label’s value and explore new distribution models, including the use of blockchain technology and NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). In a major development in late 2025, Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records announced a significant publishing deal with Reservoir, a leading independent music company. This partnership covers the publishing rights for a large portion of the Death Row catalog, ensuring that the label’s music is properly administered and monetized globally for licensing, film, TV, and other uses. This deal solidifies the label’s return to the mainstream business world while maintaining an independent spirit. The current ownership is focused on reviving the brand’s cultural relevance, signing new artists, and exploring digital frontiers, turning the label from a corporate footnote back into a dynamic force in hip-hop. The answer to "who owns Death Row Records" is no longer a maze of corporations and bankruptcy courts; it is Snoop Dogg, and for many fans, that is the only answer that truly matters.

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