Month: February 2022

Snoop Dogg Now Owns Death Row’s Music Catalog — With Some Exceptions

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Earlier this month, it was reported that Snoop Dogg had acquired Death Row Records’ brand, but was still hammering out negotiations for the accompanying catalog. Today, Billboard reports that he’s officially completed those negotiations and now owns the masters for both of his albums under the label, Doggystyle and The Doggfather, as well as those for his 213 associates Daz Dillinger and Kurupt, along with Lady of Rage and the compilations and soundtracks Death Row released throughout the ’90s. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

However, that impressive collection of music does not include a few of the most well-known Death Row releases. Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is set to be returned to Snoop’s longtime collaborator sometime next year (August at the latest), while Tupac Shakur’s seminal classic All Eyez On Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (as Makavelli) have already reverted to Amaru Entertainment and the Tupac estate.

Snoop might not miss those exceptions much in the long run, as Billboard notes both of his albums are Death Row’s best sellers. Meanwhile, his newly released BODR (Bacc On Death Row) — his first release for the album in 25 years — is already generating revenue to the tune of 10,000 units, while Doggystyle alone was worth 169,000 units just in 2021. Billboard puts the total revenue for the catalog at around $6 million last year. Combined with the branding — which handles merch and licensing of the Death Row logo — Snoop’s adding about $50 million of value to his name. Billboard notes, however, that Snoop may not have paid that much to MNRK, which previously held the rights to Death Row, due to it no longer having an interest in the brand and having a tendency to return rights to artists, as it did with Dre and Pac.

Snoop says he wants to turn Death Row into an “NFT label,” which holds interesting prospects for the future, while his former protege Bow Wow revealed plans to release his own final album under the imprint earlier today.

Conway The Machine Releases His Long-Awaited Shady Records Debut, ‘God Don’t Make Mistakes’

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After nearly two years of false starts and a few strong mixtapes to hold fans over, Conway The Machine‘s long-awaited Shady Records debut, God Don’t Make Mistakes, has arrived. Made up of 12 tracks with guest features from Annette Price, Beanie Siegel, Jill Scott, Keisha Plum, Novel, T.I., and more, God Don’t Make Mistakes is the culmination of the Buffalo rapper’s career to date, which saw him and his Griselda Records cohorts Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn (also featured on the album on the lead single “John Woo Flick,” naturally) sign to Shady Records in 2019.

So far, though, the standouts of the album appear to be a pair of tracks that, on the surface, couldn’t be more different, but are in reality vintage Grisela presentations. One, “Stressed,” features a relative newcomer, Wallo627, who contributes a spoken-word outro giving a passionate pep talk to Conway, reminding him “you’re back, now you’re back at one hundred.”

The other, which you can check out up top, has a much splashier guest list. “Tear Gas,” which features a smooth beat courtesy of G Koop, Cosmo Beats, and Vidal Garcia, has guest verses from rap game veterans Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, who come through to match their host’s complex delivery with punchline-laden raps of their own. However, it’s still Conway’s show, and longtime fans needn’t worry — the Griselda capo’s Shady debut fits right in amongst the rest of his extensive catalog with haunting beats and hardbody rhymes.

God Don’t Make Mistakes is out now via Shady Records. Get it here.

Big Scarr Shares “Big Grim Reaper: The Return” Ft. Offset, Gucci Mane & More

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The New 1017 is still going hard in 2022. The Gucci Mane-led crew had a big year in 2021, following the release of projects like So Icy Boyz and So Icy Christmas. However, each member put their respective projects out, including Big Scarr. He’s remained an underdog out of the camp but he’s proven he could hold his own on several occasions. Last year’s Big Grim Reaper cemented him as a rising Memphis star to keep an eye out for.

Now, he’s returned with a revamped edition of the project titled, Big Grim Reaper: The Return. He adds on another 13 songs to the tracklist with appearances from Gucci Mane, obviously, as well as Offset, and Queez Ruthless.

Check out the latest from Big Scarr below and sound off with your favorite track in the comments. 

SAFE Shares New Single “All I Need”

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Toronto’s SAFE appears to be moving at a fast pace this year. The singer has built a reputation off of releasing incredible music, then retracting from the limelight until he’s ready to drop again. Earlier this month, he dropped off his latest project, Get Home SAFE, which he appears to be expanding with new singles. This week, he shared his latest offering, “All I Need,” which he helped co-produced alongside Diego.

“This song is about the thrill of being in love with somebody, there’s nothing better than the first kiss,” he said about the song in a statement.

The singer also released a new music video to accompany the release of his latest song. Check that out below and let us know what you think about “All I Need.”

Quotable Lyrics
Come play with me
That shit water like a beach
If they call, I’m outta reach
I’m diving in there deep
Now I got you mine

Rick Ross Likens The Loss Of Nipsey Hussle & Young Dolph To Tupac & Biggie

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Rick Ross is fresh off of the release of his latest album, Richer Than I Ever Been, and the deluxe edition, which arrived earlier this month. Shortly before the deluxe dropped, HNHH caught up with Ross for an exclusive interview discussing everything from the finely curated artists he collaborated on the tracklist, the significance that the Promised Land, and more.


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Just weeks before the album’s release, horrible news struck out of Memphis — the death of Young Dolph. The Memphis-based artist was gunned down right before his annual Thanksgiving drive in his community. Fans mourned while his peers shared tributes across the timeline, including Rick Ross. The two had known each other for years with Ross linking up with Dolph on the “Preach (Remix)” in 2015. Ross took him under his wing, as he does with most artists that he sees potential in. His relationship with Nipsey Hussle, who passed away in 2019, was similar. Ross had early discussions about signing Nip set MMG. While those particular conversations didn’t manifest into a deal, they remained tight until Nipsey’s passing.

The rapper explained the significance of their passing to the culture, at large, comparing the similarities in impact and attention of Dolph and Nipsey’s death as Tupac and Biggie during his time coming up. “Losing Nipsey and Dolph for this generation, I’m sure, was just as equivalent or greater to what BIG or Pac was for my generation,” he explained. 

His relationship with Dolph and Nipsey allowed him a first-hand glimpse into the empires they were building from the ground up. “And me personally knowing those two brothas, I saw their vision,” he explained, recalling walking into the Marathon Clothing when it was just a warehouse.


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“I got to sit with Nipsey when it was just a shallow warehouse,” he explained. “He had a vision, I’m back six months later, and the merchandise is in the storeman, the conversations we had they went on for years. Whether it was just us being business partners, on the same label, MCs, entrepreneurs, and [discussing] what’s our next moves in buying s***.”

As for Dolph, Ross has strong familial ties in Memphis so he’d be frequently in and out of the city, running into the “Get Paid” rapper during his come-up. “And then, seeing Dolph and meeting him running around as a young n***a in Memphis,” he said. “I got so much family in Memphis, and I show love to the little homies, but it’s f***ed up when you see this great loss. But this generation got to make sure that they take from that and learn from that.”

Read, “Rick Ross Finally Has The Luxury Of Time.” 


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Machine Gun Kelly Envisions ‘Gothic’ Wedding to Megan Fox

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Machine Gun Kelly is dreaming of a “gothic” wedding to Megan Fox.

The “Bloody Valentine” singer, born Colson Baker, opened up about his upcoming wedding to the Transformers actress when he stopped by “The Late Late Show with James Corden” on Thursday (Feb. 24).

“When do you think you’re going to get married?” Corden asked.

“Umm…when they can build me a red river, with like, gothic…” said MGK, who’s still scouting the perfect spot. “The location is hard! Trying to find a spot that’s matching my artistic…”

During his appearance, MGK also joked that he didn’t know the difference between “fiancé” and “fiancée.”

Kelly, 31, and Fox, 35, announced their engagement last month after MGK proposed under a banyan tree in Puerto Rico where they first fell in love in the summer of 2020.

“Somehow a year and a half later, having walked through hell together, and having laughed more than I ever imagined possible, he asked me to marry him,” said Fox, who revealed that they “drank each other’s blood” following the proposal.

MGK is gearing up to release his new album Mainstream Sellout on March 25. Watch him perform “emo girl” with Willow Smith below.