Here Are the Albums Included in Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Deal
Music
Snoop Dogg Now Owns Death Row’s Music Catalog — With Some Exceptions
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’
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.
Rexx Life Raj’s ‘Balance’ Video Is A Powerful Meditation On Loss
Nobody should have to deal with this much loss. In the past year, Bay Area rapper Rexx Life Raj lost both his mother and his father and as he’s picking up the pieces of what the future holds, he’s navigating his grief and emotions in song. “Balance” is the first offering from his upcoming album and it’s an ode to his late mother and a powerful overall meditation on loss.
“We are battling obstacles in life and I know it comes with it’s challenges. But to me what separates the good from great is just the way you choose to handle it,” the rapper says on the hook over an affecting guitar and crisp snare drums. It’s an intense reminder of how music can help heal and find yourself amid insurmountable loss.
“Balance was a concept I’d had in my mind for a while because it was something I had been dealing with,” Raj said in a statement. “Trying to juggle being a caretaker, music, businesses, and relationships were weighing heavy on me. I wrote it as an affirmation to myself and hopefully the listener.”
The video plays out like a memory of spending time with his mother. She reads the boy a story, then he accompanies her to the doctor where she gets bad news. The next cut is outside of her funeral and it’s all spliced with footage of a grieving Raj leaned up against a hillside tree, delivering the song’s lyrics in a somber moment. The end of the clip is a cellphone video of Raj in the car with his parents, smiling together and enjoying life.
This is no doubt an impassioned introduction to the next chapter for Rexx Life Raj.
Watch the video for “Balance” above.
John Mayer Tests Positive For COVID And Consequently Postpones Some Concerts
John Mayer is in the midst of a tour, and so far, COVID has taken its toll on proceedings. A few days ago, Questlove filled in for Mayer drummer Steve Ferrone, who tested positive for COVID. Now, Mayer himself and other band members got COVID, too, so a few upcoming tour dates have been postponed.
In a post sharing the news yesterday, Mayer wrote, “Whelp. More members of the band tested positive for Covid today, and I was one of them. This means we have to reschedule the next four shows, which we’ve already rescheduled and posted above. I’m so sorry to make you change your plans. This is a bummer for everyone in the band and crew, to say nothing of the question hanging over everyone’s head — mine included — as to how I tested positive on PCR twice in two months. (The first was extremely mild, but this one’s got the better of me.) We’ll give you everything we’ve got at these upcoming shows, just as soon as we rest up and regroup. With love and appreciation… me.”
As for the altered shows, they were originally scheduled for tonight (February 25) in Pittsburgh; March 1 in Belmont Park, New York; and March 4 and 5 in Boston. Those concerts have been moved to May 5, 7, 9, and 10, respectively. It appears Mayer’s next show will be at Las Vegas’s The Grand Garden Arena in March 11.
Earthgang Finally Shared Their Long-Awaited ‘Ghetto Gods’ Album, Hear ‘Billi’ Featuring Future
Atlanta hip-hop duo Earthgang have been grinding forever, but recently, they’ve been getting the shine they always deserved. After J. Cole signed them to his Dreamville label, they released their eclectic debut, Mirrorland, and have been teasing a follow-up for a minute now. After another January date was thrown in the mix, Ghetto Gods was finally slated for release, and came out today. It’s chock full of features from other Atlanta legends, like Future and 2 Chainz, and if you want to get a taste of what their collaborations with hip-hop royalty sound like, check out “Billi” featuring Future up top.
Along with him, the album features cameos from J.I.D., fellow Dreamville artist Ari Lennox, of course label head J. Cole jumped on a track, Musiq Soulchild and Nick Canon are also featured. Disappointingly, CeeLo Green is also involved with the project, despite his past conviction of drugging a woman and raping her. A press release about the album describes it as “a sonic reminder of the godhood present in all of us and a study in how our environments create our reality, which, through dedication, faith and belief can be transmuted into whatever we desire.” Check out “Billi” above and stream the album below.
Central Cee’s Wildly-Anticipated ’23’ Mixtape Has Arrived Along With A Clip For ‘Straight Back To It’
By the end of the day, Central Cee’s new video for “Straight Back To It” will already be touching a million views. That’s because the West London rapper is the next big thing in British rap and just dropped the wildly-anticipated mixtape 23 today.
The follow-up to last year’s breakthrough Wild West, a mixtape that saw Cench nominated for three BRIT Awards, 23 showcases a rapper firing on all cylinders. Singles like “Khabib” and “Cold Shoulder” have Cee leaving haters in the dust and rising in the ranks over sleek drill production. “Straight Back To It,” is no different. A track about fighting back when you get knocked down, it’s an apt display of the rapper’s commitment to the grind. “Done a graveyard shift last night, woke up today and got straight back to it / Took me an L, no problem / I got on my grind, got straight back to it,” he raps.
The track is produced by longtime collaborator Young Chencs and it’s another highlight from the immediately essential British hip-hop release.
Watch the video for “Straight Back To It” above and check out the 23 album artwork and tracklist below.
1. “Khabib”
2. “Straight Back To It”
3. “Ungrateful”
4. “Bunda”
5. “Retail Therapy”
6. “Eurovision” feat. Rondodasosa, Baby Gang, A2Anti, Morad, Benny Jr, ASHE
7. “Cold Shoulder”
8.” Mrs”
9.” Air BnB”
10. “No Pain”
11. “Terminal 5”
12. “Obsessed With You”
13. “8 Ball”
14. “Lil Bro”
15. “End of The Beginning”
23 is out now via self-release. Listen to it here.
Russ Remains Steadfast In His Beliefs With The Self-Shot ‘What Are Yall’ Video
You can probably call Russ a lot of things — stubborn, outspoken, maybe even a little obnoxious — but you absolutely cannot call him wrong about most things, especially his philosophy about the benefits of remaining independent and retaining ownership. He once again touts both — and sends some jabs at his detractors — in his new video for “What Are Y’all,” which he boasted he shot the same day he finished the song in a marathon recording and editing session that he says proves his overall point.
“Made this song at 3 am Thursday,” he said in a note on the video. “Sent it off to Spotify and Apple at 4 pm. Shot the video at 9 pm and just finished editing it. Dreams only work if you do and freedom is priceless.”
Naturally, the video isn’t terribly complex, just featuring Russ posted up in his studio performing the song to the camera while the lyrics display at the bottom of the screen. But the impact is in the substance, not the style, as he challenges his critics using his own accomplishments. “It’s essential I shut up, it’s what ya’ll think right?” he quips. “But standing down never rеally sit right.”
Russ has been on roll this year, dropping a slew of new weekly singles including “Remember,” its remix featuring Hailey Knox, “Real,” and “Handsomer.”
Eurovision Bans Russia From The 2022 Song Contest Just A Day After Opting Not To
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Turin, Italy in May, when musical representatives from many countries will take to the city to show off the best of what their nations have to offer. Given the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many wondered if Russia would be allowed to participate in this year’s event. Initially, Eurovision organizers (the European Broadcast Union) told NPR yesterday, “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event. The EBU is however concerned about current events in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
The EBU has quickly changed its tune, though, as they’ve now gone ahead and banned Russia from the 2022 contest. In a new statement today, they said:
“No Russian act will participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The decision reflects the concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute. The EBU is an apolitical member organization of broadcasters committed to upholding the values of public service. We remain dedicated to protecting the values of a cultural competition which proves international exchange and understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music, and unites Europe on one stage.”
In recent years, Russia has been one of the strongest-performing countries in the contest: As BBC notes, they’ve had five top-five finishes over the past decade. They last won in 2008 and the next year, the contest was held in Moscow. Meanwhile, the Eurovision website notes of Ukraine, “Ukraine first entered the contest in 2003 and rapidly became one of the most successful countries in the competition. In 15 appearances at the Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine has never missed a Grand Final. 9 of those 14 entries have finished in the top 10, 5 have finished in the top 3, and 2 have been winners.” Those wins came in 2004 and 2016.
Bow Wow Plans To Release His Final Album On The Snoop Dogg-Owned Death Row Records
Bow Wow has been talking about releasing his final album for a long time now, but today, we at least found out part of his plans for its release. Now that Snoop Dogg has retained ownership of the legendary Death Row Records, Bow Wow, whose name was actually inspired by Snoop, his onetime mentor, wants to put out his swan song with the rapper who helped him start his rap career almost 30 years ago.
Bow Wow, who loves to participate in Twitter Q&A sessions (even though the app’s users haven’t always been so kind to him), revealed his plans when a fan asked him, “When you getting back in with uncle Snoop?” The younger rapper replied, “Spoke to snoop last week. Very soon. My plan is to put my final album on death row and close my music career out where it began.” He also compared himself to the recently retired future NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. “Im tryna do the d wade and come home and close it out.” D Wade famously finished his illustrious NBA career in Miami, where he was drafted, after leaving to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls and reunite with LeBron James in Cleveland.
Spoke to snoop last week. Very soon. My plan is to put my final album on death row and close my music career out where it began. Im tryna do the d wade and come home and close it out. https://t.co/rzQATRFRMu
— Bow Wow (@smoss) February 25, 2022
Over the years, Bow Wow has taken a lot of flak for some of his antics on social media, but he’s also recently begun to receive an increased acknowledgment from his peers and successors such as Drake, who said, “If it wasn’t for you, there wouldn’t be no me,” as well as Soulja Boy, who he joined for a raucous edition of the Verzuz battle series.