Death Row Records Artists: Who Is On Death Row Records?

Artists currently on Death Row Records are Snnop Dog, Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Bow Wow, Danny Boy, Lisa Lopes, Soopafly, Bad Azz, amongst many others.

Death Row Records was founded 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), Tha Dogg Pound (Dogg Food), and Tupac (All Eyez on Me) during the 1990s. At its peak, Death Row was making over US$100 million a year.

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, the D.O.C. claimed to have suggested changing the name of the new label to ‘Def Row’ (a play on the 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 the name changed to its eventual title of Death Row.