The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey launched Death Row Records, an independent record label based in the United States, in 1991. In the 1990s, the label rose to fame by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast musicians like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Tha Dogg Pound. At its peak, Death Row was bringing in more than $100 million annually.
The label started to falter in the late 1990s following the passing of its main performer, 2Pac, Suge Knight’s imprisonment, and the departures of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Even while Death Row was financially successful, its musicians and associates were causing issues, litigation, and acts of violence.
Death Row Records declared bankruptcy in 2006 and, on January 15, 2009, went up for auction, selling for $18 million to WIDEawake Entertainment. In February 2022, following a few more acquisitions, Snoop Dogg purchased Death Row from MNRK Music Group with the goal of rebuilding the label.
Snoop Dogg launches his gaming company
Along with his son Cordell Broadus, Snoop Dogg is formally establishing Death Row Games as a game studio. The announcement states that minority artists can create and release games to Fortnite via the UEFN because of the studio’s configuration.
Since its announcement by Epic Games at the beginning of the year, developers have already come up with inventive ways to use Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN), sometimes referred to as Creative 2.0.
Snoop, Broadus and the team behind their endeavors in the space have continued to move with this momentum with their latest venture announced on Nov. 6, Death Row Games, named after the legendary Death Row Records, which Snoop acquired in February 2022. pic.twitter.com/A9sx3r6f7H
— Muriel Marcus❤️ Memecoin (@MurielMarcus5) November 9, 2023
The name of Snoop Dogg and his son’s new gaming studio Death Row Games, draws inspiration from Death Row Records which the former acquired last year.
In the gaming world, Snoop Dogg is no stranger. Up until last April, the well-known rapper was a part of the esports team FaZe Clan and has been streaming games for a while. Recently, he has become increasingly well-known in the gaming community, primarily as a result of his partnerships with Call of Duty.
The goal of Death Row Games, he continued, is “to provide access and opportunity to diverse creators to empower them” and “broaden the narrative around what gaming is and can become.”
Snoop Dogg and his son are creating their own video games studio called ‘Death Row Games’ pic.twitter.com/FByhQDsStp
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) November 9, 2023
Activision first revealed plans to bring Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg skins to Call of Duty back in July. Almost two months later, Snoop Dogg made his final appearance in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Snoop Dogg has been streaming for a while too and has provided his songs to a variety of games. Either way, this is the celebrity’s first attempt at becoming a game publisher.