[8] 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) and 2Pac (All Eyez on Me) during the 1990s.

[9] By the late 1990s, the label began to decline after the death of its star artist, 2Pac, imprisonment of Suge Knight, and the departures of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

Unknown stated in an interview that he created the name "Def Row" for a potential deal to start another record label under Morgan Creek.

Through David Kenner, an attorney handling Harris's appeal, Harry-O set up Godfather Entertainment, a parent company for the newly christened Death Row.

[23] After consulting with Alex Roberts, Knight and two bodyguards arrived at The Palm in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, where Van Winkle was eating.

[24] With the help of Kenner, Knight began signing young, inner-city California-based artists and arranged for Death Row Records to contribute to the soundtrack for the 1992 film, Deep Cover.

Work soon began on The Chronic, Dr. Dre's debut solo album, which heavily featured Snoop and the rest of the label's core roster.

The album, which was released on December 15 and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Top 200, went on to sell 5.7 million records worldwide,[25] popularizing the distinctive style of G-Funk.

[26] The Death Row roster consisted of Dre, Snoop, Daz, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, The Lady of Rage, The D.O.C., Jewell, RBX, Soopafly and many more.

On November 22, 1994, at the offices of The Brotherhood Crusade in Los Angeles, Suge Knight and several artists from Death Row such as Tha Dogg Pound as well as DJ Quik distributed nearly 2,000 turkeys to the public.

[36][37] Eventually, Puff recalled that to preempt severe retaliation from his Bad Boy crew, he had promptly confronted Suge, whose reply—that he had meant Jermaine Dupri, of So So Def Recordings, in Atlanta—was politic enough to deescalate the conflict.

[36][40] According to eyewitnesses, including a Fulton County sheriff working there as a nightclub bouncer, Puff had heatedly disputed with Suge inside the club.

[36] Several minutes later, outside the club, Puff's childhood friend and own bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones was involved in a heated altercation with others that ultimately led to Robles being fatally shot while entering a Limousine.

[43] Over 20 years later, the case remains officially unresolved, and Jones himself was fatally shot in Atlanta in November 2003 during an altercation with the Black Mafia Family.

[44] Yet immediately and persistently, Suge blamed Puff, cementing the enmity between the two bosses, whose two record labels dominated the rap genre's two mainstream centers.

and Puff Daddy (the founder of Bad Boy Records), whom he accused of setting him up to be robbed and shot at Quad Studios on November 30, 1994, as well as Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jimmy Henchman, the Fugees and Nas.

2Pac's behavior reportedly became erratic as he continued his verbal wars with the Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, and Prodigy, including many violent confrontations with many of those rappers at some points.

2Pac shut himself into the studio with Hurt-M-Badd and Big "D", crafting The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - unlike All Eyez on Me, it was devoid of high-profile Death Row guest appearances, instead showcasing The Outlawz and Bad Azz, and had a much darker tone.

2Pac's "The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory" was released in November 1996, just one week before Snoop Dogg's "Tha Doggfather", which both achieved Multi-Platinum sales.

On February 28, Suge Knight was convicted of probation violation and sentenced to nine years in prison,[56] causing Interscope to drop their distribution deal with the label.

Maintaining artistic control from behind bars, Suge Knight launched smear campaigns against his former artists, most notably Snoop Dogg, death threats were exchanged, and Snoop Dogg responded by publicly dissing Suge Knight, leaving the label, and later releasing a diss track named "Pimp Slapp'd", critically acclaimed by music magazine Complex.

He signed new talent, including Crooked I, who had been lighting up the Californian underground with his rhyming ability, particularly the Wake Up Show with Sway & King Tech.

[62][63] Despite bad blood, Kurupt would again sign with Suge Knight in exchange for the position of Vice President, which sparked a feud between himself and Daz Dillinger and Snoop Dogg.

Left Eye, member of the R&B girl group TLC signed with Death Row after finishing her solo deal with Arista who released her first album Supernova in 2001.

On January 15, 2009, Death Row Records was successfully auctioned for $18 million to Ontario-based WIDEawake Entertainment Group that was founded in 2008 by Lara Lavi, with financing from New Solutions Financial Corporation.

[75] WIDEawake issued previously unreleased material from such artists as Kurupt, Danny Boy, Crooked I, Sam Sneed, LBC Crew, Jewell and O.F.T.B.

[77][78] Death Row The Lost Sessions Vol 1 by Snoop Dogg was released October 13, 2009 and contained 15 previously unreleased tracks, including some produced by Dr.

[82] On August 23, 2019, American toy company Hasbro announced a $4 billion purchase of eOne, making them the owners of Death Row Records.

On February 12, 2023, Snoop Dogg announced that Death Row's catalogue would return to TikTok via association with music distribution company SoundOn.

In 1995, an aspiring rapper and member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods named William "Rat" Ratcliffe was pressuring Suge Knight to sign him to Death Row Records.