Opinion: Will Snoop Dogg be able to revive the Death Row?

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. aka Snoop Dogg aka Uncle Snoop has acquired the legendary Hip Hop record label Death Row for an undisclosed amount. For a hot minute the Toy Company Hasbro owned it before selling to the Blackstone Group, which today is revealed has sold to the Hip Hop Legend, entrepreneur and actor Snoop Dogg, which is a unique day for anyone who follows or has interests in this.

Snoop has bought the label, which made him prominent and gave him a career in the first. The record label where he dropped albums, features and part-took in the G-Funk and Gangsta Rap era of the 1990s, which was dominated by Death Row. That’s because of its rooster of skilled MCs, Producers and genius marketing, which made the LPs, Singles and everything was selling.

The whole Death Row was smoking fire. All artists at some point became wealthy and could get good royalties. It was the place to be and to prosper. However, the whole premise of the gangster and thug life was also it’s downfall. As the co-founders split, court-cases, shady-business practices and the early demise and unresolved killing of Tupac Shakur has always followed the label. Therefore, it is special that Snoop buys it and possibly revives it.

As Daz Dillinger sued the label to get his ends. Dr. Dre left the label and started Aftermath. Crooked I was left behind and Kurupt had to return. There been so many stories and backstabbing, as the label lost relevance and others took it’s place in hip hop. However, the era and the classic albums lives on. The discography and the catalogue of the Record Label must be one of the unique assets and recordings, which will stand the test of time.

However, Snoop has big shoes to fill and have to market the label in new era. Which the labels and the record companies are fighting for revenue in new aspects, as the streaming and short-sighted fandoms quickly moves. The quickly produced and released tracks to stay relevant, as well as the social media push is more vital than ever. It is like another world since the first inception of Death Row.

Snoop has connections and is a beloved character now. Who can sell and be used in any sort of product. That’s why he has voiced over GPS Systems to be recently selling BIC Lighters. Therefore, you know his good at branding and selling his character at this point.

However, the Death Row to be revived… it need both the spirit of the past and also new breed of acts to be viable. That will be a refreshing thing. As the West-Coast needs a star on the horizon. Yes, Kendrick Lamar is the biggest name, but his not in the realm of Death Row. K.Dot is more in is his own lane and closer to J. Cole’s of the world. Nothing wrong with that, but that is the reality here. The Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) brought similarities to it, but not as successful as Death Row. However, who could think of getting into those levels of success and respectability…

Death Row doesn’t have to be big, but the ones remembering it. It was everywhere and the artists was everything. They were inspirational and was it. Not just some random blokes, but the rappers and MCs who inspired you to write and imagine their world.

Let’s hope Snoop Dogg will bring some of it back with the purchase of Death Row. He is seemingly the one and his team can bring the best out of it. There is a need for it.

Now am just waiting for THA ROW to return and hear new tales of that THUG LIFE. Peace.

2021: The albums I have enjoyed this year

Last year I was able to make to lists and separate the ones who was Hip Hop and the ones who was Pop & Afrobeat. However, this year I will make a joint session. Since well, music haven’t been as prevalent for me. Neither has the music been as vital or been as close as before. The lockdowns and quarantine has stopped a lot of time listening time for me. Usually, I listen to the most music in transit or watch music videos at home. Therefore, I lost a lot of space and opportunities to it by default by being home during lockdowns this year.

That’s why I will have one simple list and all genres will be represented here. The albums I did appreciate and can see myself bumping in the future… and the ones that was lost on me… the famous dishonourable mentions, if you may.

Well… here we go.

Mr. P – “The Prodigal” was a fun afrobeat album from the P-Square alumni. He really showed swag and wished more people had talked about it. There is nice joints on here and it’s underwhelming how little that has been pushed about this album.

HRSMN (Canibus, Kurupt, Killah Priest & Rass Kass) – “Last Ride” was a dope hip-hop album made by old-school heroes. It was really fun and not with tracks fit for modern radio. This was the finesse and funny bars from a collective of wordsmiths. All of these gentlemen have proven their skills in the past and this was just a gem to listen too.

B-Real & Scott Storch – “Tell You Something” was a shocker of a release. Not that I have anticipated or awaited anything produced by Scott Storch in a decade or so. Storch fell off and seemed to be lost .B-Real has been on joint LPs with Xzibit and Derrick of late, which has been super awesome to listen too. So, his just following up on that and is having a great time on the beats of Storch. FYI: “Never Go Home” has a terrible beat and it should have been forgotten on whatever Nintendo Gameboy Game he sampled it from. That’s the only downer on this one and is an instant skip.

Rudeboy – “Rudykillus” is the other P-Square alumni album of the year. Where he starts of the album reminiscing and reminding everyone of his past hits. His swagger is cool and all. This is an album worth listening too and tracks like “Focus” shows his star-power and talent.

Talib Kweli and Diamond D – “Gotham” is another wordsmith and hip-hop album, which I felt has gone under the radar. Not shocking, as it been years since Talib was a main-stay and relevant for a broader audience. Still, he deserves credit and can produce nice of bodies of work to this day.

Joell Ortiz – “Autograph” is the A-Typical project of the Slaughterhouse MC at this point. He can tell stories and paint pictures with his words. The beats are refreshing and vibrant. It’s an absolute gem of a LP. These are the sorts that should be higher on rankings and get acknowledged, but the game is rigged. That’s why it’s not there…

Fashawn & Sir Veterano – ‘All Hail The King”. The F is finally returning and off Nas’s Mass Appeal. He shows why his a cool dude and an artist. Here his just brazen and direct, as there is steady and funky beats by Sir Veterano on the production. This is a real underground, but he should get credit. As he has continued to push out his craft and with this LP his showing that he is a force to be reckon with.

Dax – “Pain Paints Paintings” was an album which grow on me. Dax hasn’t changed or anything. Listen to him thanks to YouTube and the videos there in quarantine. He dropped a few EPs before and it was evident there was skills there. Now with a full project it was fun to listen too. Not it is revolutionary or has any sort of traditional hip-hop over it …. NO. But, it is a fun joint and easy-listening, as Dax never goes to deep.

Saigon – “Pain, Peace & Prosperity” is the album of a man I have followed since the Yardfather mixtape series in the early 2000s. It is nice seeing him shining on this one. It is clear that Just Blaze isn’t as involved or have production on here. Though, it is refreshing to see Saigon deliver a full project and get support from all across the board.

Remedy – “Remedy Meets Wu-Tang” is the most out of left-field album of the year for my part. It was just so amazing to see the Wu-Tang Collective shine on a album in 2021. This was like the golden age returning and nothing had changed. The beats, the bars and the whole setting was made for this. Remedy, which I haven’t heard of and maybe I lost the memo. Was showing his skills, but there was plenty of times where the Wu-Tang MCs out-shined him, but who cares? It’s an awesome project!

Lloyd Banks – “The Curse of the inevitable” with the return of the G-Unit wonderkid. Well, Banks isn’t a kid anymore and been a long time coming for his return. The G-Unit rapper dropped an album which fits into the Griselda era and could easily been dropped on that imprint. This wasn’t sounding like any of his previous LPs or even having the production of a G-Unit album. However, his word-play and bars was obvious on this one. That was what made this one unique. Not like he was pressured by Interscope or G-Unit to make a radio-friendly jam to be played on Hot 97.

Tiwa Savage – “Water and Garri EP” was a fun instalment, a very short one, but a worthwhile one. This is what you expect and as always, Tiwa does deliver. There is no skips and just a jolly atmosphere until the project is over. Nas even featured on the first track and he phoned it in sadly, but at least he wasn’t speaking of “crypto-currency” on this one. Tiwa had deserved a more fitting rapper on the track, but she maybe wanted someone who is celebrated and gets recognized world-wide.

This here is my list and it’s subjective. There was several of albums that I still enjoyed, but didn’t play like did this. Others that I have in my “tape-deck” but haven’t gotten into. Which would be another list. Albums I tried to listen too, but never caught on or had the rush to bump again. There is a few of those. However, I don’t feel the need to drop those… Peace.