Introduction

For a few years in the mid-1990s, a small music label called Death Row stood atop the hip-hop world. Death Row Records was instrumental in introducing a hard-core style of rap music known as gangsta rap to mainstream audiences.

Notable Albums

Albums like Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle, and Tupac Shakur's All Eyez on Me sold millions of copies and influenced a new generation of artists.

Rise and Fall

The money rolled in for Death Row's founder, Marion "Suge" Knight. The good times could not last, however. Tupac was murdered, Suge Knight was sent to prison for various crimes, and the label's top stars moved on. The dramatic rise and fall of Death Row Records is chronicled in this book.