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Photo from VIBE Magazine
By Anthony Braddy
Staff Writer
D
nee upon a time, on the Ecist Coast, everyone rapped
about their cars and their women. All the little kids had
shell-toe Adidas with fat laces and wanted to be like Run-DMC or a
brcskdcinccr
Later on, artists began to brag about their skills and fre
quently dissed others. However, when two rappers had a problem
with each other they solved it on the stage in what became known
as a battle. ,
Real rap fans reading this article will recall the beef
between BPD represented by KRS-One and Marly Marl’s Juice
Crew All Stars. Although these feuds were heated, they very rarely
strayed from the confines of a record or concert.
The West Coast entered the rap scene with the subtlety of a Klan
member at a Great Hall party. When N.WA released its album
Straight Outta Compton in 1989, they changed the whole face of rap
music. Released on Ruthless Records it sold over two million records,
making Ruthless the first multi-million dollar hard-core rap label. Due
to problems between the members of the group, N.WA eventually split
up and members went their separate, albeit successful, ways.
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One former member, Dr.
Dre, released “The Chronic”
which became the cornerstone
for Death Row Records. Dre and
his partner Suge Knight founded
the label in 1991. The name Death
Row was chosen because according to
Knight, “...most everybody had been
involved with the law.”
Looking at two of the mem
bers shows this is no exaggera
tion. Rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg
is currently facing murder charges,
and newcomer Tupac Shakur has
only been out of jail, on $1.4 million
bail since October.
Death Row Records, however, is
not just a label full of felons and parolees.
They are in a business, so they are doingjust
that While only being four years old, it is the most prof
itable independently owned African American label of the 1990’s, with an esti
mated worth of $100 million.
This is due not only to the success of Snoop, Tupac, and Dre, but also to
the The Dogg Pound, which went to number 1 on the pop charts. Other yet to
be released, but already heard from members, include singers Danny Bf»y and
Nate Dogg, and female rappers the Lady of Rage, Jewell, and Sam Sneed. In
fact, even East Coast artists Maiy J. Blige and Jodeci consult with Death Row.
Recently, due to the attacks of C. Delores Tucker and other anti-
rap-activists. Death Row Records has lost a fifty percent shareholder
in Time-Warner. This does not mean they have no future plans.
Snopp and the Dogg Pound both have new record labels, named
Doggystyle Records and Gotta Get Somewhere Records respectively.
Tupac Shakur has a soon to be released 28 song double length CD
entitled “All Eyes on Me.”
Dr. Dre has left the music industry altogether, now directing for
Death Row Films.
The early rappers’ success usually lead to “beefs,” but in the case
of Death Row, theirs is with the East Coast. Due to recent incidents
(Tupac’s shooting in Brooklyn, “Stretch” Walker’s murder, B.I.G.’s wife
rumored to be gettin’ around with Tupac) the feud has intensified.
Dr. Dre even states, “If it keeps going this way, pretty soon
niggaz from the East Coast ain’t gonna be able to come out here
and be safe, and vice versa.” With all the negative publicity fol
lowing them, they still continue to succeed. Who would have
thought being sentenced to Death Row would become a blessing
rather than a crime? o