Snoop Dogg has a long history with Death Row Records. The D-O-Double-G was an integral part of the imprint once helmed by the currently incarcerated Suge Knight during the ’90s.
At the REVOLT Summit in Los Angeles on Sunday (October 27), Snoop made it clear he started paying attention to what Top Dawg Entertainment has been doing over the past several years. TDE’s co-president Punch admitted they’d studied the Death Row blueprint.
Snoop then declared TDE to be a “better version” of Death Row and said it was all about an “each one, teach one” mentality.
“I think — and this is me saying it from being in Death Row and being on the outside looking at y’all — y’all are a better version of Death Row Records,” he said. “That’s with no disrespect. That’s with all respect because once you look and you see somebody do it the right way and you see ’em do it the wrong way and then you get a chance to do it your own way, then you able to take the wrong out and do it the right way. That’s why y’all been able to sustain for so long. You and Top Dawg, y’all some top dog bosses.”
Punch later took to Twitter to reflect on Snoop’s comments.
“Snoop Dogg sat on stage in a room full of ppl and said we (TDE) are a better version of Death Row Records,” he wrote. “Humbled.”
Snoop didn’t always feel this way. In a 2013 interview with Vibe, the legendary West Coast rapper denied TDE was the “new Death Row.”
“No, they’re not the new Death Row,” he said. “TDE did it completely differently than Death Row did it. Death Row did it with a gangsta approach. We was smashin’ on niggas, fuckin’ people up, we was determined to be the hardest, meanest, baddest, coldest, roughest, toughest in the game. That was our mission. TDE, rappers. They peaceful, they love, they get down, they rappers from everywhere, and they represent Hip Hop.
“I don’t feel like TDE and Death Row are the same thing in any way. I feel like Death Row paved the way for TDE to do it in their own way so they can stay around for 20 years from now.”
TDE is home to Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, SZA and a roster of other notable acts.
Prepare for incoming “TDE fell off” comments in 3,2,1….
TDE fell off
Sure did. Out of the original Black Hippy crew, only Kendrick and Jay Rock will probably retain legend status. I still have faith in Ab-Soul but Schoolboy Q definitely fell off.
You wish, Death Row only had 2 big acts, Dre and Pac, if Pac and dre were never part of Death Row, then Death Row would’ve been full of D list rapper.
Also, Snoop Dogg. That’s pretty stacked. What other label has three legends of that status? That being said, Death Row was really only tight for like 5 years. Dre quit, Pac died, Snoop quit, that was it. TDE has a stronger roster with more diverse styles.
Stronger roster? Death Row also had Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, Nate Dogg and DJ Quik. Minus Kendrick Lamar, none of the other TDE artists will come close to Death Row. Where would the label be without Kendrick?
Nate and Quik never dropped an album on Death Row. You’re right though, it was late and I was high. Death Row was better.
Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, and DJ Quik are legends too. Lady of Rage can rap circles around all of TDE artists. Death Row had a much stronger roster. Minus Kendrick and maybe Sza, how much success is everyone else really having?
Snoop is not a legend of any sorts, you are delusional if you think so. He was known because of Dre, after Dre he became a pop act, and then it got to the point that he had to change his name because of how irrelevant he was. He was never a legend of any sort.
Death Row had better music
Death Row times were dope and sick at the same time!!
TDE not even close.
Chronic
Doggystyle
Above the Rim
Dog pound
Deep Cover
Makaveli
Murder was the case
All Eyes on me…. those records
The history…
Battling bad boy
Getting pac out of jail
The logo
Suge Knight
Beef with Ruthless Records
The artist
Dre
PAC
Snoop
Kurupt
Daz
TDE will be forgotten. They weirdo hippies / fake woke/ fake street… death row was real shit/ like it or hate it. Death row is a milestone and way more exciting
More half-brained commentary by a rapper attempting to be humble. Kinda like when Eminem listed rappers in front of him and enlisted Kiss and Kurupt. Huge fan of both them rappers but ain’t nobody confusing them for the goat unlike Em. TDE can’t even fk with Aftermath. Did TDE put out anything near as quality as Chronic 2001, the first 3 Em albums, the first two 50 albums, and catching even credit for the first Kendrick albums.
Eminem didn’t say kiss or kurupt were goats, he was actually naming his favourite rappers, he said reggie first because Redman was em’s favourite MC (em has stated this many times in various interviews) and then he listed the rest in the order of his personal favourites !!
Uh, no. This fool got a hold of some of that bad weed, lol? Literally everything that dropped from Death Row from its inception until right after Pac got killed was highly anticipated. I remember even people waiting for the Lady of Rage shit and people like RBX back then. Can’t describe the impact to those who weren’t around when it was going on. Also, Something they did better than any other label early on was quality control. Suge didn’t put out garbage and left a lot of that shit on the cutting room floor.
If Lil Undisclosed Name said that, I would understand, but Snoop saying this, wow. This era of hip-hop/rap is disgusting. I don’t even know what’s the logo of TDE, Death Row is highly recognizable and controversial. What would TDE be without Kendrick. But how is TDE better? Because they weren’t as destructive as Death Row? It’s vague what Snoop said.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Snoop just trying to stay in headlines and be at least remotely relevant. Even after all that success, fame and money, he can’t stand being out of the limelight for too long. Willing to speak nonsense and throw his past under the bus when needed.
It’s sad because he’s gotten everything he could ever want out of his career. He’s a household name whose crossed over into anything and everything and been successful across the board. If he’s still needing validation, he’s in trouble.
my balls stink 🙂
DEATH ROW ONLY HAD A 4 YEAR RUN (1992-1996), AND SUFFERED FROM TOO MUCH INTERNAL BEEF. THOSE 4 YEARS WERE VERY INFLUENTIAL, BUT I CAN SEE WHERE SNOOP IS COMING FROM.
TDE is dope but not even close to being on Death Rows level. To be honest TDE hasn’t released anything that great. Ok not great.