SNOOP DOGG STRIKES DEAL TO RELEASE NEW ALBUMS & DEATH ROW CATALOG
Snoop Dogg has inked a deal with former Apple executive Larry Jackson to release new solo albums and distribute Death Row Records’ iconic catalog to the masses.
Jackson, Apple Music’s former Global Creative Director who has been name-dropped by the likes of Kanye West and Drake, launched a new music company this week called gamma, which is poised to shake up the music industry and has already struck partnerships with a host of other A-list names.
With a reported $1 billion in capital and high-powered backers such as Apple, A24 and Todd Boehly’s Eldridge, gamma is described by Billboard as “a one-stop-shop media company that creates, distributes, and markets content, from music to podcasts to films, offering resources and guidance to artists who want to build their brands and expand beyond music.”
Two future albums from Snoop Dogg and distributing Death Row’s catalog — which includes Snoop’s Doggystyle, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me — are among the first slate of projects that have been announced.
gamma was quietly behind the release of Death Row’s catalog on TikTok last month, which came roughly a year after Snoop became the new owner of the label and subsequently pulled some of its music from streaming services over gripes with artist payouts.
According to Billboard, the deal is a long-term partnership between Snoop and gamma, and allows rights to revert back to the 51-year-old rapper after they “work together to enrich the value of the IP.”
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In addition to rivaling TikTok as a hotspot for breaking new music and artists, one of gamma’s main goals is to uplift Black culture and structure deals that help artists retain ownership of their work and build generational wealth.
“It made sense for two Black men to come together to change the face of the industry,” Snoop Dogg told Bloomberg of the joint venture. “I didn’t want to partner with a regular company because they respect me and fear me so much, they wouldn’t wanna give me ideas.”
One of the new Snoop Dogg albums could possibly be Missionary, the joint LP with Dr. Dre he announced last year. The eagerly anticipated project has been touted as the spiritual successor to Snoop’s 1993 debut Doggystyle, which turns 30 this November.
gamma has also struck deals with Rick Ross, Usher, Naomi Campbell and more. A new album from Usher will be distributed by the company through a joint venture between the R&B star and veteran music executive L.A. Reid.
Larry Jackson has also been in close touch with Frank Ocean throughout the launch of gamma, according to Bloomberg, although he didn’t comment on any projects that they might have in the works together.
Fans of the elusive crooner have been craving a new album since the release of Blonde in 2016, and with Frank set to headline Coachella next month, excitement is fever pitch.
Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg recently launched a new company of his own, partnering with Indonesian coffee entrepreneur Michael Riady earlier this week for a new premium coffee brand called INDO.xyz.
“My relationship with coffee goes way back,” Tha Doggfather said in a statement. “The many long nights in the studio making hit after hit, coffee provided the fuel which kept us going.
“Today marks the launch of a new company I created along with my partner Michael, who introduced me to the best-tasting Indonesian coffee. Indo is going to change the industry. I can promise you that.”
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