The Death Row Chronicles is a new series on BET that covers one of the most famous record labels from the 1990s. To be exact, it covers Death Row Records, which was once a huge success but has since been rendered defunct by a series of problems that brought it low in the late 1990s, meaning that there is a rather interesting narrative to be revealed to those who are curious about the rather recent history of rap music in the United States.
Here are five things that you may or may not have known about The Death Row Chronicles:
Centered on Death Row Records
Perhaps unsurprisingly, The Death Row Chronicles will be centered on Death Row Records, which was famous for its role in West Coast hip hop of the 1990s. For proof of its success, look no further than the fact that Death Row Records was earning more than $100 million on an annual basis at its height, which would have been worth even more in those times because of inflation.
Covers Both the Rise and the Fall
The Death Row Chronicles will cover both the rise and the fall of Death Row Records. For those who are unfamiliar, the record label started up as a collaboration between Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and others, who were dissatisfied with Ruthless Records. After which, it signed a number of performers such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur whose names remain well-known in the present. However, Death Row Records fell into irreversible decline upon the shooting of Tupac Shakur as well as the imprisonment of Suge Knight.
Intended to Debunk Some of the Mythology
One of the executive producers for The Death Row Chronicles is Mario Diaz, who has stated that the intent is to debunk some of the mythology that has sprung up around Death Row Records. He doesn’t deny that there was indeed a gang element to the record label, but what he wants to do is to make it clear that it was a record label first and foremost, meaning that making music was its first priority. With that said, Diaz has also stated that the story of Death Row Records is very much a cautionary tale about what can happen when the people at the top become corrupted by the sheer extent of their own power.
Resulted in Suge Knight’s Fiancee Being Sentenced to Jail
Since The Death Row Chronicles is interested in telling the truth of what happened, it should come as no surprise to learn that it interviewed a lot of the people who lived through the events. Said individuals even include Suge Knight, which was something that actually got Suge Knight’s fiancee Toi-Lin Kelly sent to jail for violating probation conditions.
Will Be on BET
Regardless, for those who are curious, The Death Row Chronicles is a three-part series that will be shown on BET. In total, it consists of six parts shown over three nights, meaning that interested individuals might want to clear their schedules so that they can catch it.
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