Death Row's Greatest Albums We Never Heard | By: Adon



There's no question that Death Row records was a dynasty during 1992 - 1996. The label was responsible for over 30 million records sold in that time, and many of those albums continue to sell today. Dr. Dre kicked it off with his ground breaking album, The Chronic, selling over 4 million copies, and changing the face of Gangsta Rap forever. Snoop, Tha Dogg Pound, and 2Pac all had major selling albums in that time as well. But in their 5 year reign, a lot of projects were started and never finished, or ended up being something they were never intended to be. So we're breaking it down for you: Death Row's greatest albums we never heard.

Murder Was The Case OST (Original Version) (1994) How did it get Started? After the amazing success of The Chronic and Doggystyle, Death Row could do no wrong. So they set out to make a short film based on Snoop's song, "Murder Was The Case" (the idea for the song came from a dream Snoop had). The Dr. Dre directed film was only about 20 minutes long, so they bundled the vhs with rare interviews and performances. The soundtrack was to feature songs used in the movie as well as some new exclusive songs. It turns out we didn't get to hear the album as it was originally intended. What Could it have been? Tracks left off the Soundrack included Swoop G's "20 Dollars" (which later ended up on his own solo album), and Snoop's "Ni**a Named Dave". If you look inside the Murder was the Case album booklet, you'll see "D.A.V.E. (Death Before Visualizing Eternity)". If you've ever noticed this, and realized it made no sense, now you know why it's there. Ni**a Named Dave's second verse later surfaced on Snoop's Midnight Love. So What happened? Originally, the soundtrack was to heavily feature Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound, with few other appearances. It was a chance for artists like Nate Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound to release solo songs without having to wait for a full album of material. It was Suge's decision to bring in some of his own ideas and artists (Young Soldierz, Danny Boy, DJ Quik). The end result was by no means a bad album, but some great songs were left off as a result. ...................................................................... The Lady of Rage "Eargasm" How did it get Started? Ever since Rage's first appearance on The Chronic, she gained instant credibility with male fans, and gave hope and a sense of pride to female fans. Rage was holding her own, and often times even out performing her male counterparts on Death Row. She even gave hope to other female rappers, who were sure she'd be the first to bring home a platinum plaque. With so many fans and well wishers, she began work on her solo album, "Eargasm". Dr. Dre made mention of working on the album backstage at the 1995 Source awards. Saying that they would be releasing it after Tha Dogg Pound's Dogg Food. What Could it have been? We all got a taste of what the album could have been with "Afro Puffs". The single (off the Above The Rim Soundtrack) was hugely popular, and is still talked about to this day. She set a trend with the song. It was also rumored that she recorded a verse on "Blunt Tyme", a track that would later surface as an RBX solo on Dr. Dre's Aftermath compilation. There is no doubt that if she had the material recorded, and released the album after Dogg Food as planned, that it would have gone platinum. So What happened? It's unclear on what exactly happened with this album. It was likely due to a lack of material, and perhaps a lack of support from within the camp. 2Pac signed around the time the album was scheduled to drop. When he signed, Suge put everything into Pac, quickly releasing his double LP, All Eyes on Me. Rage was even on the original version of "Got My Mind Made Up", but was later removed from the song. Rage went on to record and release "Necessary Roughness" in 1997, but due to negativity surrounding the Death Row name, the album didn't perform as expected. It was a solid record featuring a 2Pac adlibbed song, as well as production from DJ Premier. Rage is still regarded as the most consistent rapper from the Death Row era. ...................................................................... Snoop Doggy Dogg "Doggumentary" EP (1997) How did it get Started? It was mid 1997, Snoop's Doggfather album had been out for a few months, and had just begun slipping the charts. The murders of 2pac and Biggie were still fresh in everyones mind. It was even recommended that Snoop stop all publicity for Tha Doggfather for fear for his own life. Instead, he disregarded what people told him and decided to headline that summers Lalapalooza tour; and made a few records in the process (one of which ended up on the Men In Black OST). He then put the tracks together for an EP to help further support Tha Doggfather. Death Row went as far as filming a video for Doggumentary's lead single, Midnight Love featuring Daz, and Raphael Saadiq. But just a few weeks before the the album was set to drop, it was shelved. What Could it have been? In the case of Doggumentary, most of the songs ended up surfacing somewhere. Either on singles, or on Various compilations over the years. Below is the rumored tracklist: 01. Snoop Bounce (Rock Remix) featuring Rage Against The Machine

02. Snoop's Upside Your Head (Remix)

03. Vapors (Battlecat Remix)

04. Doggfather (Timbaland Remix)

05. Midnight Love featuring Raphael Saddiq & Dat Nigga Daz (Produced by Soopafly)

06. Soldiers Story (Produced by Snoop Doggy Dogg)

07. Gangsta Walk featuring The Dogg Pound (Produced By Dat Nigga Daz)

08. Once Again a.k.a. Pop Some Shit (Produced by Soopafly) So What happened? The CD was all set to hit the stores on October 3, 1997. But after seeing what Dr. Dre went through in leaving Death Row, one thing led to another, Snoop was unhappy, and decided to leave too. It was this, and many other disagreements with Suge that led to the scrapping of the EP. Snoop's contract was bought out by Master P and No Limit records, and Snoop had a new home. ...................................................................... Dr. Dre "The Chronic 2: Papa's Got A Brand New Funk" (1996) How did it get Started? The Chronic 2 (also known as: "A New World Odor: Papa's got a Brand New Funk") was set to be Dr. Dre's second solo album released on Death Row. After starting the label off on the right foot, and helping the other acts on the label reach high levels of success, he (and many others) felt it was his turn again. What Could it have been? The original Chronic album is looked at as a milestone in Hip Hop. Dre zigged when everyone else was zagging. He set a new precedent in Hip Hop music. And he very well could have done it again. Rumored tracks were to include: the original recording of "California Love", being a Dr. Dre solo, "Keep Their Heads Ringing", "Blunt Tyme", "OG to BG", and a song using the beat from the end of the "California Love" video. "Been There, Done That", may have also been intended for the album, although this is not clear. The song was recorded during Dre's time at Death Row (as is evident by Suge owning publishing on the song). So What happened? From 1994 - 1996 a lot had changed at Death Row. Dr. Dre was mainly focused on the music, while Suge handled the business aspects of the label. Suge started bringing in new artists; people Dre had never heard of. Naturally Dre was reluctant to work with these people. Fights became a regular thing during studio sessions, while little work on the music would actually take place. It was too much partying and fighting that eventually led to Dre's decision to leave Death Row records in 1996. When he left Death Row, he left the album as well. ...................................................................... Dr. Dre & Ice Cube "Helter Skelter" How did it get Started? When Ice Cube left NWA, it was instant beef between him and the remaining members. Cube left because he felt he was underpaid (or unpaid all together) for the work he put in writing the songs. He said he wrote 40% of the music, but was receiving far less than 40% of the money. In 1992 when Dre left for the exact same reasons, he ended up reconciling with Ice Cube. Their mutual resentment for Ruthless Records bonded them again. After the decision was made to record a duo album, Dre came up with the title "Helter Skelter". The album would feature the two artists rapping over Dr. Dre's beats, with Ice Cube and The DOC handling the writing (Dre never really wrote his own lyrics). A poster was available for a short time in 1994 with a painted Dr. Dre featuring a white "Helter Skelter" baseball cap on his head. What Could it have been? Rumored Tracks Included: "Can't C Me", "Gimme 50 Feet", "Game Over", "Natural Born Killaz", and "Grand Finale 2". Cant C Me was later given to the Tha Dogg Pound as the lead single for Dogg Food. But Suge made a decision that no Dre produced songs should be on the record. The track ended up on 2Pac's All Eyes On Me. Natural Born Killaz ended up on the Murder Was The Case OST, and Game Over was given to Scarface for his Untouchable album. So What happened? There is no definitive answer for why this album never materialized. It was probably due to a number of things. There may have been problems with paper work, organizing Death Row and Priority (Cube's Label). Death Row was famous for being difficult to deal with. Also, Cube was also just beginning his long career as a film star. And with Dr. Dre being a half owner of Death Row records, he had other duties than just making music. It's likely that "Grand Finale 2" was The DOC's idea. It was during the recording for Helter Skelter that The DOC was having issues with his voice. DOC felt he was still capable of rapping, while Dre thought otherwise. This left a sour taste in DOC's mouth. Dre had discovered The DOC in the late 80's and brought him to California to join Ruthless Records. Now without Dre's support, and without his regular speaking voice, The DOC felt he had little support at Death Row. He ended up leaving the label in 1995 and taking the writings for Helter Skelter with him. To spite Dr. Dre and Death Row, The DOC released his own version of "Helter Skelter" in January of 1996 with the lyrics he had originally penned for Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The album went on to achieve very limited success, but is still sought after by die hard fans. ..........................................................................................



Written by Adon

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