BET’s Death Row Chronicles is currently underway after part 1 kicked off on Tuesday evening (Feb 20). This six-part, three-night series, documents the dramatic rise and fall of the West Coast gangsta rap powerhouse. With commentary from Suge Knight and former members of the “world’s most dangerous record label,” viewers hear first hand accounts from folks close to Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Dogg Pound and more.
“We traced [Knight’s] evolution from a guy from Compton, who was not necessarily associated with gangs, who had a promising football career, then his left turn to music,” said Mario Diaz, executive producer of the series. “He learns how to influence people, sometimes through intimidating tactics, sometimes because he’s just so business savvy. And then [we look at] how he steered Death Row, what things helped to make it great and what things he did to bring it down.”
The docu-series dives deep into Death Row’s catalog of artists, before and after the departure of the label’s most prominent acts such as Dr. Dre and Daz Dillinger.
“I’m not mad that Dre’s gone,” Snoop told VIBE at the end of 1996. “I’m happy. Because I’m able to do the type of shit I always wanted to do. I wanna be artist and executioner. That’s why the music is more…it’s so happy. It’s not ‘Fuck everybody, I’m mad, I’m ready to do something.’ It’s some happy, cool shit that a smiling motherfucker can play for his kids.”
Watch the Death Row Chronicles (Part 1) documentary below: