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The Toxic Feud That Led Dr. Dre to Walk Away From Death Row Records at the Height of Its Success

Dr. Dre was crucial to the success of Death Row Records. But an ugly dispute with Suge Knight saw him leave and the label fall apart.

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You can’t tell the story of Death Row without Dr. Dre. So many of hip-hop’s most pivotal records and moments can all be traced back to his time signed under Suge Knight. The Chronic radically changed the complexion of the genre and culture by implementing G-Funk into the mainstream. Doggystyle created a superstar in Snoop Dogg. “California Love” proved to be one of the biggest songs of both Dre and Tupac’s careers.

But as much as Death Row Records thrived with him, they absolutely crumbled without him. Tupac was tragically murdered, Snoop Dogg departed for other labels like No Limit, and Suge Knight battled racketeering charges. Sales plummeted, and the label essentially went........

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