The Chronic became that cornerstone achievement, kicking off a historic four-year run that ended with the death of the label’s other major star, Tupac Shakur. On top of that, neither he nor Suge had much of a business acumen, and they were hemorrhaging cash.ĭeath Row was ostensibly up and running with a master architect at the helm, but the young label needed a big victory upon which to build its empire. He was accused of a savage, public assault by journalist Dee Barnes and another assault on a police officer during a 50-person brawl he allegedly started. Five of the eight albums Dre produced for Ruthless from 1987 to 1991 went platinum, but he was a volatile figure prone to violence. Plagued by legal battles and beset with a number of open court cases, nobody would touch him. Dre was the biggest producer in hip-hop music, a pioneer drawing comparisons to Quincy Jones and Phil Spector he was also its most unemployable one.
Eventually, Suge got his way: Dre was no longer a Ruthless artist, and Death Row Records was born. The documents weren’t deemed legally binding, but the wheels were in motion. He told Eazy he had N.W.A.’s manager Jerry Heller tied up in a van before offering a final warning: “We know where your mother lives.” With that, Eazy signed. Suge delivered contract releases for several Ruthless artists and planned to squeeze Eazy into signing them so he could poach the artists for the fledgling label he was starting. On April 23, 1991, Eazy-E went up to the studios at Solar Records where he was greeted by Suge and a small entourage of men with pipes and Louisville sluggers. All that was standing in his and Suge’s way was Eazy. album, 1991’s Niggaz4Life, and he wanted out so he could finish work on his solo material. Dre was already done mastering the final N.W.A. With an eye on becoming a music mogul, Suge saw Dre as his meal ticket. He’d been hanging around Ruthless as the D.O.C.’s bodyguard and had grown close to Dre during his conflict with the label. The beef ended when Eazy-E died of AIDS complications on Maat 31.Pro football prospect turned hulking enforcer, Marion Knight, Jr., nicknamed Suge for the sweet sugar bear he was as a child, had a reputation for intimidation that was the stuff of industry myth: punching a guy through a closed door and dangling Vanilla Ice off a balcony. Death Row records may or may not have negotiated Dre's release from the deal using lead pipes and baseball bats.
This is a reference to their legal dispute, which according to Eazy, entitled him to earnings from the song. In the lyrics, Dre upbraids his foe in certain terms:Įazy fired back with "Real Muthaphuckkin G's," where he makes specific mention of this song: "'Dre Day' only meant Eazy's pay day." "Dre Day," officially titled "F-k Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')," was the first musical attack launched in his war with Eazy. He was still contractually obligated to Ruthless, but formed his own label, Death Row Records, with Suge Knight, in early 1992. Ice Cube left the group over royalty diputes in 1989, and Dre followed suit in 1991. The group was signed to Ruthless Records, which Eazy-E ran with the businessman Jerry Heller. As members of the transgressive group N.W.A, they defined gangsta rap in the late '80s, but when the money came in, Dre thought there should be more of it. Dre and Eazy-E had more beef than a rodeo.
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