Over the past three decades, Snoop Dogg’s career has been defined by reinvention and the willingness to adapt to changes in the music industry and beyond. As the new owner of Death Row Records, he will continue that trend by making it what he calls “an NFT label.”
“Death Row will be an NFT label,” Snoop said in a Clubhouse room created by Will Weinbach earlier this week. “We will be putting out artists through the metaverse. Just like we broke the industry when we was the first independent [label] to be major, I want to be the first major [label] in the metaverse.”
Snoop kicked off this initiative last week by making his latest album BODR (Bacc on Death Row) available as a Stash Box NFT collection through the blockchain platform Gala Games, limited to 25,000 NFTs for $5,000 each. One of 17 tracks is included with each NFT, along with “exclusive drops such as films, comics, images, and unique concert attendance opportunities.” Anyone who acquires all 17 songs will receive even more rewards, such as an exclusive concert and pre-party with Snoop and limited edition Death Row bling.
“If anything is constant, it’s that the music industry will always be changing,” the rapper said in an accompanying statement. “Blockchain tech has the power to change everything again and tip the table in favor of the artists and the fans, and we’re going to be right at the front of the pack with this Gala Music deal.”
The BODR collection isn’t Snoop’s first foray into NFTs. Later this month, the Long Beach native is launching his own metaverse called Snoopverse. Staking out your claim there won’t come cheap — back in December, one NFT collector spent $450,000 for a virtual plot of land.
In the age of streaming, hip-hop releases have been optimized to rack up numbers on Spotify and other platforms, but there is much more money to be made from dealing directly with loyal fans who are willing to pony up a pretty penny for exclusive items. As an added benefit to Snoop’s artists, his familiarity with the concept should make it easier to avoid situations like the recent HitPiece fiasco.
Snoop’s position as a record label owner doesn’t mean he’s slowing down other endeavors. On Sunday, he took the stage with Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Anderson .Paak for an all-time classic Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. Naturally, the Doggfather got in his usual warm-up just before it started. Next month, he will co-host the Eurovision-inspired American Song Contest with Kelly Clarkson.
