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50 Journal, Copyright Society of the U.S.A.
Arising in the 1970’s from the bombed-out shell of the South Bronx
(where this author spent much of his childhood), hip-hop reigns as the
dominant cultural, and from a music industry standpoint, economic para-
digm in the United States, with strong international reach as well.
24
A
recent acquisition by a major corporation, Hasbro, of the defunct Death
Row Label’s
25
music catalogue for hundreds of millions of dollars, put an
exclamation point on the value of the old-school hip-hop catalog’s status
as an economic juggernaut.
26
No clear line of demarcation line marks where “old school” hip-hop
music begins and ends. For purposes of this article, the earliest period of
old-school or classic hip-hop is located from the late 1970’s to the mid-
1980’s. In that era, artists like Kurtis Blow
27
, Kool Moe Dee, Salt ‘n’
Peppa, Eric B. and Rakim, M.C. Lyte ruled the charts. The rappers Run-
(
Oct. 23, 2019), https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2019/10/
23/queen-latifah-recognized-harvard-contributions-black-history/4071967002.
24
See TM Brown, The Greatest Hip-Hop Songs from Around the World,
BBC
M
USIC
(Oct. 15, 2019), https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20191016-the-greatest-
hip-hop-songs-from-around-the-world.
25
Death Row Records emerged in the early 1990’s as the preeminent record
label producing “gansta’” rap music with iconic artists like Tupac Shakur, Snoop
Dogg, Nate Dogg and Dr. Dre. See Luchina Fischer, The Rise and Fall of Death
Row Records, ABCNews (Jan. 8, 2009), https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/
SummerConcert/story?id=5406064&page=1 (noting that Death Row Records was
“co-founded in 1991 by controversial music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight [and
became] home to some of the biggest names in rap — Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and
Tupac Shakur — and became one of hip-hop’s most influential and profitable la-
bels in its ‘90s heyday). In 2006, Death Row under its founder and president
Marion “Suge” Knight declared bankruptcy, and in 2008, Death Row Records and
its music catalog were auctioned in a bankruptcy sale for $24 million. See Death
Row Records Auctioned for $24 Mil.,
H
OLLYWOOD
R
EPORTER
(July 14, 2008),
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/death-row-records-auctioned-24-115607.
26
See David Evon, Did Hasbro Toys Acquire Death Row Records?,
S
NOPES
(Aug. 26, 2019), https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hasbro-toys-death-row-records
(noting that the “toy company Hasbro acquired the British company Entertain-
ment One for $4 billion in August 2019. In addition to getting access to children’s
programs such as ‘Peppa Pig’, Hasbro also now owns Death Row Records’ cata-
log.”). Entertainment One spent $280 million to purchase the Death Row catalog
in 2013. See Kristen Willis, Here’s Why Jokes Are Flying About Suge Knight’s
Death Row Records and My Little Pony.
A
TLANTIC
B
LACK
S
TAR
(
Aug. 26, 2019),
https://atlantablackstar.com/2019/08/26/heres-why-jokes-are-flying-about-suge-
knights-death-row-records-and-my-little-pony/ (“Now the label that was famous
for signees like Tupac and Snoop Dogg, as well as co-founder Dr. Dre, is aligned
with the same brand that brought families Monopoly and kids, Mr. Potato Head.”.
27
Kurtis Blow was the first solo rap artist to reach gold sales status. See Michael
Saponara, 40 Years of ‘The Breaks’: Kurtis Blow Remembers the ‘Dream World’
Surrounding Rap’s First Gold Hit,
B
ILLBOARD
(June 14, 2020), https://
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9401176/kurtis-blow-the-breaks-
anniversary.