Customer Reviews

Welcome to Death Row [VHS]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For me, this film raised a lot of interesting questions -- like for one, in the wake of the damaging press on Death Row's alleged "drug money" funding, why hadn't Interscope heads Jimmy Iovine or Ted Fields ever been questioned? When Death Row received all the bad press during the East Coast/West Coast feud, or when stories of Death Row's alleged brutality in their studios came to light, how and why did Jimmy Iovine and Ted Fields come away unscathed, with not so much as one speculative article? These two guys literally owe their fortunes (about $400 million from Death Row) to Suge Knight and the rest of Death Row records, who only saw about half as much. Interscope Records was going out of business -- the Chronic album saved it...

I have never witnessed interviews as candid and intriguing as these, and from such a wide variety of (as far as I can tell) credible sources. For me, the value of this documentary isn't so much in the slandering of anyone's name. Rather, "Welcome To Death Row" provides extremely valuable lessons on the pitfalls of show BUSINESS, because it is a business (Jerry Heller, David Kenner, Ted Fields, and Jimmy Iovine never forgot that!). Snoop Dogg has over 10 minutes of an interview where he discusses his very beginnings. We get to hear from a man named Michael Harris, and I'll leave that at that. Folks at S.O.L.A.R. records, (where Babyface got his start), early Nate Dogg, D.O.C., Death Row's launch party, it's all here. My man Kevin Powell (the only journalist to ever really get close to the late Tupac Shakur) also adds some great insights. Right now you are reading the words of a highly impressed reviewer.

Your viewing experience of this film will not be complete without the DVD extras. If you don't have a DVD player, buy a DVD player; Snoop's solo interview (DVD only) is by far one of the best segments on here. Also look out for clips of the Death Row launch party in Beverly Hills, and outtakes (featuring great footage) of the various sources interviewed. I cannot say enough about this film. "Welcome To Death Row" is not a music video -- it wasn't made to "entertain" anyone. If you're serious about the URBAN music industry, then this is required viewing...

This documentary surprised me. At first I saw it because I am a rap fan especially of the old Death Row. I was blown away by the style and production of this movie. Two huge things make this documentary worth wild. First off the film is completely impartial. You just get the facts and opinions of those directly involved and few from those outside. The other factor is that other people who aren't rap fans will find this interesting. After my viewing I showed this to many friends and all were deeply interested despite any real interest in rap music. Great topic because of it's controversy and it's impact over the nation. If you give it an honest shot you'll find it interesting and very well done.

This video is worth getting if you're a fan of the old Death Row. There is so much information and details about the rise and the fall of Death Row. It was interesting to see how Suge Knight went from being a regular bodyguard to being one of the music's worlds must notable names. The DVD traces Suge's history from being Bobby Brown's bodyguard to the infamous Vanilla Ice scandal. Not a single detail is missed on this DVD. There are also additional features aside from the Documentary, including an indepth Snoop Dogg interview. If you are interested in the deep history of Death Row, buy this DVD. If you're not a huge old school Death Row fan, it may be a little dull.

Every damn Death Row documentary focuses on the same sh_t. Come on, tell me about the early days and how DPG came to be. Tell me how Daz met Kurupt, and how Dre signed all of them. There was only 10 basic members to the first Death Row family. And here they go again focusing on Suge (boring story heard a million times) and Dre leaving. No talk about DPG & Outlawz??? Barely anything interesting on Makaveli & Snoop*. Same East vs. West sh_t we been hearin'. Tell me about how Makaveli created these masterpieces, not what he thought of Biggie. I know that sh_t, its old. Snoop* - there was a side interview in the special features that had Snoop talking about Daz, D.O.C., Above The Law. Stuff I never knew, but it wasn't even in the main feature. That is the reason why I gave it 3 stars. Rent, don't buy it. Go buy some DPG albums instead.

Although not being the big rap fan I once was in high school, I have always been fascinated by Death Row Records and all of the controversy that surrounded the notorious record label since day one. "Welcome to Death Row" is a thought-provoking documentary that tells the story of how a dangerous and popular record label changed the music industry, and how it all came falling apart. The documentary is filmed with new interviews with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and other former Death Row artists, as well as interviews with big names in both the music and media industry. They tell their side of the story and reveal just what exactly went on while working for Death Row.

I found this documentary to be extremely fascinating and well-done. It seems to stick with the facts for the most part, instead of reverting to a bunch of conspiracy theories. There's enough respected people who appeared on the film, which makes it easier to believe. While it answers some questions, it doesn't answer all of them. We still to this day do not know who shot Tupac and for what reason. And although it reveals most of what went on at Death Row, I am sure there are more untold stories that have yet to see the light of day.

The DVD is really impressive for a documentary. It's shot in widescreen, which is something I wasn't expecting. The picture and sound quality is really good. The extra features are also very impressive and make their presence felt. Some of the features are extensive interview outtakes, commentary from the filmmaker, the trailer, and more.

"Welcome to Death Row" is an intriguing and interesting documentary. Filled with things we had known all along and things we never knew, this is a documentary worth watching over and over again. You don't even have to be a big rap fan to enjoy it. If you know enough about the record label's history and you are a music fan, I think you'll really find this all interesting. Very well worth the money and very well worth the time.

I have watched this on cable and the internet so many times I decided to finally go ahead and grab this on DVD. There's no speculative narrative here, the film's story is told straight through the mouths of former Death Row Records employees, journalists, associates, and even some of the original investors who helped start up the company in the first place. Hearing these stories from the actual people themselves puts you right in the middle of the studio making for a documentary a million times more frank and true to life than I was expecting. In this, you go from the early high energy days when Death Row was a creative hotspot for some of the the best and brightest of west coast hip hop, to something akin to a gang hangout that was barely producing anything. This movie is an absolute must watch for any fan of hip hop and even moreso if you grew up on Death Row's 90's offerings.

The actual DVD itself really steals the show here. When I first popped the disc in I spent two days watching the incredible extended interviews and outtakes over and over because they were so captivating. Basicly it boils down to longer versions of the Harry O and Snoop Interviews and a wonderful D.O.C. interview that wasn't featured much at all in the film. I really wasn't expecting much feature wise with the disc, but it's really loaded compared to other more as is home releases. To top it all off, there's a complete director's commentary track which is worth the purchase within itself and there's a nice preview of Simone Green-English' photography book "Time Served: My Days and Nights at Death Row". The last cool bit is you get to watch the whole Chasen's Death Row promo clip, literally history in the making. Buy this DVD for the film and the incredible features.

this dvd was pretty good. Lets start with the pros...great sound and picture, very informative about the origin of death row records and different things that went on in the company. The part about tupac was very interesting and I also enjoyed the part about the east coast/west coast beef. The cons...no death row music is played during this dvd. How do u have a movie about death row without the classics?!?...But overall a decent dvd.

I love this movie!!!! It was so shocking to see how Death Row really started and where they got the money to start the label. It gives you in depth and specific details on how the label was runned, what went down, and how it spun outta control. It doesn't portray Death Row CEO Suge Knight as a bad guy OR say he was responsible for pac's death, but gives you a look on how he helped launch Dre and Snoop's career and how he got so caught up with the money and how it corrupted him. This is a Great DVD on THE GREATEST HIP HOP LABEL and how things are handled in the hip hop industy and how power & money can corrupt and tear friendships apart. I recomend it to not only fans of Dre, Snoop,Pac, etc. but to any fan of Hip Hop. It will change the way you look and think of Death Row Records forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For fans of The Once Great Deathrow Records this is a Must see Film that adds alot of insight to the Back-story of The Late 80's Early 90's RAP Scene!

Very cool and enjoyable alot of Surreal Stories

My Only Prob with it: Not enough Focus on Both Easy-E and 2Pac

But, still a must see flick!

9.5/10

Leigh Savidge takes a very insightful look at the controversial Death Row Records as well as the music industry as a whole. With never-before-seen footage and comments from several former artists on Death Row as well as many music industry insiders, "Welcome To Death Row" tries its best and succeeds quite well at piecing together all of the shocking details about what really went down behind close doors at Death Row.

"Welcome" chronicles all of the major moments in the Death Row saga from its inception when Suge used questionable tactics to get Dr. Dre out of his contract with Eazy-E's Ruthless Records to its downfall following Knight's incarceration. It talks about all the politics and jealousy behind the scenes and details Knight and Death Row's involvment in the infamous East-West battle. It also showcases how producer/artist Dr. Dre helped build the company, only to be pushed to the side when Knight signed Tupac Shakur in 1996 and how Dre eventually chose to leave the multi-million dollar company that he had helped build with Suge.

While Suge has been very vocal in his disdain for this documentary, it should be noted that it does not focuss its entire energy on attacking the label boss. While there are some unflattering stories about him told by former employees, there are a number of people who praise him for being a creative genius and a very successful businessman. However, there are also a number of people including imprisoned former crime boss, Michael "Harry-O" Harris, who claim that they helped fund Death Row with drug money. Harris goes into detail about a number of violent incidents involving Suge and how he believes that the success transformed Knight into a different person. Vibe columnist, Kevin Powell, brings a lot to the table as well in his interviews as he provides a lot of insight into the careers of many of the Death Row artists. Snoop Dogg, one of Death Row's most popular artists, also provides some intriuging commentary as he explains what really went on at "Tha Row".

Even if you are only a casual fan of rap music, you should find a lot to like about this very well-made documentary. While some Death Row fans might be upset that it doesn't say much of anything about popular artists like Kurupt, Daz, DJ Quik, or The Outlawz, it really isn't trying to be an artist profile. It also does not feature any music by Death Row because the label wanted nothing to do with its release. Regardless, this is without question, one of the most informative documentaries ever made on the subject of Death Row Records.