Death Row Greatest Hits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Greatest hits album by various artists | ||||
Released | November 26, 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1991–1996 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:28:01 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Various artists chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Death Row Greatest Hits | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Death Row Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album and second double album released by Death Row Records and Interscope Records and distributed by Priority Records. Issued on November 26, 1996, the 33-track compilation features a mix of hits, previously unreleased tracks and remixes by both former and then-current Death Row artists. [2] The album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 [3] and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 12, 1999. [4]
To avoid cannibalizing sales of other major 1996 Death Row releases, no songs from 2Pac's All Eyez on Me , The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory , or Snoop Dogg's Tha Doggfather were included on the compilation. [5] Of the seven tracks on the album featuring 2Pac, only two—"Hit 'Em Up" and "Smile for Me Now"—were recorded during his tenure with Death Row, and neither appeared on his studio albums. [6]
Four of the remaining five tracks were previously released under Interscope Records before 2Pac joined Death Row. The final track, "Pour Out a Little Liquor", was recorded prior to his signing but had originally appeared on the 1994 Death Row soundtrack Above the Rim . [7] [8] These non-Death Row tracks were able to be included because Interscope was the parent company and distributor of Death Row Records at the time.
In 2003, tracks from the previously omitted 1996 albums were included on the follow-up compilation, Death Row Greatest Hits, Volume 2. [9]
Disc two of the compilation primarily features remixes and previously unreleased tracks. Notable inclusions are:
Continuing the tone of animosity heard on Makaveli’s The 7 Day Theory, [19] Death Row Greatest Hits features a diss track aimed at former label co-founder Dr. Dre on each disc.
It has been widely speculated that Suge Knight, Death Row Records’ CEO and executive producer of the album, was responsible for fueling the dissension toward Dr. Dre featured throughout the compilation.
The album's cover and disc-tray artwork were created by California-based artist Ronald "Riskie" Brent, a frequent Death Row collaborator. Brent also designed the covers and inserts for several key Death Row releases, including All Eyez on Me, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, Tha Doggfather, Christmas on Death Row, and Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back. [27]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Nuthin' but a G Thang" | Dr. Dre | 3:41 | |
2. | "Gin & Juice" |
| Dr. Dre | 3:31 |
3. | "Afro Puffs" |
| 4:45 | |
4. | "Natural Born Killaz" |
|
| 4:46 |
5. | "Who Am I (What's My Name?)" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:07 |
6. | "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" |
|
| 3:58 |
7. | "No Vaseline" |
| Sir Jinx | 4:04 |
8. | "Doggy Dogg World" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:40 |
9. | "Keep Ya Head Up" |
| DJ Daryl | 4:22 |
10. | "Murder Was the Case" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:19 |
11. | "Lil' Ghetto Boy" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:20 |
12. | "Ain't No Fun" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:09 |
13. | "Lodi Dodi" | Dr. Dre | 4:24 | |
14. | "Stranded on Death Row" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:40 |
15. | "The Shiznit" |
| Dr. Dre | 4:15 |
16. | "Dear Mama" |
|
| 4:55 |
17. | "Me Against the World" | Soulshock and Karlin | 4:39 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
18. | "Let Me Ride (Rmx)" | Dat Nigga Daz | 6:01 | |
19. | "Gin & Juice (Rmx)" |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 5:02 |
20. | "Daydreaming" | Aretha Franklin |
| 4:53 |
21. | "Who Am I (What's My Name?) (Rmx)" |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 4:09 |
22. | "Nuthin' But a G Thang (Rmx)" |
|
| 4:33 |
23. | "I Get Around (Rmx)" | Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis | 4:00 | |
24. | "Lil' Ghetto Boy (Rmx)" |
|
| 4:52 |
25. | "Hit 'Em Up" |
| 5:10 | |
26. | "Who Been There, Who Done That?" |
|
| 4:29 |
27. | "Fuck wit Dre Day (Rmx)" |
| Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis | 4:36 |
28. | "Pour Out a Little Liquor" |
| Johnny "J" | 3:28 |
29. | "What Would You Do" |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 5:08 |
30. | "Come Up to My Room" |
| 4:36 | |
31. | "Come When I Call" |
| DJ Quik | 4:55 |
32. | "Me in Your World" |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 3:47 |
33. | "Smile for Me Now" |
| 4:47 | |
Total length: | 2:28:01 |
Vocalists
Instrumentalists
Producers
Technical
Additional
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [33] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |