Death Row Greatest Hits

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Death Row Greatest Hits
Death Row Greatest Hits.jpg
Greatest hits album by
various artists
ReleasedNovember 26, 1996
Recorded1991–1996
Studio
Genre
Length2:28:01
Label
Producer
Various artists chronology
Murder Was the Case
(1994)
Death Row Greatest Hits
(1996)
Christmas on Death Row
(1996)
Singles from Death Row Greatest Hits
  1. "Who Been There, Who Done That"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

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]

Contents

Background

2Pac's inclusion

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]

Rare and exclusive music

Disc two of the compilation primarily features remixes and previously unreleased tracks. Notable inclusions are:

Diss tracks aimed at Dr. Dre

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.

Artwork

Death Row Greatest Hits disc-tray art by Ronald "Riskie" Brent. Death Row Greatest Hits insert.jpg
Death Row Greatest Hits disc-tray art by Ronald "Riskie" Brent.

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]

Track listing

Disc one of two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Nuthin' but a G Thang" Dr. Dre 3:41
2."Gin & Juice"
Dr. Dre3:31
3."Afro Puffs"
4:45
4."Natural Born Killaz"
4:46
5."Who Am I (What's My Name?)"
Dr. Dre4:07
6."Keep Their Heads Ringin'"
  • Dr. Dre
  • Sam Sneed (co.)
3:58
7."No Vaseline"
Sir Jinx 4:04
8."Doggy Dogg World"Dr. Dre4:40
9."Keep Ya Head Up"DJ Daryl4:22
10."Murder Was the Case"
  • Broadus
  • Arnaud
  • Young
Dr. Dre4:19
11."Lil' Ghetto Boy"
Dr. Dre4:20
12."Ain't No Fun"Dr. Dre4:09
13."Lodi Dodi"Dr. Dre4:24
14."Stranded on Death Row"
Dr. Dre4:40
15."The Shiznit"
  • Broadus
  • Young
Dr. Dre4:15
16."Dear Mama"
  • Shakur
  • Joe Sample
  • Bruce Hawes
  • Charles Simmons
  • Joseph Jefferson
4:55
17."Me Against the World" Soulshock and Karlin 4:39
Disc two of two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Let Me Ride (Rmx)" Dat Nigga Daz 6:01
19."Gin & Juice (Rmx)"
Dat Nigga Daz5:02
20."Daydreaming" Aretha Franklin
  • Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis
  • Kurt "Kobane" Couthon
  • Reggie Lamb
4:53
21."Who Am I (What's My Name?) (Rmx)"
  • Broadus
  • David Spradley
  • Garry Shider
  • Clinton, Jr.
Dat Nigga Daz4:09
22."Nuthin' But a G Thang (Rmx)"
  • DJ Jam
  • Tommy D
4:33
23."I Get Around (Rmx)"Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis4:00
24."Lil' Ghetto Boy (Rmx)"
  • Tony G.
  • Julio G
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" Lewis4:36
28."Pour Out a Little Liquor"
  • Shakur
  • Leon Huff
  • Kenneth Gamble
Johnny "J" 3:28
29."What Would You Do"
Dat Nigga Daz5:08
30."Come Up to My Room"
4:36
31."Come When I Call" DJ Quik 4:55
32."Me in Your World"
  • Arnaud
  • Brown
Dat Nigga Daz3:47
33."Smile for Me Now"4:47
Total length:2:28:01
Sample credits [28]

Personnel

Vocalists

Instrumentalists

Producers

Technical

Additional

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [33] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Death Row Greatest Hits - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  2. "Death Row Greatest Hits – Release Info and Track Listing". AllMusic . Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  3. "Billboard 200 Chart – December 21, 1996". Billboard . Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  4. "American album certifications – Various – Death Row's Greatest Hits". RIAA. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  5. "Billboard Chart – November 30, 1996". Billboard . Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  6. "Classic Non-Album Cuts: 2Pac". Hip Hop Golden Age. December 5, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  7. "Death Row Records to Reissue 'Above the Rim' Soundtrack Featuring Rare 2Pac Track". NME . May 22, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  8. "2Pac – Discography". AllMusic . Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  9. "Death Row Greatest Hits, Volume 2". AllMusic . Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  10. "Dear Mama, original mix (1995)". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  11. "Dear Mama, Death Row Greatest Hits Mix (1996)". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  12. "Let Me Ride (RMX) info and lyrics".
  13. "Michel'le discography". AllMusic .
  14. "I Get Around (RMX) found on the song's single release and Death Row Greatest Hits". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  15. "How Do U Want It single release". AllMusic .
  16. "Tha Dogg Pound discography". AllMusic .
  17. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Death Row Greatest Hits - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  18. "Scarface's "Smile" info". AllMusic .
  19. "The 7 Day Theory album review". November 5, 2018.
  20. "No Vaseline: Info and lyrics".
  21. "Priority Records and UMG".
  22. "List of UMG labels".
  23. "Entertainment Weekly review". Entertainment Weekly .
  24. "Who Been There, Who Done That?: Lyrics and info".
  25. "J-Flexx discography".
  26. "J-Flexx on ghostwriting for Dr. Dre". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  27. "About Ronald "Riskie" Brent".
  28. Knight, Suge (1996). Death Row Greatest Hits (Liner notes). USA: Death Row Records. 0 4992-50677-2 9.
  29. "Various Artists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  30. "Various Artists Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  31. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  32. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  33. "American album certifications – Various – Death Row's Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.