Death Row Greatest Hits

Death Row Records

Company type	Record label
Industry	Music
Founded	1991
Founder	Suge Knight, Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., Dick Griffey
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Suge Knight (CEO)
Products	Music albums, singles
Owner	Suge Knight (executive producer of this album)
Parent	Interscope Records (at the time of this album)
Website	www.deathrowrecords.com

Death Row Greatest Hits marks the inaugural greatest hits collection and second double album issued by Death Row Records in partnership with Interscope Records, with distribution handled by Priority Records. Launched on November 26, 1996, this 33-track anthology showcases popular singles, unreleased materials, and remixes from both past and present artists affiliated with Death Row. The compilation attained a peak position of number 35 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as of August 12, 1999.

2Pac's participation

To prevent overlapping sales with other significant Death Row releases of 1996, no selections from 2Pac's albums All Eyez on Me, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, or Snoop Dogg's Tha Doggfather were incorporated into this compilation. Among the seven 2Pac tracks included, only two—"Hit 'Em Up" and "Smile for Me Now"—were recorded during his tenure at Death Row and were absent from his studio album catalog.

Of the remaining five tracks, four had been previously released through Interscope Records prior to 2Pac’s affiliation with Death Row. The last track, "Pour Out a Little Liquor," was laid down before his contract with Death Row but initially appeared on the 1994 soundtrack Above the Rim. These non-Death Row recordings were featured because Interscope served as both the parent company and distributor for Death Row at that time.

In 2003, songs from the earlier excluded 1996 albums were incorporated into the sequel compilation, Death Row Greatest Hits, Volume 2.

Exclusive and rare tracks

• The version of "Dear Mama" on disc one is a unique mix differing from that on Me Against the World, although it is not explicitly labeled as a remix.

Disc two predominantly contains remixes alongside previously unreleased tracks, such as:

• "Let Me Ride (RMX)" – A remix featuring production and an additional verse by Daz Dillinger, which was not present in the original track.
• "Daydreaming" – A fresh contribution by Michel'le, covering Aretha Franklin’s 1972 classic.
• "I Get Around (RMX)" – A jazz-infused remix augmented with an extra verse from 2Pac.
• "Hit 'Em Up" – The notorious diss track by 2Pac, previously available only as the B-side to "How Do U Want It".
• "Who Been There, Who Done That?" – A satirical piece by J-Flexx, mocking Dr. Dre’s "Been There, Done That".
• "Me in Your World" – An original track by Tha Dogg Pound, with a live rendition later included on Tupac: Live at the House of Blues.
• "Smile For Me Now" – A collaboration between 2Pac and Scarface that was subsequently remixed and reissued under the single title "Smile".

Diss tracks targeting Dr. Dre

Building upon the hostility expressed in Makaveli’s The 7 Day Theory, this compilation includes diss tracks directed at former Death Row co-founder Dr. Dre on each disc.

• "No Vaseline" by Ice Cube – Originally released in 1991 as a diss aimed at Dr. Dre and other members of N.W.A. Although unrelated to Death Row, its presence here was facilitated through distribution links: Priority Records (the initial distributor) and Interscope Records (the compilation’s distributor) both operate under the umbrella of Universal Music Group.
• "Who Been There, Who Done That?" by J-Flexx – An exclusive parody diss targeting Dre’s post-Death Row single "Been There, Done That", which J-Flexx ghostwrote. This track accuses Dre of appropriating songwriting and production credits while claiming all royalties. It was issued as a single accompanied by a music video.

It is widely believed that Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row and executive producer of this album, played a significant role in fostering the antagonism toward Dr. Dre evident throughout this collection.

Artwork

California-based artist Ronald "Riskie" Brent, known for his frequent collaborations with Death Row Records, designed both the album cover and the artwork inside the disc tray. His portfolio includes iconic covers for major Death Row projects such as All Eyez on Me, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, Tha Doggfather, Christmas on Death Row, and Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back.

Track listing

{{Track listing

headline= Disc two of two 
all_writing=
extra_column= Producer(s) 
title18=Let Me Ride (Remix) 
writer18= 
extra18=Daz Dillinger 
length18=6:01 
title19=Gin & Juice (Remix) 
writer19= 
extra19=Dat Nigga Daz 
length19=5:02 
title20=Day Dreaming (Aretha Franklin song) 
writer20=Aretha Franklin 
extra20= 
length20=4:53 
title21=Who Am I (What's My Name?) (Remix) 
writer21= 
extra21=Dat Nigga Daz 
length21=4:09 
title22=Nuthin' But a G Thang (Remix) 
writer22= 
extra22= 
length22=4:33 
title23=I Get Around (Tupac Shakur song) (Remix) 
writer23= 
extra23=Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis 
length23=4:00 
title24=Lil' Ghetto Boy (Remix) 
writer24= 
extra24= 
length24=4:52 
title25=Hit 'Em Up 
writer25= 
extra25=
length25=5:10 
title26=Who Been There, Who Done That? 
writer26= 
extra26= 
length26=4:29 
title27=Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') (Remix) 
writer27= 
extra27=Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis 
length27=4:36 
title28=Pour Out a Little Liquor 
writer28= 
extra28=Johnny "J" 
length28=3:28 
title29=What Would You Do? (Tha Dogg Pound song) 
writer29= 
extra29=Dat Nigga Daz 
length29=5:08 
title30=Come Up to My Room 
writer30= 
extra30={{hlist Dat Nigga Daz DeVante Swing () }}  
length30=4:36  
title31=Come When I Call  
writer31=  
extra31=DJ Quik  
length31=4:55  
title32=Me in Your World  
writer32=  
extra32=Dat Nigga Daz  
length32=3:47  
title33=Smile (Scarface song)  
writer33=  
extra33=
length33=4:47  
total_length=2:28:01  

}}

Sample credits

• The first track incorporates elements from "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" by Leon Haywood, along with interpolations from Frederick Knight's "Uphill Peace of Mind"
• Track two features samples of "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae and interpolations from Slave's "Watching You"
• The third track contains a sample of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Love That Will Not Die"
• Track five includes an interpolation of "Atomic Dog," written by George Clinton, Garry Shider, and David Spradley
• The sixth track interpolates "Funk You Up," originally by The Sequence and Sylvia Robinson
• Track seven samples "Dazz" performed by Brick
• Track eight features an interpolation of Richard "Dimples" Fields' "If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another"
• Track nine samples Roger Troutman's "Be Alright" and also interpolates Stan Vincent's "O-o-h Child"
• The eleventh track incorporates a sample from Donny Hathaway's "Little Getto Boy"
• Track thirteen interpolates both Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh's "La Di Da Di" and Rokusuke Ei & Hachidai Nakamura's "Sukiyaki"
• The fourteenth track samples B.T. Express' "If It Don't Turn You On" and Isaac Hayes' "Do Your Thang"
• Track sixteen contains a sample from Joe Sample's "In My Wildest Dreams," along with an interpolation of Jefferson, Hawes & Simmons' "Sadie (The Spinners song)"
• Track seventeen includes samples from Minnie Riperton's "Inside My Love" and Isaac Hayes' version of "Walk On By"
• The twenty-third track samples Zapp's "Computer Love"
• Track twenty-five interpolates the song "Don't Look Any Further," written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert, and Duane Hitchings
• The twenty-sixth track samples Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots"
• Track twenty-eight contains a sample from The O'Jays' "Cry Together"
• The thirty-first track incorporates a sample of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Let Me Love You"

Personnel

Vocal Performers

• Andre "Dr. Dre" Young – featured artist (tracks: 1, 4, 6, 11, 14, 18, 22, 24)
• Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus – featured artist (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 12-15, 19, 21, 29)
• Robin "The Lady of Rage" Allen – featured artist (tracks: 3, 14)
• O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson – featured artist (tracks: 4, 7)
• Delmar "Daz Dillinger" Arnaud – featured artist (tracks: 8, 10, 19, 21, 29, 30, 32)
• Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown – featured artist (tracks: 8, 12, 14, 29, 30)
• Tupac Shakur – featured artist (tracks: 9, 16, 17, 23, 25, 28, 33)
• Nathaniel "Nate Dogg" Hale – featured artist (track 12)
• Warren Griffin – featured artist (track 12)
• Jewell Caples – featured artist (tracks: 18, 27, 29)
• Michel'le – featured artist (track 20)
• Digital Underground – featured artists (track 23)
• Jodeci – featured artists (track 30)
• "Danny Boy" Stewart – featured artist (track 31)
• Brad "Scarface" Jordan – featured artist (track 33)

Musicians

• Priest "Soopafly" Brooks – keyboards (tracks: 4,18,19,21,29,30)
• Fernando Harkless – horns and flute (tracks:18,20,27; flute on track20)
• Cornelius "Corny" Mims – bass guitar (tracks:20,23,27)
• Kevyn "Cavi" Lewis – keyboards and horns production (tracks:18,20,23,27)
• Ricardo Rouse – guitar (tracks:22,23,27)
• Derek Organ – drums (tracks:23,27)
• Cassandra O'Neal – keyboards (tracks:23,27)

Production Team

• Dr. Dre – producer (tracks:1-6,8,10-15)
• Daz Dillinger – producer (tracks:3,18,19,21,29-30,32)
• "D.J. Daryl" Anderson – producer (track9)
• Tony Pizarro – producer and engineer (track16)
• Carsten "Soulshock" Schack & Kenneth Karlin – producers (track17)
• Kevyn Lewis – producer (tracks:20,23,27); horns production (track18)
• Kurt "Kobane" Couthon & Reggie Lamb – producers (track20)
• DJ Jam & Tommy D. Daugherty – producers (track22)
• Antonio "Tony G" Gonzalez & Julio Gonzalez – producers (track24)
• Barney Rubble & J-Flexx – producers (track26)
• Johnny "J" Lee Jackson – producer (track28)
• David "DJ Quik" Blake – producer (track31)
• Damon Thomas & 2Pac – producers (track33)
• Samuel "Sam Sneed" Anderson – co-producer (tracks4,6)
• Moses & Terrence "DF Master Tee" Thomas – co-producers (track16)
• Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate – co-producer (track30)
• Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. – executive producer

Technical Staff

• Dr. Dre & Dave Aron – mixing and engineering on primary tracks
• Tony Pizarro & Soulshock – engineering and mix engineering
• Paul Arnold & Jay Lean – mix engineering
• Lance Pierre & Patrick Shevelin – engineering
• Norman Anthony Whitfield Jr. – mixing (track28)
• Dalvin "Mr. Dalvin" DeGrate & Reggie Lamb – vocal arrangement
• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering

Additional Contributions

• Suge Knight – liner notes and project oversight
• George Pryce & Kim Holt – art direction and graphic design
• Ronald "Riskie" Brent & T.J. Johnson – cover and booklet illustrations
• Edge Films & Ken Nahoum – photography
• Roy Tesfay – project coordination

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (1996)	Highest ranking

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Year-end position
US Billboard 200	116
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	65