Happy 30th Anniversary to the Murder Was The Case Soundtrack, originally released October 18, 1994.
Murder Was The Case is a laughably bad film. Released 30 years ago straight to video, the 18-minute short stars Calvin “Snoop Doggy Dogg” Broadus and Charlie Murphy, and was directed by Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Fab 5 Freddy. It’s filled with outlandishly ridiculous violence, punctuated by some of the dumbest shoot-outs ever committed to film. Its only redeeming quality is the extended opening tracking shot, and even that isn’t exactly the first three minutes of Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. It’s essentially an extended music video for a remix of the song of the same name by Snoop Dogg, from his wildly successful Doggystyle (1993) debut. There was talk that the short was originally intended to be shown in front of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, but Warner Bros balked. If those rumors are true, then the studio 100% made the correct decision.
However, the accompanying Murder Was The Case soundtrack is one of the best of all time. It may be inherently ridiculous that it’s nearly four times the length of the short film, but regardless, it’s an outstanding album. Released 30 years ago, Murder Was The Case works best as a proof of concept for what Dr. Dre and Suge Knight envisioned as the direction of Death Row. It was a highly successful endeavor, as the album was certified double platinum and spawned a gold single.
Murder Was The Case was the second soundtrack released by the label in 1994. The first, Above The Rim, is also widely considered one of the best soundtracks of all time. Though Above The Rim featured some extremely dope entries from members of the Death Row roster, it features a lot of popular outside talent. It shared more in common with the compilation style soundtrack for “urban” films that were all the rage throughout the 1990s. Murder Was The Case served a greater purpose overall, as it showcased the artists that built the label in its earliest stages, featured established artists that they hoped to sign to their roster, and gave previews for new talent Knight and Dre hoped to be the future of the imprint.
Murder Was The Case is arguably best known for “Natural Born Killaz,” a certified gold team-up between Dr. Dre and his former N.W.A cohort Ice Cube. The track is a chaotic and frenzied dedication to deadly proclivities of the pair, who assume the role of serial killers/mass murderers. The track features wailing and belligerent synthesizers, punctuated by the sound of water drops. Ice Cube is at his confrontational best, delivering his lyrics like an unhinged force of nature. “So, fuck Charlie Manson!” he bellows. “I’ll snatch him out of his truck, hit him with a brick, and I'm dancin’.” The song was intended to be the starting point for a joint album for Dre and Cube, to be titled Helter Skelter.
Tha Dogg Pound’s “What Would U Do?” is another of the soundtrack’s best entries. It originally appeared as the bonus track on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, and was nominated for a GRAMMY. It’s also one of the best tracks that the duo ever recorded, featuring outstanding lyricism from both Kurupt and Daz, coupled with haunting and atmospheric production from the latter. The pair trade verses over a pulsing bassline and layers of keys and guitars, proclaiming their skills and through shots at the Ruthless Records camp. As was often the case during this era, Kurupt moves with confident precision, rapping, “Like a hollow point headed for your dome / Take a couple of steps, turn around and it's on / Couldn't withstand the murderous mental / I subdue and then take two to your temple.”
The soundtrack is also notable for featuring the first solo track by Nate Dogg. The rapper/singer had lent his distinctive style to both The Chronic (1992) and Doggystyle, and was seemingly on the fast track to become the next of the label’s breakout stars. He continues to fulfill his potential on “One More Day.” He reflects on the death of a friend during an attempted robbery, and how he could easily be the one who ended up deceased. He also takes the perspective of his father, fearing that his own criminal history has adversely impacted the life of his son. It’s a powerful dedication to how residents in some urban areas live their lives on a knife’s edge.
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Another highlight is “U Better Recognize,” the debut track from Sam Sneed. Sneed had worked as a producer for a while, affiliated with the Hit Squad and handling production for K-Solo’s second album (he received co-production credit for “Natural Born Killaz”). With this song, he looked to be the best pure lyricist working with Death Row not named Kurupt. He flows aggressively over the self-produced track, recounting his extensive efforts paying dues, while now finding himself on the precipice of breaking through. “Fuck what you heard, recognize what you be seeing,” he raps. “This down-to-earth, true-to-the-game human being.”
The soundtrack also features some up-and-coming rappers under the Snoop Dogg/Dogg Pound umbrella. Snoop Dogg and Tray Dee team up on “21 Jump Street,” a Daz-produced entry. The pair flow smooth to the breezy track, which also had the making of a great summertime anthem. “Who Got Some Gangsta Shit?” is one of the most under-appreciated posse cuts of the era, featuring the vocal talents of Snoop, Kurupt & Daz, Swoop G, and Lil’ C Style. The song pays tribute to the earliest days of gangsta rap, with the emcees frequently referencing Ice-T’s “6 N the Morning,” and Daz hooking up a drum track reminiscent of Schoolly-D’s “P.S.K. What Does It Mean?”
DJ Quik furthered his connection to Knight and Death Row Records by contributing the song “Dollaz + Sense.” Quik had been friends with Knight for years, signed to his indie label Funky Enough Records before finding a home on Profile. During the mid-1990s, he began exploring the possibility of putting out an album through Death Row.
Here Quik continues his feud with Compton’s Most Wanted’s MC Eiht on “Dollaz + Sense.” It’s one of the most vicious dis tracks in hip-hop history. Considering both emcees prior gang affiliations, Quik frames the song as him doing “real bangin’ on wax.” He gets pretty personal while laying into Eiht, mocking him for not being a real gangster. He then drops one of the most memorable disses in history, proclaiming, “Giving your set a bad name with your misspelled name / E-I-H-T, now should I continue? / Yeah, you left out the G ‘cause the G ain't in you.”
The soundtrack also signified Death Row’s first concerted foray into the realm of R&B. Gangsta rap may have been the label’s forte, but Knight and Dre were aware that there was money to be made expanding into other genres. The imprint already had established ties to Jodeci, a group that had the roughest edges of any R&B act releasing music in the mainstream at the time. Through their attitude and provocative content, Jodeci were essentially the N.W.A of the R&B world, and Knight had been courting the group in the hopes of signing them to the label. The crew display their trademark attitude on “Come Up To My Room” here, accompanied by both members of Tha Dogg Pound. It certainly matches the innuendo-laden vibe of the music that the group were releasing at the time.
The song features a pair of recordings from Jewell. The songstress had been with the label since its inception; by her own account, she was the one who came up with the idea to name the imprint Death Row. Her first track, “Harvest For The World,” is a mostly straightforward ballad; despite what the title suggests, it is not a cover of the Isley Brothers song of the same name. “Woman To Woman,” however, is a cover of the Shirley Brown song of the same name, and seems more within the Death Row wheelhouse. Over the phone, Jewell confronts her man’s sidepiece, asserting “Why should I just step aside and let you have what’s rightfully mine?’ And declaring “I ain’t gonna let nothing break up this happy home.”
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Murder Was The Case also features the first of Danny Boy, the label and Knight’s first attempt to develop a soul artist from the ground up. The then 16-year-old appears here with “Come When I Call,” a memorable debut. Produced by DJ Quik, musically it’s a slow, almost Barry White-influenced dirge. It’s also about as sexually explicit as is possible without featuring any actual cursing.
The soundtrack concludes by showcasing some of the label’s lesser-known talent, and tails off a bit in the process. “The Eulogy,” featuring Clip Capone and CPO Boss Hog, is pretty strong, bathing in its eerie atmosphere and solid storytelling. However, Young Soldierz’ “Eastside-Westside” is pretty generic and features over half a dozen fairly indistinguishable rappers. Meanwhile, B-Rezell’s “Horny” plays like an inferior version of “Come When I Call.”
Much of the vision of Death Row’s future that Murder Was The Case presented went unrealized. The Helter Skelter album never happened. Jodeci never signed with the label. Sam Sneed fell out with Knight a few years later, possibly over his affiliation with rappers from New York during the pointless East Coast/West Coast beef; his Street Scholars album was shelved. Nate Dogg’s own solo album was shelved, only to be released as disc 1 of his G-Funk Classics: Vol. 1 & 2 through Breakaway Records in 1998. Albums recorded by DJ Quik, Danny Boy, and Jewell for the label were all vaulted; Danny Boy’s project for the imprint finally saw the light of day in 2010. Tray Dee found success years later as a member of the Snoop-affiliated Eastsidaz. Swoop G enjoyed moderate success on the independent scene; he and Lil C Style later appeared on “Fuck Dre,” a song title that speaks for itself.
Death Row’s history is also famously marred by all sorts of controversies and tragedies. There have been entire books and documentaries made about its operation and subsequent collapse, but it’s still somewhat startling how things fell apart. Knight’s legal issues are well-documented; he’s currently incarcerated for involuntary manslaughter and not eligible for parole until 2034. Nate Dogg, Jewell, CPO Boss Hogg, and Slip Capone are all deceased. The label went bankrupt in 2008, and its catalogue/intellectual property has been sold numerous times since. Snoop Dogg currently owns the imprint.
I have no idea if Death Row’s grand plans were sustainable even under the best of circumstances. But their ambitions and dominating presence for that brief window of time is the reason why their name still rings out today, and why their catalogue maintains its value. For that precious moment in time, they looked unstoppable, backed by a roster of unspeakable talent. Thirty years later, Murder Was the Case stands as a great monument to what could have been.
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