Hasbro, the toy company behind Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, Twister, and Monopoly, now counts Death Row Records among its holdings.
The toymaker wasn’t gunning for the gangsta rap record label associated with Suge Knight, Dr. Dre, Tupac and Snoop Dogg. Instead, it acquired the label by default last week when it purchased British multimedia company Entertainment One (eOne), according to Rolling Stone.
Death Row was founded in 1991 by Suge Knight and Dr. Dre, and produced some of the biggest names in West Coast rap.
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After a series of lawsuits and Knight’s repeated trips to jail, the label filed for bankruptcy in 2006. It has since changed hands several times before Entertainment One snapped up Death Row’s catalog for $280 million back in 2013.
Hasbro announced on August 22 that its all-cash purchase of eOne was valued at $4 billion.
“Hasbro will leverage eOne’s immersive entertainment capabilities to bring our portfolio of brands that have appeal to gamers, fans and families to all screens globally and realize full franchise economics across our blueprint strategy for shareholders,” Brian Goldner, Hasbro chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
“The acquisition of eOne adds beloved story-led global family brands that deliver strong operating returns to Hasbro’s portfolio and provides a pipeline of new brand creation driven by family-oriented storytelling,” Goldner added.
