Death Row Greatest Hits is a 33-track compilation released by Death Row Records and Interscope Records, and contains singles by artists such as 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. The CD also includes previously unreleased remix tracks. The album was re-released in 2001 and digitally re-mastered.
"Smile For Me Now" appeared in remix form 4 months later on rapper Scarface 's album The Untouchable.
Track listing controversy
Upon initial release, the rear artwork containing the track listing contained only the track titles and not performer names. Former Death Row producer Sam Sneed speculated that this was because most tracks featured Snoop Doggy Dogg and that by adding artist names to the track listing, Snoop's contribution to Death Row's catalogue was glaringly evident. Snoop had recently left Death Row Records, a move that label founder/CEO Suge Knight resented. The re-release distributed by Koch Records added the artist names to the track listing. Furthermore, singles and tracks from Death Row's more recent releases such as Snoop's Tha Doggfather and 2Pac's All Eyez on Me were not included, possibly as a move to counter cannibalisation of sales from the actual releases.
2Pac's Inclusion
Out of the five 2Pac tracks on the compilation, only one was actually recorded under his contract with Death Row Records. The other four releases were singles previously released under Interscope Records prior to his signing with Death Row. The tracks were able to be included as Interscope was formerly Death Row's parent and distribution company.
Diss Tracks Aimed at former Death Row rappers
In an early sign of Death Row's animosity towards former signees Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the release confusingly included s directed towards the rappers: "Fuck Wit Dre Day" was not the original Dr. Dre release, but a cover version performed by Jewell. In addition, "Who Been There Who Done That" was a diss track aimed at Dr. Dre, parodying his "Been There Done That" single from the Aftermath compilation "Dr. Dre Presents...". The absence of artist names within the rear cover track listing meant the potential buyer was unaware of the inclusion of cover versions. The inclusion of Ice Cube's "No Vaseline", an old diss track aimed towards his fellow N.W.A group members that had no association with Death Row releases, was rumored to be a Suge Knight directive.
Chart performance
In 1996, Death Row Greatest Hits peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200.