Dr. Dre is reportedly headed toward a huge payday.
According to Billboard, the 57-year-old hip-hop mogul is preparing to sell a portion of his music assets for more than $200 million. Sources say the assets generate about $10 million annually, and will be sold in two separate deals; one with Shamrock Holdings and the other with Universal Music Group. The former is said to be looking to buy royalties from a couple of Dre’s solo projects, his share of N.W.A artist royalties, his producer royalties, and the writer’s share of the songs where he doesn’t own publishing; this may include his 1992 debut effort The Chronic, which is published by Sony Music.
Shamrock’s portion of the bundle reportedly comprises 75 to 90 percent of the package’s revenue, while UMG is expected to secure the remaining 10 to 25 percent. Insiders say the latter deal may include some publishing, Dre’s share of Kendrick Lamar releases, and the master recordings of The Chronic, which will likely revert from Death Row Entertainment to Dre sometime in August. However, sources have said Snoop Dogg—who purchased the Death Row imprint in early 2022—may try to convince Dre. to keep the project on the label.
Billboard says the offered assets don’t include Dre’s ownership stake in Aftermath.
The deals were reportedly shopped by Dre’s longtime attorney Peter Paterno. Though the sellers initially sought a total of $250 million, sources told TMZ the collective selling price was still “tens of millions of dollars higher than the $200 million” that Billboard reported.
Dr. Dre, UMG, and Shamrock have yet to publicly comment on the deals.
