Death Row to live again

One of the most controversial record labels in America has just relocated. CBC.ca reported that the Toronto-based WIDEawake Entertainment Group purchased Death Row Records, the label that brought gangsta rap to the top of the pop charts in the early ‘90s, at an auction last week in Los Angeles for $18 million US. Along with the acquisition of an extensive catalogue that features Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, WIDEawake now lays claim to Death Row’s assets, contracts, unreleased catalogues and artwork.

It’s hard to believe that a company with fewer than 30 employees won out against a group of bidders that reportedly included the Warner Music Group. WIDEawake CEO Lara Lavi said that Death Row will receive a face-lift, “and step away from the tabloid elements of its prior management.”

In other words, don’t expect to see Death Row founder Marion “Suge” Knight invited back anytime soon. In addition to making the West Coast the epicenter of ‘90s hip hop, Knight became known for using threats of violence as a business tactic, and made little attempt to hide his gang connections.

Unlike the perennial push of posthumous Tupac releases, the new Death Row may once again look to new artists for sustenance. Maybe with different owners and fewer intimidation tactics, new artists will stick around a bit longer.

Silver Jews throw in the towel

It looks as though David Berman and his shape-shifting indie rock troop, the Silver Jews, have decided to call it quits. After forming in 1989, Berman, Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich released a half-dozen albums and became one of those bands you just had to brag about listening to. Though they were often seen as a “Pavement side-project” for Malkmus and Nastanovich, the Silver Jews proved Berman an excellent lyricist and eclectic musician.

In a post on the Silver Jews forum, entitled “Silver Jews End - Lead Singer Bids His Well-Wishers Adieu,” Berman announced the following: “I guess I am moving over to another category. Screenwriting or muckraking. I’ve got to move on. Can’t be like all the careerists doncha know.”

Slumdog Millionaire premieres in India

After four Golden Globes and a recently announced 10 Oscar nominations, the critically adored Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, held its Indian premier in Mumbai.

The movie tells the tale of a boy from one of the city’s slums who competes on a TV game show. According to Reuters.com, it has been accused of featuring voyeuristic “poverty porn” by some local groups. Boyle, who also directed Trainspotting, was accused of romanticizing the slums, prostitution and crime as “Indian exotica.” Reuters reported that “around 40 people, including slum children, held a silent protest on Thursday outside the house of one of the film’s stars, Anil Kapoor.”

Shruti Singh, a lawyer representing eastern India’s impoverished Bihar state, has claimed that the film’s name is derogatory and has to be changed. He has already filed a defamation case against a number of people involved in the film.

Published in Volume 63, Number 18 of The Uniter (January 29, 2009)