Christmas on Death Row

The 1996 album Christmas on Death Row has always stood out because it seemed so improbable. Death Row Records made its name on indo-fueled g-funk telling gangsta stories from the 'hoods of Los Angeles, and nothing in that sound or subject matter conjures up warm fuzzies. Digital wise guys writing listicles in the 2000s during the holiday season inevitably slagged it as a bad idea or a cynical one.

According to John Payne and Danny Boy, the story is far more complex, and they suggest that the album is better understood as a sign of what might have been had the label's signature stars and personalities not left Death Row in the months before, whether voluntarily (Dr. Dre), in handcuffs (Suge Knight) or murdered (Tupac Shakur).   

Payne was one of Death Row's founders, and he is currently helping to shepherd the company through its 30th anniversary celebration, which involves reissues, releases of music from the vaults, and the creation of DeathRowExperience.com, a digital, gameified Death Row gallery. 

Danny Boy was a 15-year-old singer from Chicago when he signed with Death Row, and he sang three songs on Christmas on Death Row. During our interview, he was in the process of going through an airport, and the interview gets a little extra sonic texture as a result. 

This episode also includes a favorite from the 2005 Merry Mixmas on Capitol Records--Lou Rawls' version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," remixed by awayTEAM.