Michael “Harry-O” Harris, the co-founder of Death Row Records, is getting his story told on the big screen thanks to Snoop Dogg and Denzel Washington.
In the early 90s, Harry-O teamed up with Suge Knight to co-found Death Row Records. The label helped launch the careers of legendary hip-hop artists such as Snoop Dogg himself, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur.
The label churned out numerous multiplatinum albums including, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop’s Doggystyle, and Tupac Shakur’s All Eyez on Me.
Referring to an interview Harry-O did with AllHipHop, RollingOut confirms that Denzel and Snoop are at the helm of production of a biopic and documentary. “I’ve been working on my story for a long time,” Harry-O said, stressing he wanted it to be a “cautionary tale.”
Harry-O said in the interview with AllHipHop, “Denzel’s always been a friend to me, like a brother. It’s not about business, it’s about friendship and faith.”
The union between Harry-O and Denzel is a full circle moment. Harry-O explained to AllHipHop that he financially helped Denzel get his start on Broadway. That opportunity eventually led to his many collaborations with a young producer, Spike Lee. The Washington/Lee collaborations yielded hit movies such as Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man.
According to the outlet, Washington will be directing a biopic while Snoop Dogg will serve as a producer of a more comprehensive documentary.
“We [are] just trying to figure out how we want to deliver it to the world. But that story is coming and I’ve just been blessed,” Harry-O continued. “I thank God for that to have people that feel that my story should be told. And we just trying to figure out should it be a series or which way it’s going to be because we got some pearls to drop.”
In 2021, in a surprise pardon by then-President Donald Trump, Harry-O was granted his freedom after spending 33 years behind bars. While many thought Death Row Records had shut down permanently, Harry-O went right back to work once freed, partnering with Snoop Dogg as the COO of the all-new Death Row Records.