Murder Was the Case

2025-10-22T05:19:51Z

2001:4958:3155:101:E0A5:C721:49F2:B31E: /* Charts */ added international chart rankings

{{About||the title song|Murder Was the Case (song)|the Gucci Mane album|Murder Was the Case (Gucci Mane album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Murder Was the Case
| type = soundtrack
| artist = various artists
| cover = Snoop Dogg - Murder Was the Case.jpg
| alt =
| released = October 18, 1994
| recorded = 1994
| studio = Can-Am Studios ([[Tarzana, Los Angeles]])
| genre =
*[[West Coast hip-hop]]
*[[gangsta rap]]
*[[g-funk]]
*[[hardcore hip-hop]]
*[[horrorcore]]
*[[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]
| length = 68:30
| label = {{hlist|[[Death Row Records|Death Row]]|[[Interscope Records|Interscope]]|[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]}}
| producer = {{hlist|[[Suge Knight]] ([[Executive producer|exec.]])|[[Dr. Dre]] ([[Executive producer|exec.]])|[[Dat Nigga Daz]]|[[Soopafly]]|[[DJ Quik]]|[[DeVante Swing]]|[[Sam Sneed]]|[[Young Soldierz|Big Wy]]|George "G-One" Archie|Kevin Lewis|[[Young Soldierz|Lil' Stretch]]|Marc McWilliams|San Man}}
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = [[Death Row Records]]
| type = soundtrack
| prev_title = [[Above the Rim (soundtrack)|Above the Rim]]
| prev_year = 1994
| title = Murder Was the Case
| year = 1994
| next_title = [[Death Row Greatest Hits]]
| next_year = 1996
}}
{{Singles
| name = Murder Was the Case
| type = soundtrack
| single1 = [[Murder Was the Case (song)|Murder Was the Case]]
| single1date= October 15, 1994
| single2 = [[U Better Recognize]]
| single2date = October 15, 1994
| single3 = One More Day" / "[[What Would You Do? (Tha Dogg Pound song)|What Would You Do?]]
| single3date = 1994
| single4 = [[Natural Born Killaz]]
| single4date = December 10, 1994
| single5 = Woman to Woman
| single5date = December 18, 1994<ref>{{cite web|author=Chuck Philips|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-03-ca-58255-story.html|title=Snoop Doggy Dogg's Still Tops With Album Buyers : Pop music: His 'Murder Was the Case,' the soundtrack to a short film that premieres tonight, remains atop the charts.|date=November 3, 1994|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=November 24, 2019}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Murder Was the Case''''' is a 1994 short film and [[soundtrack]] album starring and performed by [[Snoop Dogg|Snoop Doggy Dogg]]. The 18 minute film was directed by [[Dr. Dre]] and [[Fab Five Freddy]] and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection after making a [[deal with the Devil]]. The film's title comes from Snoop's song of the same name from his debut album, ''[[Doggystyle]]'', which had been released a year earlier.

The single "[[What Would You Do? (Tha Dogg Pound song)|What Would You Do?]]" by Tha Dogg Pound was included on the [[Natural Born Killers (soundtrack)|''Natural Born Killers'' soundtrack]] and was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group]] in the [[Grammy Awards of 1996|38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996]]. The album was re-released with a bonus DVD containing three music videos on July 11, 2006.

[[Tupac Shakur]] was paid $200,000 by Death Row Records owner [[Suge Knight]] to record a song for the album, but the track ("Life's So Hard" featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) was never used on the official soundtrack release; it was later released on the soundtrack for his posthumously released film, ''[[Gang Related]]''.

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r206681|pure_url=yes}}</ref>
}}
*''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (12/29/94-1/12/95, p. 178) - "...[It] isn't the trailblazer that Dre's ''The Chronic'' was last year. But it is rap very nearly as strong. Featuring West Coast stalwarts...and new discoveries..., Dre and Dat Nigga Daz present gangsta- and R&B-infected fare that slams..."
*''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' (11/11/94, p. 76) - "...confirms...Dr. Dre as the new king of pop. In addition to the ominous remix of Snoop's title song, Dre reunites with Ice Cube...Dre's G-funk sound may be the hardest in the land, but it's also the most gut-wrenchingly soulful..." - Rating: A
*[[Q magazine|''Q'' magazine]] (1/95, p. 258) - 3 Stars - Good - "...While most ears will be tuned to the bile'n'beats of "Natural Born Killaz"...the best track here is from Snoop's young protege, Nate Dogg....One of West Coast rap's more imaginative albums."
*''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]'' (1/95, p. 85) - 4 Stars - Slammin' - "...while Jodeci duets with Tha Dogg Pound and an all-star cast to try their hand at the G-Funk sound, Dre begins plotting his next move...heavy-metal bass meets chunky keyboards..."
*''[[NME]]'' (12/24/94, p. 23) - Ranked #8 in NME's list of the 10 best compilation albums of 1994.
*''[[NME]]'' (10/15/94, p. 53) - 7 - Very Good - "...anyone expecting this to signal Dre's decline is kidding themselves. ''Murder Was the Case'' shows the old dogg has plenty of new tricks..."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7215659|title = Murder Was the Case Soundtrack CD Album}}</ref>

== Commercial performance ==
In the United States, on the chart dated November 5, 1994, ''Murder Was the Case'' debuted on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] at number one, powered by first week sales 329,000 units. The album opened at the top spot of the [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]] chart.

The following week it stayed on top with 197,000 copies sold and was certified Gold. The album was certified platinum on December 6, 1994 and it was certified 2× platinum with 2,030,000 copies sold on April 5, 1995.

== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
| all_writing =
| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = [[Murder Was the Case (song)|Murder Was the Case]] (remix)
| note1 = [[Snoop Doggy Dogg]]
| writer1 = [[Snoop Dogg|C. Broadus]]
| extra1 = [[Dr. Dre]]
| length1 = 4:20

| title2 = [[Natural Born Killaz]]
| note2 = [[Dr. Dre]] & [[Ice Cube]]
| writer2 = {{hlist|[[J-Flexx|J. Anderson]]|[[Ice Cube|O. Jackson]]}}
| extra2 = {{hlist|Dr. Dre|[[Sam Sneed]] (co.)}}
| length2 = 4:51

| title3 = [[What Would You Do? (Tha Dogg Pound song)|What Would U Do?]]
| note3 = [[Tha Dogg Pound]] featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
| writer3 = {{hlist|C. Broadus|D. Arnaud|[[Kurupt|R. Brown]]|[[Jewell (singer)|J. Caples]]}}
| extra3 = [[Dat Nigga Daz]]
| length3 = 5:08

| title4 = 21 Jumpstreet
| note4 = Snoop Doggy Dogg & [[Tray Deee]]
| writer4 = {{hlist|C. Broadus|[[Big Tray Deee|T. Davis]]}}
| extra4 = Dat Nigga Daz
| length4 = 5:26

| title5 = One More Day
| note5 = [[Nate Dogg]]
| writer5 = [[Nate Dogg|N. Hale]]
| extra5 = Dat Nigga Daz
| length5 = 5:18

| title6 = [[Harvest for the World (song)|Harvest for the World]]
| note6 = [[Jewell (singer)|Jewell]]
| writer6 = {{hlist|[[Ernie Isley|E. Isley]]|[[Marvin Isley|M. Isley]]|[[O'Kelly Isley Jr.|K. Isley]]|[[Ronald Isley|R. Isley]]|[[Rudolph Isley|R. Isley]]|[[Chris Jasper|C. Jasper]]}}
| extra6 = Dr. Dre
| length6 = 3:52

| title7 = Who Got Some Gangsta Shit?
| note7 = Snoop Doggy Dogg featuring Tha Dogg Pound, [[Lil' C-Style|Lil' Style]], and Young Swoop
| writer7 = {{hlist|C. Broadus|D. Arnaud|R. Brown|[[Lil' C-Style|R. Gillion]]}}
| extra7 = [[Soopafly]]
| length7 = 5:28

| title8 = Come When I Call
| note8 = [[Danny Boy (singer)|Danny Boy]]
| writer8 = [[DJ Quik|D. Blake]]
| extra8 = {{hlist|[[DJ Quik]]|George "G-One" Archie}}
| length8 = 4:55

| title9 = [[U Better Recognize]]
| note9 = [[Sam Sneed]] featuring Dr. Dre
| writer9 = [[Sam Sneed]]
| extra9 = Sam Sneed
| length9 = 3:54

| title10 = Come Up to My Room
| note10 = [[Jodeci]] featuring Tha Dogg Pound
| writer10 = {{hlist|D. Arnaud|R. Brown|[[K-Ci & JoJo|C. Hailey]]|[[K-Ci & JoJo|J. Hailey]]|[[DeVante Swing|D. DeGrate]]|[[Dalvin DeGrate|D. DeGrate]]}}
| extra10 = {{hlist|Dat Nigga Daz|[[DeVante Swing]] (co.)}}
| length10 = 4:37

| title11 = Woman to Woman
| note11 = Jewell
| writer11 = {{hlist|J. Banks|C. Marion|K. Thigpen}}
| extra11 = {{hlist|DJ Quik|George "G-One" Archie|[[Jewell (singer)|Jewell]]}}
| length11 = 5:18

| title12 = Dollaz + Sense
| note12 = [[DJ Quik]]
| writer12 = {{hlist|D. Blake|G. Archie}}
| extra12 = DJ Quik
| length12 = 5:53

| title13 = The Eulogy
| note13 = [[Slip Capone]] & [[CPO Boss Hogg|CPO]]
| writer13 = {{hlist|[[CPO Boss Hogg|V. Edwards]]|[[Slip Capone|Christen Kelley]]}}
| extra13 = San Man
| length13 = 4:48

| title14 = Horny
| note14 = B-Rezell
| writer14 = {{hlist|M. McWilliams|[[Tyrone Wrice|T. Wrice]]}}
| extra14 = {{hlist|Kevin Lewis|Marc McWilliams}}
| length14 = 4:41

| title15 = Eastside-Westside
| note15 = [[Young Soldierz]]
| writer15 = {{hlist|W. Dillon|S. Doby}}
| extra15 = {{hlist|[[Young Soldierz|Big Wy]]|[[Young Soldierz|Lil' Stretch]]}}
| length15 = 4:45
| total_length = 1:13:14
}}
{{Track listing
| all_writing =
| headline = Cassette release exclusive
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title16 = Hot Ones
| note16 = [[O.F.T.B.]]
| writer16 = {{hlist|Flipside|Low M. B.|Bus Stop}}
| extra16 = {{hlist|Brian G}}
| length16 = 4:46
| total_length = 1:18:00
}}

== Samples ==
"'''21 Jumpstreet'''"
* "Nobody Can Be You (But You)" by [[Steve Arrington]]

"'''Who Got Some Gangsta Shit?'''"
* "[[P.S.K. (What Does It Mean?)]]" by [[Schoolly D]]
* "[[6 in the Mornin']]" by [[Ice-T]]

"'''Come When I Call'''"
* "Let Me Love You" by [[Michael Henderson]]

"'''Woman to Woman'''"
* "Woman to Woman" by [[Shirley Brown]]

"'''Dollaz & Sense'''"
* "I Like (What You're Doing to Me)" by Young & Company

'"'''Eastside-Westside'''"
* "Dazz" by [[Brick (band)|Brick]]

==Personnel==
*Executive Producer: Suge Knight
*Soundtrack director: Dr. Dre
*Overseer: Dat Nigga Daz
*Recorded at Can-Am Studios
*Mixed at Dr. Dre's Crib
*Death Row Engineers: Kesden Wright, Tommy D. Daugherty & Danny Alonso
*Photographers: Yoko Sato, Simone Green
*Background Vocals: Nanci Fletcher, Barbara Wilson, Danette Williams

==Cover versions==
*[[Jeremy Messersmith]] with Andy Thompson performed a cover of "Murder Was the Case" at The Cake Shop in Minneapolis, MN for a 'Murder and Death' concept show on 1/10/2010.
*[[South Park Mexican]]'s song "Woodson N' Worthin" is a cover of "Murder Was the Case".
* Don Vito and Mad DPS covered the song on the 2008 compilation album ''The Triple-Six Mixtape''.

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (1994–1995)
! scope="col" | Peak position
|-
! scope="row" {{album chart|Canada|27|chartid=2654|rowheader=true|access-date=October 22, 2025}}
|-
! scope="row" {{album chart|Germany|62|id=19012|artist=Soundtrack|album=Murder was the Case|access-date=October 22, 2025}}
|-
! scope="row" {{album chart|Sweden|26|artist=Soundtrack|album=Murder was the Case|access-date=October 22, 2025}}
|-
! scope="row" {{album chart|UKComp|22|date=19941106|access-date=October 22, 2025}}
|-
! scope="row" {{album chart|Billboard200|1|artist=Soundtrack}}
|-
! scope="row" {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Soundtrack}}
|}
{{Col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>
| 79
|-
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>
| 14
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1995)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1995/the-billboard-200|title=Billboard 200 albums year end 1994|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
| 58
|-
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1995/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>
| 14
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Murder Was The Case - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|artist=Various artists|type=album|relyear=1994|certyear=1995|award=Gold}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1994|certyear=1995|artist=Soundtrack|type=album|title=Murder Was the Case}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

== See also ==
* [[List of number-one albums of 1994 (U.S.)]]
* [[List of number-one R&B albums of 1994 (U.S.)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{IMDb title|0166278}}

{{Snoop Dogg}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murder Was The Case}}
[[Category:1994 soundtrack albums]]
[[Category:Film soundtracks]]
[[Category:Horrorcore albums]]
[[Category:Snoop Dogg albums]]
[[Category:Hip-hop soundtracks]]
[[Category:Gangsta rap soundtracks]]
[[Category:Albums produced by G-One]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Dr. Dre]]
[[Category:Albums produced by DJ Quik]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Soopafly]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Sam Sneed]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Daz Dillinger]]
[[Category:Death Row Records soundtracks]]
[[Category:West Coast hip-hop soundtracks]]

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Murder Was the Case