There are a few pretty obvious reasons to compete on The Voice. The winner receives a $100,000 cash prize and a recording contract with Universal Music Group, and the runners up get a chance to expand their audience week after week on one of the world’s biggest stages, while being mentored by industry professionals.

Those are just the table stakes, but sometimes contestants receive bonus perks from their chosen Coach, some trinket or piece of memorabilia that symbolizes their shared goal (taking the crown) and their time together. In the past, John Legend gave out Team Legend jackets, Chance the Rapper handed out hats, Dan + Shay passed out bespoke baseball jerseys, and Reba McEntire is always tempting performers with tater tots, chicken strips, and other treats.

In season 27, Snoop Dogg has joined the Coaching ranks and he’s handing out what is arguably the coolest artifact in the history of The Voice: Death Row Records chains.

What is the necklace Snoop Dogg is giving to The Voice contestants?

A Death Row Records chain, sporting the logo of the iconic hip-hop record label now owned by Snoop Dogg.

A Brief History of Death Row Records

Death Row Records was founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, The D.O.C., and Dick Griffey. The label was instrumental in defining west coast hip-hop and putting several big names on the map. Early on, the label secured a deal to contribute music to the soundtrack of the 1992 film Deep Cover. The title track was Dr. Dre’s first release after leaving NWA and featured a young Snoop Dogg.

Shortly after, the label released Dre’s first solo album, The Chronic, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, and 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me, albums which remain definitive to this day. By the end of the decade, the label was struggling under the weight of Tupac’s murder, various legal battles, and the departure of its key artists, including Snoop Dogg. Death Row filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and was purchased by WIDEawake Entertainment three years later. It bounced around to several different corporate entities until Snoop purchased the label from MNRK Music Group in 2022.

The same year, Snoop released his third Death Row Records album, 26 years after releasing his second album in 1996. This time, he wasn’t just the label’s darling, he was its owner. A few decades ago, Snoop was given a Death Row chain by Suge Knight, and now 30 years later he’s the one handing them out.