This song is about Houston, Texas-based artist Ashton Travis' struggle to succeed (and the consequences of not doing so), particularity in the music industry.

Originally premiered on August 3, 2018, by fellow Houston native Travis Scott on .WAV Radio, his Beats 1 on Apple Music. The song was premiered on the 11th episode of .WAV Radio, where he played ASTROWORLD nearly in its entirety for the first time on the show, just three days after it’s release. Travis thought “Death Row” was so good that he played it two times back to back.

Ashton has already been signed to Cactus Jack Records, Travis Scott’s label. The only confirmation of this is from a tweet from Travis Scott’s DJ and longtime friend Chase B.

The song was officially released on March 8, 2019, on Def Jam’s UNDISPUTED project, along with other cuts by new Def Jam artists. It is currently unclear if “Death Row” was officially released by both Cactus Jack and Def Jam.