Irv Gotti, a noted record executive, music producer, and entrepreneur best known as the founder of Murder Inc. Records, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The cause of death is as yet unknown.
Rising to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gotti played a key role in hip-hop and R&B records of the time, working with artists like Ja Rule, Ashanti, and DMX, each of whom saw massive commercial success. His signature production style blended hip-hop beats with melodic hooks, influencing a wave of rap and R&B crossover hits. Among them: the multi-platinum “Always On Time” by Ja Rule featuring Jennifer Lopez, and Ashanti’s “Foolish.”
Before launching Murder Inc., Gotti worked as an A&R at Def Jam, where he helped bring DMX, Jay-Z, and Ja Rule to the label, which was considered one of the most successful imprints of Universal Music. Under the moniker DJ Irv, he produced the song “Can I Live” from Jay-Z’s 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt. Later called The Inc., Vanessa Carlton signed with the label and Gotti co-produced her 2007 album, Heroes and Thieves, with Rick Rubin and Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins.
Gotti’s career faced setbacks in the mid-2000s due to an FBI investigation into alleged ties with drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Though ultimately acquitted, the case damaged Murder Inc.’s reputation. In recent years, Gotti had reinvented himself, expanding into television with the creation of BET’s Tales, an anthology series blending hip-hop and storytelling.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
