Irv Gotti, Murder Inc. Records Founder Who Worked With Ashanti and Ja Rule, Dies at 54
“Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop,” says YouTube’s Lyor Cohen.
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. He was 54.
The cause of death has not been announced, but the music mogul did suffer a number of strokes in recent years and had also battled diabetes-related issues.
Rising to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., 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 and influenced a wave of rap and R&B crossover hits that were inescapable from 2001 to 2004. Among them: several multi-platinum smashes with Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez, including “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny.” With Ashanti, Ja Rule landed another hit with “Always on Time,” and she, as a solo artist, charted with “Foolish,” “Rain on Me” and “Mesmerize.”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/irv-gotti-murder-inc-founder-dies-1236128314/