Irv Gotti, who founded the record label Murder Inc. and helped shape the sound of hip-hop and R&B in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he shepherded the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti, died on Wednesday at 54.
Here is a brief look at how the rap entrepreneur and record executive worked his way from humble beginnings in Queens, N.Y., to the top of the charts before his momentum was marred by a federal investigation into the label in which he was charged with money laundering and acquitted.
A Childhood in Queens, N.Y.
Gotti was born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. in Queens, N.Y., in 1970. He was the youngest of eight children, according to “The Murder Inc Story,” a documentary about his life that aired on BET in 2022. His family, which he described as one that didn’t have much money but had plenty of love, recalled him as a “clown” who loved performing, dancing and entertaining, sometimes even for small change.
His foray into music began as a preteen, when he played for hours with a turntable and a mixer that his siblings had purchased for him. By the age of 15, he had begun to make a name for himself as a D.J. at local parties.
Meeting Jay-Z and DMX
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gotti’s career was on the rise. He began working as a music producer and talent scout, and was credited with helping launch the careers of Jay-Z and DMX. In the BET documentary, Gotti recalled thinking Jay-Z was a star in the making, and told of meeting DMX in Yonkers, N.Y. “When I heard Jay-Z rhyme, same reaction happened with DMX,” he said. “Every word he said, I believed him.”
Gotti later served as an executive producer of DMX’s confessional debut album, “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” which debuted in 1998 at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Murder Inc.’s Reign
Gotti and his brother Christopher Lorenzo founded Murder Inc., an imprint of Def Jam, in 1998. The name, he said, was inspired by an A&E documentary on gangsters. The label kick-started the careers of the rapper Ja Rule and the R&B singer Ashanti. Together, they formed one of music’s most celebrated duos of the early 2000s and created songs with catchy choruses like “Down 4 U,” “Mesmerize” and “Always on Time.”
“I had a lot confidence in myself and I had a lot confidence in Ja,” Gotti said in an episode of “Uncensored” on TV One. “I thought Ja had the look, I thought Ja was an extremely talented writer, and I just knew the chemistry between me and him was real.”
The record label’s reign on the charts and its influence in the world of hip-hop was undeniable. Ja Rule went on to earn three No. 1 Hot 100 hits, and Gotti was credited as a producer on 28 Hot 100 hits for collaborations with Murder Inc. artists as well as Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Fat Joe and others, according to Billboard.
Legal Battles
The Federal Bureau of Investigations raided Murder Inc.’s offices in New York in 2003. The raid was part of an investigation into whether Gotti’s career had been fueled by drug money. Gotti faced charges of laundering money for Kenneth McGriff, a convicted gang leader known as Supreme.
That same year, amid a campaign to clean up the label’s image, Gotti dropped “Murder” from its name. “Hopefully, everyone will focus on our talent and not on the word of ‘murder,’” Gotti said at a news conference. “People will forget any negative energy and maybe start trying to give us some of the kudos and props I think we deserve.”
Gotti and his brother were acquitted of the criminal charges by a federal jury in 2005. “They took my life from me for three years,” Mr. Gotti said after his acquittal. “But it’s all good. I’m not mad. I love this country. But from Day 1, they had it wrong with me and my brother. I’m no criminal.”
‘Drink Champ’ Interviews and Health Struggles
In a wide-ranging interview on the “Drink Champs” podcast in 2022, Gotti shared a number of revelations about his career. He explained why some of his relationships had soured, including his connection to Dame Dash, the hip-hop entrepreneur and a co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, and his relationship with Ashanti, the R&B singer who was signed to his label.
Gotti said he had tried three times to get Ashanti to participate in his BET documentary, but she refused. She also turned down opportunities to reunite with her Murder Inc. label mates, he said. “Me and Ashanti created and made history,” he said. “But we just — I don’t see eye to eye with her anymore.”
In another appearance on the show in 2023, Gotti spoke openly about living with diabetes. When asked if he had his health under control, Mr. Gotti said no, with a laugh.
Gotti said that he had been living with diabetes since “forever” and that he had struggled to cut out certain foods. “This is why my kids get mad; I be telling them, ‘Yo, I’m going to live,’” he said. “I’m going to enjoy life.”
