The New York Times has reported the passing of Irv Gotti, a key figure in the music industry and founder of Murder, Inc., at 54 years old.
Born Irving Lorenzo in Queens back in 1971, he gained the nickname ‘Gotti’ from Jay-Z after helping with Reasonable Doubt. Working at Def Jam’s A&R, he signed DMX and helped produce his first album. He also collaborated as a producer with artists like Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Foxy Brown. Lyor Cohen, who led Def Jam then, celebrated Gotti’s achievements by granting him and his brother Chris their own label.
Murder, Inc.’s journey began with Ja Rule as their star artist. They mixed R&B with rap by pairing him with singers like Christina Milian. In the late ’90s, Ashanti joined them as a songwriter before becoming a featured artist on hits such as “Always on Time” in 2001. Her debut album came out in 2002 and won Gotti a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album for co-producing it. But trouble struck when federal charges hit Murder, Inc., leading to struggles even after they rebranded to The Inc.
Fans sometimes question if fame changes people too much.
There were controversies around Gotti’s ways; Ashanti had to redo her debut album to get back her masters that Gotti held onto for two decades. She described their rumored romance as “manipulation.” Last July, an unnamed woman accused him of sexual assault and rape—allegations he denied.
The news of his death sparked reactions from friends and rivals alike. On Instagram, former rival 50 Cent shared a photo next to a tombstone saying he was “smoking on dat Gotti pack,” but added “God bless him LOL.” Kanye West posted then deleted a dove emoji on Instagram. Def Jam praised how Gotti reshaped hip-hop and R&B sounds while Ja Rule simply expressed love: “Love you… .”
Lyor Cohen remarked that Def Jam lost one of its most inventive figures who embodied hip-hop: “He comes from a very tight beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honour and privilege to have known him.” Irv will surely be missed.
