Following his tenure as A&R at Def Jam, Gotti founded Murder Inc. with his brother Chris Gotti in 1998 and released Ja Rule’s debut album “Venni Vetti Vecci” the following June. That album became a massive smash for both Ja Rule and Gotti, who executive produced the album and helmed every song on the project.

Irv Gotti, a music executive who founded Murder Inc. Records with his brother and built a hip-hop empire that produced some of the biggest rap and R&B albums of the early 21st century, has died at 54.

Irv Gotti, the music executive, songwriter and producer behind the reign of hip-hop and R&B stars Ja Rule and Ashanti in the early 2000s, has died. Gotti, the music mogul who co-founded Murder Inc. Records, was 54.