NEW YORK (AP) — Irv Gotti, the boisterous, smiley music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists, has died. He was 54.

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.

- February 6, 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — Irv Gotti, a music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists such as Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died. He was 54.

Irv Gotti, who helped shape some of the biggest hip-hop careers of the 2000s, has died at 54. He is credited on tracks by Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Kanye West, DMX, Jennifer Lopez and other giants of the genre.