NEW YORK (AP) — Irv Gotti, a music mogul who based Homicide Inc. Information and was behind main hip-hop and R&B artists comparable to Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died. He was 54.
Def Jam Recordings, which was the dad or mum firm of Homicide Inc., introduced Gotti’s loss of life in an announcement late Wednesday evening. It didn’t give a reason for loss of life.
Gotti, whose actual identify is Irving Lorenzo, based Homicide Inc. along with his brother within the late Nineties, with the label gaining worldwide prominence via platinum-selling artists Ashanti and Ja Rule. Gotti had additionally labored with artists DMX, Fats Joe and Jay-Z, amongst different enormous names within the style.
“His creative genius and unwavering dedication to the culture birthed countless hits, defining an era of music that continues to resonate with fans worldwide,” the assertion from Def Jam learn.
The label, which obtained its identify after Gotti watched a documentary on the unique Homicide, Inc. crew of mob hitmen, as soon as got here beneath investigation for allegedly laundering drug cash for a infamous crack kingpin, resulting in felony expenses in opposition to Gotti. He was finally acquitted.
The unhealthy press across the investigation led to Gotti dropping the phrase “Murder” from the title of the label to alter its identify to The Inc.
“All of these big records, and people would still come back and focus on the negative word ‘murder,’” he mentioned when he introduced the change.
Nonetheless, Gotti by no means modified the nickname he shared with the late Gambino household boss John Gotti, which he mentioned was given to him by Jay-Z.
“I ain’t going to alter it,” he mentioned of his identify.
Lyor Cohen, a former Def Jam govt who’s now world head of music at YouTube and Google, mentioned “Def Jam has lost one of it’s most creative soldiers.”
“He was hip hop, and when we were on bended knee he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight, beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv you will be missed,” Cohen mentioned in an announcement.
