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Irv Gotti Dead: Murder Inc. Founder Who Worked With Ashanti Was 54

“Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop,” says YouTube’s Lyor Cohen.

Rising to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., played a key role in hip-hop and R&B records of the time, working with artists like Ja Rule, Ashanti and DMX, each of whom saw massive commercial success. Later called The Inc., Vanessa Carlton signed with the label and Gotti co-produced her 2007 album, Heroes and Thieves, with Rick Rubin and Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins. “Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop,” says Lyor Cohen, who held chief executive roles at the label from 1988 to 2004 and was a presence from its nascent days (he currently serves as global head of music at YouTube).

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