Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (born June 26, 1970), professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer, record executive, and the CEO and co-founder of

Murder Inc. Records Murder Inc. Records, LLC. (formerly The Inc. Records) is an American record label founded by brothers Chris and Irv Gotti in 1998. The label's flagship artist is Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. had sold over 30 million units wo ...

. He is best known for producing multiple number-one records for Ashanti,

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with '' Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single " Holla Holla". Dur ...

, and

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

, as well as his collaborations with

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

DMX Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim ...

, and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. Gotti is also the creator of the

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

series '' Tales''.

Early life

Irv Gotti was born in the Hollis neighborhood of the borough of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

in New York City.

Career

After helping

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

with the success of

and

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons ...

gave Irv Gotti his own label under Def Jam. While watching ''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

'' on A&E during gangster week, a Murder, Inc. logo appeared on the screen and Irv Gotti decided to use the name for his label because

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group, active from 1929 to 1941, that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included the Italian-American Mafia, the ...

put out hits for murder and Irv wanted to put out hit records. Irv, Ja Rule and the label of Murder Inc. were all involved in a well-publicized feud with G-Unit Records, Aftermath Records and Shady Records over history between 50 Cent and Ja Rule. After this Murder Inc. would change their name to ''The Inc.'' after a 2003 investigation, including a raid on the Manhattan offices of Murder, Inc., resulted in charges of money laundering being brought against Gotti and his brother Christopher in connection with alleged financial transactions associated with New York City

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhala ...

kingpin

Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff (born September 19, 1960) is an American convicted former drug lord and gangster from New York City. Background McGriff rose to prominence in early 1981 when he formed his own crack cocaine distributing and manufacturing ...

. On December 2, 2005, a jury acquitted the brothers of all charges. The label would change their name to appeal better to the public. Under The Inc. banner, Irv would move the label to

Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company tha ...

and sign Vanessa Carlton. Gotti co-produced Vanessa Carlton's third album, ''Heroes and Thieves'', which was released October 9, 2007, with Channel 7, Rick Rubin and Stephan Jenkins. In an interview with

Angie Martinez Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, rapper, singer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York" during her two-decade tenure at New York City station HOT 97 (WQHT), she left that position in 2014 to jo ...

in early May 2009, Gotti stated that his label, Murder Inc., was leaving Universal Records. In September 2013, Murder Inc. was relaunched as an umbrella label under Irv Gotti's new label, Visionary.

Legal Issues

On Friday, January 3, 2003, federal agents and

New York Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

investigators raided the headquarters of Murder Inc. Records, located at

One Worldwide Plaza One Worldwide Plaza is the largest tower of Worldwide Plaza, a three-building commercial and residential complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), O ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

. The raid was a part of a yearlong investigation into the connection between The Lorenzo brothers and American drug lord Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Investigators believed that the Lorenzos launched Murder Inc. Records using money bankrolled by McGriff to launder McGriff’s drug money, as well as help McGriff launder drug money through the making of the 2003 film ''Crime Partners''. Although computers and documents were seized, no charges were immediately filed, and no arrests were immediately made. The raid was dramatized in the music video for Ja Rule’s ''Murder Reigns''. Chris and Irv Gotti’s history with McGriff dates back to 1994, when McGriff, newly paroled from prison, met Chris and Irv on the set of a music video in Queens, New York. McGriff wanted to go into cinematography and sought help from Chris and Irv Gotti to produce and direct a film based on

Donald Goines Donald Goines (pseudonym: Al C. Clark; December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974) was an African-American writer of urban fiction. His novels were deeply influenced by the work of Iceberg Slim. Early life and family Goines was born in Detroit, Mich ...

’ Kenyatta series’ novel Crime Partners. The Lorenzos since then maintained a friendship with McGriff, having him appear in the music video for Ja Rule’s 1999 single “Murda 4 Life” and helped financed McGriff’s dream project, ''Crime Partners'', around 2000. On January 25, 2005, Chris and Irv Gotti surrendered to authorities in New York City and were officially charged with money laundering and conspiracy to launder money. During the trial, Irv Gotti was represented by Gerald B. Lefcourt, and Chris Gotti was represented by Gerald Shargel. In December 2005, Chris and Irv Gotti were found not guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money.

Discography

Singles produced

* 1994 ** " Shit's Real" (

Mic Geronimo Michael Craig McDermon (born September 14, 1973, in Queens, New York), better known by his stage name Mic Geronimo, is an American rapper who was acquainted with Irv Gotti of Murder Inc. Gotti and his brother met Mic Geronimo at a Queens high ...

) * 1996 ** " Can I Live" (

) * 1998 ** " Can I Get A..." (

featuring Amil &

) ** " Hot Spot" ( Foxy Brown) * 1999 ** "

What's My Name What's My Name? or What's My Name may refer to: * "What's My Name" (China Anne McClain, Thomas Doherty and Dylan Playfair song) * "What's My Name?" (Rihanna song) * "What's My Name?" (Snoop Doggy Dogg song) * "What's My Name?" (DMX song) * "Wh ...

" (

) ** "

Holla Holla "Holla Holla" is the debut single by American rapper Ja Rule from his debut studio album '' Venni Vetti Vecci''. It was produced by Taiwan "Tai" Green and Irv Gotti. The music video was directed by Hype Williams and Irv Gotti.(

) * 2000 ** "

Come Back in One Piece "Come Back in One Piece" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah, featuring a guest appearance by American rapper DMX, for the soundtrack to the 2000 film ''Romeo Must Die''. It was written by DMX, Stephen Garrett, Irv Gotti, Rob Meys, Ge ...

" (

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

) ** "

Between Me and You "Between Me and You" is the first single from Ja Rule's second album, '' Rule 3:36.'' The single features Christina Milian and was released on June 16, 2000 to radio. The song was his first major crossover hit, peaking at #11 on the ''Billboard' ...

" (

featuring

Christina Milian Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19 ...

) * 2001 ** " What's Luv?" (

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

featuring Ashanti &

) ** "

I'm Real (Murder Remix) "I'm Real" is the name of two songs recorded by American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, both primarily for her second studio album '' J.Lo'' (2001). The original song was released as the album's fourth single; Ja Rule of Murder Inc. Recor ...

" (

featuring

) ** "

Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix) "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her remix album ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'' (2002). The song was marketed as a remix of "Ain't It Funny", but is actually an entirely different song with the sam ...

" (

featuring

& Caddillac Tah) ** "

I Cry I Cry may refer to Music * ''I Cry'' (album), 2008 EP by Rotersand * "I Cry" (Flo Rida song), 2012 * "I Cry" (Ja Rule song), 2001 Ja Rule song featuring Lil' Mo * "I Cry" (Tammy Cochran song), 2001 * "I Cry" (Usher song), 2020 *"I Cry", a 1965 song ...

" (

) ** "

Always on Time "Always on Time" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule from his third studio album, '' Pain Is Love'' (2001). Produced by Irv Gotti, it was written by Rule, 7 Aurelius, and Irv Gotti and features guest vocals from Ashanti. Originally set to fea ...

" (

featuring Ashanti) * 2002 ** " Foolish" ( Ashanti) ** "

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sin ...

" ( Ashanti) ** "

Down 4 U "Down 4 U" is the lead single from Murder Inc. Records' compilation album '' Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.'', released through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. The song features rapped verses from Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, ...

" (Irv Gotti featuring

, Ashanti, Vita &

Charli Baltimore Tiffany Lane (born August 16, 1974), better known as Charli Baltimore, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film '' The Long Kiss Goodnight''. Career Charli Bal ...

) ** " Mesmerize" (

featuring Ashanti) ** " Gangsta Lovin" (

Eve (rapper) Eve Jihan Cooper ( Jeffers; born November 10, 1978), known mononymously as Eve, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. In 1999, she released her debut album, '' Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady'', which reached number one on the ...

featuring Alicia Keys) * 2004 ** " Breakup 2 Makeup" ( Ashanti featuring Black Child) ** " Wonderful" (Ja Rule featuring Ashanti and R. Kelly) * 2005 ** "Infatuated" (

Memphis Bleek Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper who was a protégé of fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. Cox started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016. He ...

) * 2008 ** "Nice" ( The Game) featuring Newz * 2018 ** "

Violent Crimes A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objecti ...

" (

) * 2019 ** "

Brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

" (Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gotti, Irv 1970 births American hip hop record producers African-American record producers Def Jam Recordings artists Grammy Award winners Living people Murder Inc. Records artists Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York East Coast hip hop musicians American music industry executives Musicians from Queens, New York Record producers from New York (state) 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people