Before launching Murder Inc. in New York City in 1998, Gotti worked as an A&R at Def Jam, where he helped bring DMX, Jay-Z and Ja Rule to the label. Under the moniker DJ Irv, he produced the song “Can I Live” from Jay-Z’s 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt.

Irv Gotti, the famed hip-hop music executive from New York City, has died at the age of 54. His three children shared a message on his social media, writing, "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father,

Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. on June 26, 1970, was a key figure in the sound of ‘90s and 2000s hip-hop, when brash lyricism and outsized personalities blended seamlessly with pop hooks and R&B tenderness.