Irv Gotti & Murder Inc. - The Unauthorized Documentary (EXCLUSIVE)

was the most famous rap record label of the early 2000s with a string of chart-topping hits backed by a sound and image that crossed over from the streets into pop culture led by hip-hop mastermind and producer Irv Gotti Murder Inc Records dominated the airwaves and hip hop culture. Gotti's reign helped redefine the music business and opened new doors of possibilities for young urban executives to pursue. Find out why Irv Gotti is arguably one of the most brilliant creative and business minds in hip-hop history and how he made an impact. What he has done in culture is more than hit records.

Erving Lorenzo was born on June 26, 1970 in Queens, New York, the boy who would one day become one of the most famous figures and music grew up at a time when a new musical genre was emerging. Emerging and taking over a black culture in the 1970s, a DJ from the Bronx, New York, known as Kool Herc, began using two turntables to spread breakbeat rhythms on popular R&B and funk records. Later, party MCS rhymed over the break beats to keep the crowd moving. The style of music quickly became popular among young partygoers and inner-city kids by the end of the decade, the genre that became known as hip hop was a mainstream product raised in Hollis Queens, the same neighborhood as the pioneering group. of hip hop Run DMC, a young earthling.

He was inspired to be a part of hip hop culture in the 1980s. He began DJing at the age of eleven. At 15, he was already DJing at his neighborhood parties. He now calls himself DJ Irv. He began releasing self-produced mixtapes that were moving. An impressive number of units on the streets, he would begin DJing and producing records for local artists. His popularity grew in 1987. He was flown to London to DJ for Brooklyn rapper Jazz Oh, while Jaz-o worked on his debut album, Word to. Jazz, while his Earl would meet Jazz's old protégé, a young Brooklyn emcee named Jay Z, he is a Irv and Jay-z hit it off quickly and Irv would go on to work as Jay's personal DJ. z.

He later gave Herb the nickname Gotti with some financial backing from his older brother Chris. He co-founded the best productions under his company. Irv would manage Queens rapper Mike Geronimo. Irv assured that Geronimo would take over the independent record label TVT Records in 1995. Geronimo released his debut. album titled The Natural Executive produced by Gaudí, although the album did not perform well commercially, it contained two featured tracks on the bill's title that featured Gatti's friend and partner, Jay-Z, as well as an unknown rapper from Yonkers, New York, called DMX around the same time. DJ Irv was handling another New York rap when a group called Cash Money Click, the group featuring three up-and-coming New York rappers, Chris Black Nemesis and Ja Rule, created a stir by releasing the street singles for my clique and get the.

Fortune Deejay Irv managed to find a loophole for CMC's videos to strategically play on the music video on demand channel, the box that his video would play right after the video for Def Jam artist Method Man's hit single, titled all I need with mary j blige. The video caught the attention of Def Jam executive Lyor Cohen, who was using a similar tactic to meet the video of the man played on the box. Lior was in awe of Ja Rule, the little kid who had the biggest voice and the most charisma and CMC. Lior would approach Irv interested in signing Ja Rule, who was still under contract to TVT Records due to the lack of commercial success of Mike Geronimo's album.

TV T wasn't going to do anything with Herbs, another act that Steve Godley, the label's owner, allowed. herb to bring ja rule to Def Jam after bringing ja Rule to Lee or Irv was offered an A&R position at Def Jam Records, giving him the power to sign acts to the world's most famous hip hop label in his first day. Irv began to tell Def Jam. who wanted to sign DMX, met the Yonkers MC on the local rap battle circuit and saw firsthand how talented he really was, but no one at Def Jam believed in Earth's vision and refused to give him a chance. to DMX.

Frustrated, Irv left Def Jam after only a few months. Leah Cohen begged Irv to return, promising to take him under her wing and ensure he had the creative control and freedom he needed to thrive. Irv will bring Leora to listen to DMX freestyle immediately impressed by DMX, the charisma and flow of him. Lior. would hire a rapper to Def Jam on the spot exclaiming "Irv, we've got the pick of the litter." Irv was busy developing Ja Rule as an artist and continued to produce tracks, including Jay-Z's critically acclaimed classic track Can I Live Off. debut album, reasonable doubt, although jay-z was not signed to Def Jam.

Irv used his connections to work. Jay-Z's single is no no on the radio while he managed to get a decent amount of tours in the tri-state area. Irv took to recording as much as he could. Irv introduced Jay-Z and his team to Kevin Loused of Def Jam, who was a master at getting records and heavy rotation on the radio. Jay-Z Dame Dash and Biggs Burke of Rockefeller Records were to Kevin Lau's office and offered the executive $10,000 in cash to help work his album into more markets. Lau's declined their offer but was impressed with his hustle. Instead, Lau's offered to put no means no on the def jam for the new soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy movie The Nutty Professor this way he could epically work the record on the radio because it was actually on a Def Jam album .

He even offered to give Jay a budget to shoot the music video. It is not like this? Lau's method apparently worked after appearing on The Nutty Professor soundtrack. A radio hit increased and Jay-Z became a household name due to the introduction of Irv and the success of Ain't No Def Jam signed Jay-Z to a multi-million dollar record deal to distribute Jay-Z's next album. on Rockefeller Records. / Def Jam Gotti was on a roll and it was clear that his ear for talent was second to none. On February 10, 1998, Def Jam released DMX, their debut single, get at me, dawg

gotti

, arranging for the video to be filmed by super director hype Williams inside. the popular New York club known as The Tunnel, the video was filmed in black and white with the club's atmospheric atmosphere as a backdrop for excessively harsh lyrics.

God, he believed that raw images were what true hip-hop fans wanted, the complete opposite of glamorous. raps and shiny suits popularized by Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Records during that time, Def Jam executives were not happy with the single or the video, they were furious at the flashiness for what they considered a waste of the label's money in promoting it. a single that no one would do. Buying this only made Gotti more determined to prove his detractors wrong. He went around the office drawing triangles with the five of them on the walls. This was the symbol of the Billboard chart that represented five million records sold.

Gotti was predicting that X would sell 5 million units despite the lack of Def Jam. of belief in DMX, Get At Me Dawg proved to be successful peaking in the top 40 and top 10 of the pop and rap charts respectively, it seemed that God E's prediction was correct. X's debut album, It's Dark and Hell is Hot, was released in 1998 and went on to sell four and a half million albums with the perfect fusion of commercial and critical acclaim. It's Dark became one of the most successful debuts by a rapper during that era, who was quick to capitalize on X's instant success.

Def Jam ordered the release of another album. Immediately, X's second album, Meat of My Meat Blood of My Blood, was released that same year and would go on to sell another four million records. DMX was now the biggest star in the world and Irv Gotti was a certified kingmaker with Jay-Z's success. DMX and the rising star power of ja Rule God, conjured up the idea that the three would form a rap supergroup that they would call the trio Murder Inc. The plan was for the group to release an album with their rhyming skills equally united and having been frequent. collaborators in the past Gotti was sure that Murder Inc would be the biggest rap group in the history of hip-hop, they would release two songs under the name

murder

is not

murder

gram and it is murder, however, egos would get in the way the group's album ever.

God materialized, he wasn't going to let a good idea go to waste when Def Jam offered him a deal to form his own record label under his label. Irv decided to call the label Murder Not Records. God, he came up with the name after watching a crime

documentary

about the famous gang of hitmen known as Murder incorporated into his list of hits in the music business. God, he saw himself as a hitmaker or a hitman. as he is known in the business, he decided to name his label. As a metaphor for making hit records, the label had nothing to do with organized crime or committing murder, but the name would later come back to haunt Gotti in 1999.

Irv Gotti and his brother now known as Chris Gotti launched Murder Inc Records with a job as a label center without Jay-Z or DMX in 1999 Def Jam and Murder Inc released Ja Rule's debut solo single, halahala, which was produced by Irv Gotti. The job was fresh off the success of his feature on Jay-Z's hit. The single Can I Get A which appeared on J's Hard Knock Life album and the rush hour soundtrack Can I Get A, which was also produced by Gaudi, was originally a Ja Rule solo record, but after hearing a draft of the song, Jay-Z offered to pay for the record and leave John as a featured artist, the momentum from the two albums was enough to launch Ja Rule's debut album, Vinnie Vidivici, to platinum status, putting the Queen's MC on the industry's radar as a hitmaker in her own right due to her deep voice and rap cadence.

Many fans were quick to compare Ja Rule to DMX. Some claimed that JA was actually biting the dog. Style known for being hypercompetitive. DMX didn't take well to the comparisons and began to believe the hype that Ja Rule was in fact. Imitating him, angry at the constant comparisons, DMX arrived at the studio with Styles P and Jadakiss of LOX to record a powerful song that Ja Rule titled We Don't Give. The song was ironically produced by Irv Gotti who in the time did not give He realized that the song would be an insult to his artists and his protégé when he gave no one could accuse him of biting his style after thinking about it a lot.

Jah came up with the perfect solution and decided that he was going to start making music that catered more to his female audience. Herve Gotti and Ja Rule immediately got to work on JA's second album in June 2000. Murder Inc and Def Jam Records released the first single from the album Between Me and You featuring Christina Milian produced by Gaudí. The song was a huge hit and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October of that year. John's second album, Rule of Three. It was released on 36. Gatti's more polished production skills combined with a commanding voice and more radio-friendly tracks made the album a commercial success with the release of the album's second single, Put It On Me featuring Vita and Lil Mo and the third single, I cry Guardian.

Rule seemed to achieve his goal of distinguishing the killer sound from his hip-hop contemporaries, now arguably one of the most popular record labels in the game. It seemed like everyone was turning to Gotti for hits that artists like Mariah Carey, Eve and Mary J. Blige wanted. a part of the sounds of murder, but lead and murder was especially successful when working with a certain Latin pop star, Jennifer Lopez, a successful Hollywood actress and pop music star who had number one movies and a number one album as a result. from a high-profile relationship with hip hop mogul Sean Puffy Combs was the it girl of the industry, but with the release of her second album, JLo, Jennifer was ready to shed her good-to-war pop girl image. to an urban audience.

Her team would approach the only person who could give her street cred and deliver a hit. Irv Gotti Sony Records would pay Herb Gotti and Ja Rule $500,000 to make Jennifer's single I'm Real, the song became a record. number one hit atop the Billboard 100 for five consecutive weeks making it the biggest song of JLo and Ja Rule's career up to that point. In October 2001, Gaudí and Murder Inc released Ja Rule's third album, Pain is Love, building on the momentum of the I'm Real remix and the lead single Livin It Up, the album would debut at the top of the charts, further solidifying Irv Gotti and ja Rule has unstoppable hitmakers.

Pain is love also introduced the world to singer-songwriter Ashanti, who appeared on the third single fromalbum, always on time. The song also became a number one record and was followed by another number one with the remakes of Ain't It Funny by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule and produced by Irv Gotti in 2002 as a guide and Murder Inc Records released the debut single from Ashanti, Foolly, who would continue. Spending ten weeks at the top of the Billboard charts, it's no surprise that their self-titled debut album hit number one selling over half a million copies in the first week.

At the time, this was the highest-selling debut album in the first week. week for female artists. With the release of two more singles, Ashanti became a certified pop star and Irv Gotti became the Teflon Don of the flashy music industry and Murder Inc's records dominated the radio charts and billboards for much of 2001. In 2002, it seemed like Irv had more of the Midas touch as everything he touched went platinum with a long list of chart-topping hits and a seemingly endless supply of money and fame. Murder Inc Records was completely unstoppable or so it seemed in 2003, federal agents raided Killing As' offices in New York City.

In addition to Irv and Chris Gotti's homes, the federal government had been investigating the Gotti brothers for the past four years due to their association with former Queens New York kingpin Kenneth Supreme McGriff Supreme, who had previously headed the 1980 team. Street known as the ERV Supreme Team. and I met Supreme or Preem, as he was known in his inner circle on the set of a CMC video shoot, the two were from rival neighborhoods and queens and before their first meeting had never had any affiliation or association. Preem and his herb directing skills bogged down and they wanted him to do it.

He directed a film that he had written himself over time Preme and the Gotti brothers built a friendship The relationship was born of mutual respect but never anything illegal The feds falsely suspected that Murder Inc Records was financed with illegal drug money from the organization However, by the time he and Irv met in the early '90s, Preem was far from the drug lord he had been in the '80s, after a 12-year stint in prison. Preem and his Supreme Team organization were no longer running the streets despite their lack of connection. to any illegal activity Irv and Chris Gotti were arrested and charged with two counts of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money.

They faced twenty years in prison. The government offered Irv and his brother a plea deal: They would only have to serve six months in prison if they cooperated with the feds and provided information about Supreme, who was facing a separate trial involving drug trafficking and murder, while maintaining his innocence. and refusing to give any information about their friend, especially since they had no information to give to the brothers, they refused a statement. In the deal, they were willing to let the case go to trial to prove his innocence, facing twenty years in prison. Even his lawyer could not guarantee that they would not go to prison at the time of their accusation.

The conviction rate in criminal cases at the federal level was around. around 99 percent with the severity of the charges levied against them, the industry was quick to turn its back on the flashy land and the murder aims to make matters worse, the government guarantees Universal Music Group, the parent company of Def Jam and Murder Inc, who if they continue to fund Murder Inc records that would be investigated and named as co-conspirators in the money laundering case almost overnight, Irv Gatti's business worth hundreds of millions of dollars was removed from under him with no budgets to work with killer stability to perform as a top record The label was now gone, another thorn in the herb guide and murder was the sudden extension of his rival, a fellow Queens rapper named 50 cent with whom Gotti and ja Rule had street problems in real life. 50 had been facing Murder Inc for a better part.

In the early 2000s, when he was just a relatively unknown mixtape rapper, he released records that questioned the credibility of Murder Inc and Ja Rule's Street, but Gotti and Ja Rule at the top of the rap game were focused on making hits, Not in responding to an unknown rapper, but in 50 he rose to fame after being shot and accused nine times and releasing a series of popular mixtapes on the streets, his name caught the attention of eminem dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, who signed him to a $1 million record deal, two shady subsequent albums, a subsidiary of Interscope Records now backed by arguably the most powerful conglomerate in the record business, as well as murdering 50, had a scenario bigger to antagonize Irv Gotti and ja Rule.

He seemed more intent than ever on destroying the murder and did not see it as an opportunity to raise his profile even further thanks to Dr. Dre Eminem and Jimmy Iovine fans would eat it up. The '50s debut album, Get Rich or Die Trying, went multi-platinum selling over 10 million records worldwide with 50 cents now the biggest rap star in the game. Not only did Murder Inc have to deal with him awaiting a criminal trial, they also had to deal with constant pushing from his nemesis and his fans, with virtually no support from his label or the industry.

Irv Gotti and Murder Inc were left helpless in their fight against the 50 Cent Machine and the Federal Government in the initial stages of the investigation, Def Jam continued to honor its agreement with the embattled label and in the midst of chaos, Irv Gotti still managed to release hit records now rebranded as Inc Records in an attempt to dissociate itself from any suggestion of criminal activity, the label would release commercially successful projects after the disappointing sales of their fifth album Blood in My Eye which was largely seen as a response to 50 cent ja. Rule returned with rule in 2004.

Ashanti would also deliver two successful albums in 2003 and 2004, although they were not as commercially successful as her previous works, these projects went platinum and showed that Irv Gotti still had what it took to deliver hits despite her literal trials and tribulations. Gotti wasn't going down without a fight In 2005, the trial against Herb and Chris Gotti began with both facing 20 years in federal prison on money laundering and conspiracy charges. false information about his supreme friend McGriff the prosecution brought in witnesses and informants that many on the jury considered questionable the witnesses included a taxi driver and in turn became career criminals the jury heard every piece of evidence the prosecutors presented and after two weeks After the trial, the jury entered into deliberation four days later, the jury came out with a verdict of not guilty.

Irv and Chris Gotti were acquitted of all charges, freeing them from the years of entanglement with the federal government that could have locked them up for many years at trial. It cost Irv and his brother hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees and the loss of business opportunities severely damaged his reputation in the industry and caused many conflicts in his personal life, but his name was ultimately clean after trial. Gotti Records and Inc would eventually reach an agreement. new deal with Universal Music Group is no longer on Def Jam, the label had a big hit with the release of R&B sensation Lloyd's hit single you featuring Lil Wayne, the song shot to the top of the charts, seemingly placing the 8 again at the top of the charts. music business, but after a series of shady business practices by Universal executives, dissonance between him and his artists, Lloyd in Ashanti, and his star artist, Ja Rule, being sent to prison on a weapons charge not related.

Gotti was fed up with the music business and decided to take a break and lay low for several years, but God, what he did for hip-hop culture is nothing short of incredible when a young black man from the streets of Queens, New York, Gotti was instrumental in helping bring hip hop music to new levels of the mainstream. success from introducing the world to groundbreaking artists like jay-z DMX and ja Rule to dominating the charts for most of the early 2000s with Murder Inc Records. Gadi showed that there are no limits to what culture can achieve. He mastered the model of modern culture. -Creating daily hits that combine hardcore hip-hop tracks with sing-along lyrics, catchy hooks and melodic beats.

You can see the influence and kill rate of a modern day artist like Drake migos and Travis Scott to name a few. God, he's the model too. For today's urban executive, a street-smart kid with a knack for business who can successfully navigate both the streets and corporate spaces, he started at the bottom and worked his way to the top, but never He forgot where he came from or who his boss is. True Friends Were In 2017, Gotti struck a new deal with BT and Jay-Z's Title to create and direct a new television series called Tails. The series uses classic hip-hop records as backdrops for soap opera fluff.

He also relaunched the Murder Inc. record label a host of new talent who Gaudy sees as potential hip hop's next big stars with his new ventures including television and music. There is no doubt that Gaudy will continue to be a force in the entertainment business for years to come; in fact, he's still writing his own. legacy in fact, he's still murdering you