The famed longtime industry exec shaped the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti and was pivotal in Def Jam's late Nineties revival

Irv Gotti, the Murder Inc. Records founder and music producer who worked with DMX, Aaliyah, Kanye West and Jay-Z, has died. He was 54. The Grammy winner reportedly died on Wednesday in New York City,

Following his tenure as A&R at Def Jam, Gotti founded Murder Inc. with his brother Chris Gotti in 1998 and released Ja Rule’s debut album “Venni Vetti Vecci” the following June. That album became a massive smash for both Ja Rule and Gotti, who executive produced the album and helmed every song on the project.