The producer helped shape rap and R&B after founding the label Murder Inc., which launched artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti.

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.

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