Irv Gotti, the music producer who created hits for Ja Rule, Ashanti, DMX and Jennifer Lopez, has died at the age of 54. Best known as the founder of the record label Murder Inc., his signature style of blending hip-hop beats with smooth R&B melodies shaped the sound of the charts in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Irv Gotti, a music executive who founded Murder Inc. Records with his brother and built a hip-hop empire that produced some of the biggest rap and R&B albums of the early 21st century, has died at 54.

The Queens native responsible for some of hip hop's biggest acts reportedly passed away Wednesday in New York City.

Murder Inc co-founder Irv Gotti, who built a hip-hop empire that produced some of the biggest rap and R&B albums around the beginning of the 21st century, has died aged 54.

Irv Gotti, co-founder of Murder Inc Records and renowned music executive, has passed away at 54, leaving behind a legacy that shaped the hip-hop landscape in the early 2000s, producing iconic albums for artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti.

Irv Gotti, the music executive, songwriter and producer behind the reign of hip-hop and R&B stars Ja Rule and Ashanti in the early 2000s, has died. Gotti, the music mogul who co-founded Murder Inc. Records,

The influential music producer and co-founder of Murder Inc. Records, Irv Gotti, is dead. Best known for shaping the hip-hop and R&B landscape of the early 2000s, Gotti worked with legendary artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti,