One of the most prominent rap producers of his generation, Irv Gotti is the founder of Murder Inc. Records. Born in Hollis, Queens, New York, on June 26, 1970, Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. grew up in an African-American family of Filipino descent, making his first mixtapes as a teenager with a turntable. He went on to become a club and private party DJ, making a name for himself in the late 1980s alongside the likes of Jaz-O, Jay-Z, Chad Elliott and DMX. In 1995, under the name DJ Irv, he discovered and produced Mic Geronimo, then worked on the first albums by Jay-Z and DMX, which made him one of the most sought-after producers on the West Coast. After an initial collaboration with Ja Rule, in 1998 Irv Gotti founded Murder Inc. Records, a subsidiary of Def Jam Records, which produced the compilation Irv Gotti Presents: The Murderers (2000) and benefited from the success of Ja Rule, as well as Fat Joe, Ashanti and Nas, featured on Irv Gotti Presents: The Remixes (2002). The label, which became The Inc. after legal problems, continues to produce artists such as Vanessa Carlton, Memphis Bleek and The Game. In 2017, the producer released two mixtapes, Irv Gotti Presents Tales: The Playlist and Irv Gotti Presents Tales: The Playlist Part 2, based on the show he presents on the BET channel. His activity tapers off until the production of "Brothers" for Kanye West in 2019. On February 5, 2025, he died of a stroke at the age of 54.
