Gotti produced nearly 30 Hot 100 chart hits in the US for artists including Ashanti, Ja Rule, Ye, DMX, Fat Joe, Mary J Blige and Jay-Z.

Irv Gotti, a music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists such as Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died. Def Jam Recordings, which was the parent company of Murder Inc.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Irv Gotti, cofounder of Murder Inc. Records who worked with artists including Ashanti and Ja Rule, is dead at age 54. Multiple outlets confirmed the news on Wednesday, February 5.