“Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop,” says YouTube’s Lyor Cohen
has confirmed. The cause of death is as yet unknown but the music mogul did suffer a stroke last year.
Rising to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., played a key role in hip-hop and R&B records of the time, working with artists like Ja Rule, Ashanti and DMX, each of whom saw massive commercial success. His signature production style blended hip-hop beats with melodic hooks and influenced a wave of rap and R&B crossover hits that were inescapable from 2001 to 2004.
“Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers who was hip-hop,” says Lyor Cohen, who held chief executive roles at the label from 1988 to 2004 and was a presence from its nascent days . “When we were on bended knee, he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv, you will be missed.”
His career faced some setbacks in the mid-2000s due to an FBI investigation — and a raid of Murder Inc.’s offices — into alleged ties with drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Though ultimately acquitted, the case damaged Murder Inc.’s reputation. In recent years, Gotti had reinvented himself, expanding into television with the creation of BET’sDyson Just Knocked $100 Off the Best-Selling Airwrap and the New Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer in Valentine’s Day-Ready Colors.
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