The "In Da Club" rapper took to Instagram to pay his own kind of tribute to the late Murder Inc. founder, who was a close associate of his longtime rival, Ja Rule.

Irv Gotti, the co-founder of Murder Inc. Records who helped make superstars out of Ja Rule and Ashanti, has died following a stroke. He was 54. Irv Gotti (born Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) and his brother Chris launched Murder Inc.

Irv Gotti, a music producer and founder of an influential rap label, has died, Def Jam Recordings said. He was 54. Gotti was best known as the head of Murder Inc. Records, an imprint of Def Jam that signed chart-topping artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti in the 90s and 2000s.

Irv Gotti was part of a wave of hip-hop producers like Dr Dre and Timbaland, whose name carried as much clout as the stars they worked with Irv Gotti, the music producer who created hits for Ja Rule,

Famed music executive Irv Gotti, founder of hip-hop label Murder Inc. which produced superstars including Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died at the age of 54, according to the record’s distributor Def Jam.