Hip-hop icon and record executive Irving “Irv Gotti” Lorenzo Jr., the mastermind behind Murder Inc. Records, has died at 54.

Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. in Queens, got his start as a talent scout in the mid-1990s, bringing future superstars DMX and Jay-Z to Def Jam. He was an executive producer on DMX's debut ...

Hip-hop has lost “one of its most creative soldiers,” ex-Def Jam CEO Lyor Cohen said. [email protected] Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ...