Hip-Hop Reacts to Irv Gotti's Death

News of Irv Gotti's passing has the hip-hop community reeling with reactions.

Irv Gotti's Death Shocks Hip-Hop Community

On Wednesday night (Feb. 5), The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the Murder Inc. Records cofounder died after reportedly suffering from his second stroke in less than a year. Irv was only 54 years old. News of music exec's untimely death has rocked the hip-hop community, with several people mourning and offering condolences on social media.

Ye shared news of the passing on Instagram and captioned the post with a dove. Ja Rule, who was Murder Inc.'s flagship artist during its 2000s heyday, was shocked beyond words, simply sharing a broken heart emoji on X. On Thursday (Feb. 6), Ja shared another post on Instagram, captioning photos of Irv, "Love you...[broken heart emoji, dove emoji].

Fat Joe shared a photo of Irv on Instagram and offered kind words: "What a Genius, God bless you irv ty for all you’ve done for Hip Hop. You changed my life and i will always love you RIP."

The Game shared a story about meeting Irv in the early 2000s. "1st time I ever went to a big studio, you came to my baby mamas house n picked me up," Chuck captioned a photo of Irv on Instagram. "Then I drove there with you & Gutta to edit the Ashanti video & talk about the possibility of signing a deal. You told me I was what the West Coast needed but I was better off wit Dre & you was right. Thank you for your contribution to hip hop homie. Fly high."

The Legacy of Irv Gotti

Irv Gotti initially made his name in hip-hop as an A&R at Def Jam Recordings, where he was responsible for signing DMX in 1997. He was also an instrumental part in Jay-Z's early career. In 1998, he founded Murder Inc. Records along with his brother Chris. The label would turn into one of the most powerful imprints in hip-hop in the early 2000s, with multi-platinum artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti. In addition to being an exec, Irv produced or co-produced memorable songs like Ja's "Always on Time" featuring Ashanti, Jay-Z's "Can I Get A..." featuring Ja Rule and Amil, DMX's "What's My Name" and more.

Check out members of the hip-hop community reacting to the passing of Irv Gotti below.