Who

Irv Lorenzo—better known as Irv Gotti—runs the rap label The Inc. (formerly Murder Inc.) with his brother Chris "Gotti" Lorenzo. According to the People of the State of New York, he is not a money launderer.

Backstory

A Hollis, Queens native—he's from same neighborhood as Russell Simmons—Irv started out as a DJ as a teenager and became a talent scout in the mid-1990s at Steve Gottlieb's TVT Records. In 1997, Gotti and his brother joined the Def Jam family and founded the label Murder Inc. under the supervision of Def Jam president Lyor Cohen. (Their defection would later inspire a long-running lawsuit between TVT and Def Jam.) The brothers soon made their name producing major acts like Jay-Z, Ja Rule, DMX, and Ashanti. But their gangsta rap empire was thrown into disarray in 2003 when the brothers Gotti ran into a few small legal problems (more on those below) and Def Jam's parent, Universal Music, dropped the label. With the case resolved—and after they'd changed the name of the label to the much more family-friendly "The Inc."—the Gottis rebounded, and 2006 Universal picked up The Inc. anew.

Of note

Gotti is credited with breaking both DMX and Ja Rule, having produced both rappers' debut albums: DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998 and Ja Rule's Venni Vetti Vicci in 1999. Another Gotti discovery was Ashanti, whose bestselling self-titled debut was released by Murder Inc. in 2002. Today the Gotti-run label is home to Caddillac Tah, Chink Santana, D. Gift, Young Merc, Black Child, Seven Aurelius, Memphis Bleek, and—rather bizarrely—sappy balladeer Vanessa Carlton. But Gotti has also been grabbing some of the spotlight for himself as of late, thanks to his VH1 reality show Gotti's Way, which debuted in October 2007.

Crime file

In 2003, Gotti and his brother were accused of laundering more than $1 million in drug money from a crack and heroin operation led by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, one of the most notorious drug lords in the city. Following a lengthy trial—and a defense by Gerald Lefcourt and Gerald Shargel—the pair were acquitted in December 2005. Gotti pals Jay-Z, Fat Joe, Russell Simmons, Ja Rule, and Ashanti all turned up for the verdict.

Grudge

Along with his protégé Ja Rule, Gotti has been at odds with 50 Cent for close to a decade. It's a bitter rivalry that has played out in countless songs as well as on the street. The Gottis were accused by 50 of having had a hand in attempts to kill him in 2000.

For the record

Gotti legally changed his name from his birth name, Irving Lorenzo; obviously, it's an homage to the now deceased Gambino crime boss John Gotti. As for Murder Inc., he says he came up with the name after watching a show on A&E about the similarly named gang of Jewish hit men founded by Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel in the 1930s.

Personal

The husky rap impresario is separated from his wife Debbie, with whom he has two sons. (He also has a daughter from a previous relationship.) He lives in a 2,800-square-foot Tribeca loft that he purchased for $1.75 million in 2001.

True story

When he interviewed with Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles about taking his act to Def Jam, they asked him where he wanted to be in five years. His reply: "I want to become you, and then destroy you and everyone like you, because you can't know hip-hop better than me.'' He got the job.

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