Murder Inc CEO Irv Gotti is acknowledged as one of the greatest Hip Hop producers and rightfully so thanks to his legendary work with the likes of DMX, Ja Rule and Jay-Z. However, a lot of people are unaware of the work that he’s done in R&B. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the great work that he’s contributed to the genre. Ashanti and Ja Rule, who were both signed to Irv’s label Murder Inc, will of course show up multiple times on this list, but we are sure there will be a few surprises.
Click Here to check out all of our Top 10 Lists. Click any of the song titles to hear that song.
Aaliyah – Come Back In One Piece (Featuring DMX)
Irv Gotti and the late Static Major created this song for the “Romeo Must Die” soundtrack.. The Hip Hop driven record also featured legendary rapper DMX who Irv brought to Def Jam records originally.
Ashanti – Foolish
Irv along with his production partner Seven Aurelius created one of the biggest songs in the 2000’s with “Foolish”. The DeBarge “Stay With Me” sample meshed perfectly with Ashanti’s sweet vocals.
Ashanti – Only U
Irv along with his production partner Seven Aurelius provided Ashanti with a game changing sound on “Only U”. The song was the lead single from Ashanti’s third album “Concrete Rose”.
Ashanti – Rain On Me
This song from “Chapter II” ended up being really big for Ashanti’s career as the music video helped spread the message about domestic violence. Irv Gotti actually used the same sample on Jay-Z’s “Can I Live?” which is on Jay-Z’s debut album “Reasonable Doubt”.
Christina Milian – Get Away (Featuring Ja Rule)
A lot of people know about Christina Milian’s big collaboration with Ja Rule on “Between Me & You”, but Irv Gotti and Seven Aurelius also have two songs on Christina’s debut album including “Get Away”.
Lloyd – ATL Tales/Ride With Me (featuring Ja Rule)
The intro song produced by Chink Santana and Irv Gotti on Lloyd’s debut album “Southside” is one of the most magical opening tracks to come out and really represented Murder Inc’s fused sound of Hip Hop and R&B.
Jennifer Lopez – Ain’t It Funny (Murderer Remix featuring Ja Rule)
You can’t really go wrong with either J-Lo/Ja Rule record as they both hit number one on the Billboard charts, but this Irv Gotti and Seven Aurelius track still sounds great today. The “Flava In Ya Ear” sample was great and Ashanti’s background vocals were a nice touch.
Keyshia Cole – Take Me Away
Irv Gotti and Chink Santana linked up with Keyshia Cole for the smooth record “Take Me Away” which is found on her fourth album “Calling All Hearts”.
Mary J. Blige – Rainy Dayz (Featuring Ja Rule)
People forget just how big Murder Inc was back in the early 2000’s. Ja Rule was constantly on the radio and it seemed like everything he was releasing at that time ended up being a smash. Irv Gotti and Seven Aurelius gave Mary J. Blige another hit to add to her catalog.
Toni Braxton – Me & My Boyfriend
This record made some noise back in 2002 because it was released around the same time as Jay-Z and Beyonce’s “03 Bonnie Clyde”. Both songs have the same concept and sample (“2Pac – Me And My Girlfriend”). Toni’s song actually has 2Pac’s voice in it which is an accomplishment as it’s very rare that you hear his voice on any record that isn’t his own.
Honorable Mentions:
Ashanti – Happy (Co-produced with Chink Santana)
Ashanti – Baby (Co-produced with Chink Santana)
Ashanti – Movies (Co-produced with Seven Aurelius)
Ashanti – Don’t Leave Me Alone (Co-produced with Seven Aurelius)
Ashanti – Rock With U (Awww Baby) (Co-produced with Chink Santana)
Frankie J – The One (Featuring 3LW)
Jennifer Lopez – I’m Real (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule) (Co-produced with Seven Aurelius)
Lloyd – Southside (Featuring Ashanti)
Lloyd – One For Me (Co-produced with Seven Aurelius)
Ruben Studdard – What Is Sexy (Featuring Fat Joe)