As the embers from his Drink Champs appearance continue to simmer, Irv Gotti is once again centerstage now that his Murder Inc docuseries has premiered on BET. Gotti’s label housed several chart-topping artists of the late 1990s and 2000s including Ja Rule, Ashanti, Vita, and Charli Baltimore; however, prior to some of those successes, Irv attempted to shape a Hip Hop supergroup that was poised to take over the culture.
When Irv pulled together Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule as a trio for the Rap group Murder Inc, it was a feat unlike any other. The three men were reigning at that time and even released a few tracks together, but rumors of in-fighting kept them from progressing.
In the first episode of the Murder Inc docuseries, they get right to the point as they discussed what happened behind the scenes.
“I got the legendary XXL over of Jay, X, and Ja. Murder Inc,” said Gotti. Later, Hov added, “I think it was everyone’s ambition, everyone’s ego. It was just three guys, three independent labels, three Black men, who were all fighting to be the best in the world.”
Hov’s appearance on the series has caught some fans by surprise, as many of them were unaware of the connection between Gotti and Jay-Z. Others were happy to see the mogul sitting down for an interview to discuss the early days of his career. Check out the clip of the docuseries, as well as a few reactions, below.