Murder Inc. Records

Murder Inc. Records, LLC, also abbreviated as The Inc. Records, is an American record label founded by brothers and record executives Chris and Irv Gotti in 1999. The label's flagship artist was Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. had sold over 30 million units worldwide and grossed over $500 million. Murder Inc. was headquartered at One Worldwide Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, while their main studio was The Crackhouse, also located in New York City.

After helping Def Jam with the success of DMX, Jay-Z, and Ja Rule, Russell Simmons gave Irv Gotti his own label under Def Jam. While watching Biography on A&E during gangster week, a Murder, Inc. logo appeared on the screen, inspiring Irv to name his label after the organized crime group, paralleling his desire to put out hit records to the crime group's purpose of putting out contract hits. Murder Inc.'s first set of artists were Ja Rule, Black Child, Tah Murdah and Nemesis. On June 1, 1999, Murder Inc. released its first studio album, Venni Vetti Vecci by Ja Rule. Featuring production from Irv Gotti (who also executive produced the album) as well as guest appearances from Murder Inc. artists Tah Murdah, Black Child and Nemesis in their debut commercial appearances, the album featured the hit single "Holla Holla" and soon was certified Platinum in the U.S., which made Ja Rule and Murder Inc. among the most popular artists and labels in the industry, respectively.

On October 10, 2000, Ja Rule released his second studio album, Rule 3:36. The album featured Ja Rule and Murder Inc.'s first top 15 hit with Between Me and You. The album featured production from Irv Gotti (who also executive produced the album) as well as appearances from Tah Murdah, Black Child, O-1 (previously known as Nemesis) and Murder Inc.'s first female artist Vita. The album marked a significant change in Murder Inc.'s musical style, shifting from hardcore hip hop to a more radio-friendly pop rap oriented sound that targeted the female demographic, which in turn resulted in greater commercial success. This formula would be a key factor in Murder Inc.'s later successes. The album debuted and peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200, and would ultimately be certified triple platinum by the RIAA for selling three million units in America.

Murder Inc. signed Charli Baltimore and Ashanti in 2001. That same year, Ja Rule's most successful album, Pain Is Love, was released. The album was supported by the smash hit singles Always on Time (featuring Ashanti), Livin' It Up and Down Ass Bitch (featuring Charli Baltimore). Much of the album was produced by Irv Gotti. It sold over 360,000 units in its first week, and debuted and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. The album sold over three million units in America, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

This album was soon followed by Ashanti's multi-platinum selling debut, Ashanti, which spawned three hit singles on the Billboard charts. On July 2, 2002, Murder Inc. released the compilation, Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. The album continued to showcase original artists like Ja Rule, Black Child, Vita, Jodie Mack, O-1 and Caddillac Tah, while showcasing new artists like Ashanti and Charli Baltimore and Murder Inc. affiliates like D.O. Cannon, Ronnie Bumps and Merc. Murder Inc. scored another hit single with "Down 4 U", and the album peaked in the top 3 on the Billboard 200 and was ultimately certified Gold by the RIAA. A documentary of the same name as the compilation was released around the same time, documenting the careers and lives of Murder Inc. artists. However, less than two weeks after the release of the album, Vita severed ties with Murder Inc. Vita's departure resulted in La Dolce Vita being indefinitely shelved. During this time, Murder Inc. started associating with Nas as he collaborated with Ja Rule and Ashanti for the remix to "The Pledge". Although it was speculated that Nas would possibly sign to Murder Inc., the deal never materialized. Ja Rule's next album (The Last Temptation) went Platinum in the U.S.

On January 3, 2003, Murder Inc.'s headquarters were raided by federal agents trying to find evidence regarding whether Murder Inc. was funneling and laundering drug money for Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. A month later on February 24, 2003, Murder Inc. vice president Chris Gotti, was shot in the leg outside the label's headquarters in Manhattan. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. while Lorenzo was reportedly en route to a nearby gym. He told police he heard gunfire behind him and then realized he had been shot. However, law enforcement officials expressed skepticism about his account, noting that the bullet's trajectory appeared consistent with an accidental self-inflicted wound. He was treated at Bellevue Hospital and released the following day. Another setback the label suffered was its core artist Ja Rule participating in a feud with rapper 50 Cent, which had been occupant since 1999. Blood in My Eye, Ja's fifth studio album, released in November 2003, included diss tracks aimed at 50 and G-Unit, as well as Eminem. The album did not match the commercial success of his previous albums. Three months earlier, Ashanti obtained more success on her own with a second studio album, Chapter II, becoming her second number-one album. Charli Baltimore, however, did not have any time to release an album under the label, causing her to leave in October 2003.

Murder Inc. and TVT Records were also blocked by Universal from releasing a Cash Money Click reunion album featuring Ja Rule, due to his contractual obligations. Def Jam was ordered to pay TVT $132 million in punitive damages in 2003. However, Def Jam won an appeal and instead only paid TVT $126,720. The Cash Money Click reunion album, scheduled for a November 2002 release through Murder Inc., was ultimately shelved.

Despite having a roster of many artists, the only artists to have released solo studio albums were Ashanti, Ja Rule, Vanessa Carlton, and Lloyd. Throughout Murder Inc.'s years, many artists were scheduled to release studio albums, but many artists on the label were shelved. Vita's debut album on Murder Inc., La Dolce Vita, was originally scheduled to be released on December 11, 2001, but was then delayed to Fall 2002 before being shelved after Vita left the label in April 2002. Caddillac Tah's debut album, Pov City Hustla, was originally scheduled to be released on November 13, 2001, through Murder Inc. However, the album was ultimately shelved. Black Child's debut album was originally scheduled to be released in January 2002, but was delayed to 2003 before being shelved completely. Other shelved albums intended to be released though Murder Inc. also include Ronnie Bumps' debut album and a D.O. Cannon and Merc collaboration album, which was shelved after D.O. Cannon was killed in 2003. The latter two albums were originally scheduled for a 2003 release.