Records co-founder Irv Gotti on Wednesday (Feb. 5), tributes poured in from the hip-hop world, including from the label where he got his start, Def Jam. Gotti started out in A&R at the hip-hop label,

The producer helped shape rap and R&B after founding the label Murder Inc., which launched artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti.

Irv Gotti, the Murder Inc. Records founder and music producer who worked with DMX, Aaliyah, Kanye West and Jay-Z, has died. He was 54.