section_path: Career/1997-2005: Def Jam and Murder Inc. era and trial
section_name: 1997-2005: Def Jam and Murder Inc. era and trial
paragraph_text: 1997-2005: Def Jam and Murder Inc. era and trial
  
  In 1997, DMX was featured on the album Vendetta by Mic Geronimo which Gotti executive produced. The same year, as Blunt Recordings was folding, Gotti left TVT to become an A&R for Def Jam Recordings. In May 1997, through Gotti, Def Jam signed DMX. Initially, there was a dispute over signing DMX and Gotti had threatened to leave the company if they did not follow through with signing him. Gotti, as executive producer, oversaw DMX's first studio album, It's Dark and Hell is Hot, which was released on May 12, 1998. The album debuted and peaked atop the Billboard 200 and sold over 250,000 copies in its first week. The album went on to sell four million copies in the United States, being certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA, and sold five million copies worldwide.
  
  Gotti was an A&R for Def Jam on the 1997 albums Back in Business by EPMD, How to Be a Player soundtrack and the 1998 albums Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood by DMX, the Belly soundtrack, and the Rush Hour soundtrack. One of his last major singles produced under solely Def Jam was " Hot Spot " by Foxy Brown. Gotti turned down demo tapes from a young 50 Cent in 1997 suggesting his sound was too similar to Jay-Z after Jam Master Jay had shown the songs for a potential record deal. 50 Cent would be featured in his first studio release on the 1998 single " React " for the Onyx album Shut 'Em Down which Gotti was the A&R for. He also advised a young Pitbull in 1998 to focus on writing records instead of only freestyle rapping. In 1998, Gotti co-produced his first Hot 100 single, which was Jay-Z's " Can I Get A... " featuring Ja Rule and Amil.
  
  After helping Def Jam with the success of Jay-Z and the pending development of DMX, the label had grown over $100 million in value, and from 1997 to 1998 Lyor Cohen planned to give Gotti his own label under Def Jam, which he co-founded with his brother Chris in 1999. While watching Biography on A&E during gangster week, Gotti saw a Murder, Inc. logo appear on the screen and decided to use the name for his label because Murder, Inc. put out hits for murder and Gotti wanted to put out hit records. The label was given $3 million to start up with, and an additional $5 million more in label advances after renegotiation. Prior to the label's founding, Gotti was first earning $30,000 a year in salary and later $60,000 annually.
  
  The first album released under Murder Inc. was Ja Rule's 1999 debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci. Gotti was the album's executive producer and oversaw the development of the entire album. The album's single " Holla Holla " earned Ja Rule his first top 40 Hot 100 hit. Gotti also executive produced Ja Rule's second studio album, Rule 3:36. Gotti contributed to a majority of the album soundtrack for The Fast and the Furious, while his brother Chris co-executive produced the album. He also contributed to the soundtrack for Romeo Must Die and executive produced Irv Gotti Presents: The Murderers. From 1999 to 2003, Gotti, Ja Rule, and Murder Inc. were all involved in a well-publicized feud with G-Unit Records, Aftermath Records, and Shady Records over the history between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.
  
  Gotti met Ashanti through a mutual friend; initially, he had too many projects to also work on her music but invited her to visit the studio while he executive produced on Ja Rule's 2001 album Pain Is Love. After months of being around the studio together, Ashanti was placed on the 2001 single " How We Roll " by Big Pun. The 2001 single "I'm Real (Murda Remix)" by Jennifer Lopez was Gotti’s first number one on the Hot 100. Following this, her "Ain't It Funny" remix, as well as Ja Rule's " Always on Time " featuring Ashanti, went to number one on the Hot 100. Ashanti's Gotti-produced 2002 debut single " Foolish " was their second number one together. "What's Luv" by Fat Joe featuring Ashanti was released a week prior and peaked at number two. In 2003, Ashanti and Gotti won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album for her self-titled debut, Ashanti. The following year, they were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song with " Rock wit U (Awww Baby) ".
  
  In 2002, Gotti released Irv Gotti Presents The Inc, featuring the Murder Inc. roster. The album, executive produced by Gotti, featured the Gotti-produced hit single, " Down 4 U ", which was a top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Gotti executive produced the album The Last Temptation for Ja Rule, and produced the single " Rainy Dayz " for Mary J. Blige the same year. His relationship with Jay-Z soured for a brief period in 2002 when Gotti tried to sign Nas, whom Jay-Z had been feuding with, to a record deal with Murder Inc. Gotti frequently used MDMA pills over a three-year period around 2002, which caused rifts with Jennifer Lopez and Nas. Many of his notable records were made under the influence at the time. Around 2002, Gotti began to network with record executives Suge Knight and James Prince with plans to form a union and distribution company for recording artists. All three encountered legal issues simultaneously, so the concept was halted.
  
  In January 2003, the United States government opened public investigations, which had been privately conducted during the year prior, on Gotti's and Murder Inc.'s relationship with drug lord Kenneth McGriff founder of the organized crime syndicate the Supreme Team. Due to the ongoing feuds and investigations, in December 2003, Murder Inc. changed their name to "The Inc." and did a rebrand of their website without mob imagery. During the same year Gotti executive produced Ashanti's Chapter II and Ashanti's Christmas, as well as Ja Rule's Blood in My Eye album. Gotti began working with singer Lloyd in 2004, he executive produced the albums Southside for Lloyd, R.U.L.E. for Ja Rule, and Concrete Rose for Ashanti that year.
  
  In the first five years of inception, from 1999 to 2004, the label earned $50 million in profit from the sale of 14 million CDs. Annually, the label grossed over $100 million during this period, going on to sell over 30 million albums, and nearly a $1 billion for Universal and Island Def Jam for almost a decade. Throughout the peak run of Murder Inc., Gotti worked predominately with his Top Dawg crew of producers, which included 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, Lil' Rob and Jimi Kendrix. Gotti's rate for a song at that time was as high as $250,000, ten years after he could command no more than $10,000 to produce a record.
  
  In 1997, DMX was featured on the album Vendetta by Mic Geronimo which Gotti executive produced. The same year, as Blunt Recordings was folding, Gotti left TVT to become an A&R for Def Jam Recordings. In May 1997, through Gotti, Def Jam signed DMX. Initially, there was a dispute over signing DMX and Gotti had threatened to leave the company if they did not follow through with signing him. Gotti, as executive producer, oversaw DMX's first studio album, It's Dark and Hell is Hot, which was released on May 12, 1998. The album debuted and peaked atop the Billboard 200 and sold over 250,000 copies in its first week. The album went on to sell four million copies in the United States, being certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA, and sold five million copies worldwide.
  
  Gotti was an A&R for Def Jam on the 1997 albums Back in Business by EPMD, How to Be a Player soundtrack and the 1998 albums Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood by DMX, the Belly soundtrack, and the Rush Hour soundtrack. One of his last major singles produced under solely Def Jam was " Hot Spot " by Foxy Brown. Gotti turned down demo tapes from a young 50 Cent in 1997 suggesting his sound was too similar to Jay-Z after Jam Master Jay had shown the songs for a potential record deal. 50 Cent would be featured in his first studio release on the 1998 single " React " for the Onyx album Shut 'Em Down which Gotti was the A&R for. He also advised a young Pitbull in 1998 to focus on writing records instead of only freestyle rapping. In 1998, Gotti co-produced his first Hot 100 single, which was Jay-Z's " Can I Get A... " featuring Ja Rule and Amil.
  
  After helping Def Jam with the success of Jay-Z and the pending development of DMX, the label had grown over $100 million in value, and from 1997 to 1998 Lyor Cohen planned to give Gotti his own label under Def Jam, which he co-founded with his brother Chris in 1999. While watching Biography on A&E during gangster week, Gotti saw a Murder, Inc. logo appear on the screen and decided to use the name for his label because Murder, Inc. put out hits for murder and Gotti wanted to put out hit records. The label was given $3 million to start up with, and an additional $5 million more in label advances after renegotiation. Prior to the label's founding, Gotti was first earning $30,000 a year in salary and later $60,000 annually.
  
  The first album released under Murder Inc. was Ja Rule's 1999 debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci. Gotti was the album's executive producer and oversaw the development of the entire album. The album's single " Holla Holla " earned Ja Rule his first top 40 Hot 100 hit. Gotti also executive produced Ja Rule's second studio album, Rule 3:36. Gotti contributed to a majority of the album soundtrack for The Fast and the Furious, while his brother Chris co-executive produced the album. He also contributed to the soundtrack for Romeo Must Die and executive produced Irv Gotti Presents: The Murderers. From 1999 to 2003, Gotti, Ja Rule, and Murder Inc. were all involved in a well-publicized feud with G-Unit Records, Aftermath Records, and Shady Records over the history between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.
  
  Gotti met Ashanti through a mutual friend; initially, he had too many projects to also work on her music but invited her to visit the studio while he executive produced on Ja Rule's 2001 album Pain Is Love. After months of being around the studio together, Ashanti was placed on the 2001 single " How We Roll " by Big Pun. The 2001 single "I'm Real (Murda Remix)" by Jennifer Lopez was Gotti’s first number one on the Hot 100. Following this, her "Ain't It Funny" remix, as well as Ja Rule's " Always on Time " featuring Ashanti, went to number one on the Hot 100. Ashanti's Gotti-produced 2002 debut single " Foolish " was their second number one together. "What's Luv" by Fat Joe featuring Ashanti was released a week prior and peaked at number two. In 2003, Ashanti and Gotti won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album for her self-titled debut, Ashanti. The following year, they were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song with " Rock wit U (Awww Baby) ".
  
  In 2002, Gotti released Irv Gotti Presents The Inc, featuring the Murder Inc. roster. The album, executive produced by Gotti, featured the Gotti-produced hit single, " Down 4 U ", which was a top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Gotti executive produced the album The Last Temptation for Ja Rule, and produced the single " Rainy Dayz " for Mary J. Blige the same year. His relationship with Jay-Z soured for a brief period in 2002 when Gotti tried to sign Nas, whom Jay-Z had been feuding with, to a record deal with Murder Inc. Gotti frequently used MDMA pills over a three-year period around 2002, which caused rifts with Jennifer Lopez and Nas. Many of his notable records were made under the influence at the time. Around 2002, Gotti began to network with record executives Suge Knight and James Prince with plans to form a union and distribution company for recording artists. All three encountered legal issues simultaneously, so the concept was halted.
  
  In January 2003, the United States government opened public investigations, which had been privately conducted during the year prior, on Gotti's and Murder Inc.'s relationship with drug lord Kenneth McGriff founder of the organized crime syndicate the Supreme Team. Due to the ongoing feuds and investigations, in December 2003, Murder Inc. changed their name to "The Inc." and did a rebrand of their website without mob imagery. During the same year Gotti executive produced Ashanti's Chapter II and Ashanti's Christmas, as well as Ja Rule's Blood in My Eye album. Gotti began working with singer Lloyd in 2004, he executive produced the albums Southside for Lloyd, R.U.L.E. for Ja Rule, and Concrete Rose for Ashanti that year.
  
  In the first five years of inception, from 1999 to 2004, the label earned $50 million in profit from the sale of 14 million CDs. Annually, the label grossed over $100 million during this period, going on to sell over 30 million albums, and nearly a $1 billion for Universal and Island Def Jam for almost a decade. Throughout the peak run of Murder Inc., Gotti worked predominately with his Top Dawg crew of producers, which included 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, Lil' Rob and Jimi Kendrix. Gotti's rate for a song at that time was as high as $250,000, ten years after he could command no more than $10,000 to produce a record.