Irv Gotti
Photo: MTV News

It's official, people. Mixtape Daily is here. That's right, daily. Mixtape Monday had a phenomenal run. For over six years, the weekly segment became an institution. Every week, it was your one-stop shop for everything related to the streets. But we promised you bigger and better things in 2009, and we're men of our word. We're going to keep bringing you all the exclusives and insight you've come to expect. We're just expanding and refocusing.

Behind the Beats: Irv Gotti

For our Behind the Beats feature, you can look forward to hearing from your favorite DJs or producers every single week. While the artists are in the forefront of the industry, let's not forget the DJs and producers — we have love for all you guys.

No more travelling all the way downtown to SoHo for the Queens native — Irv Gotti's moved on up to a new plush three-room recording studio in midtown Manhattan.

"All the energy is compacted into one floor," he said with a grin.

Gotti can still boast one of the most remarkable runs in hip-hop — in the late '90s, he brought DMX, Jay-Z, Ja Rule and his own Murder Inc. label to Def Jam. As an executive, he was on fire, but as a producer, he was even hotter. Platinum plaques left and right for albums and singles, mostly by his artists Ja Rule and Ashanti. Along the way, he gave Jay-Z one of his breakthrough songs ("Can I Get A ... "), helped Fat Joe reach superstar status with "What's Luv?" and gave J. Lo street cred with "I'm Real." Yes, he was in demand and wasn't afraid to let you know.

"Murder Inc. got all the hits, everyone's calling me," he said of his run behind the boards earlier this decade. "The illest sh-- I ever did, I made somebody pay me $50,000 just to get on the phone with me. I was an a--hole at the highest level. I was like, 'Send me 50 [grand] and I'll get on the phone. If not, get the f--- outta here, a--hole!' 'Yo, it's a quarter. Yeah, you heard me, $50,000. I ain't stutter!' "

Still, despite his track record, I.G.'s sound (a lot of hits were the result of working with co-producers 7 Aurelius and Chink Santana) hasn't been heard on the radio lately. He says the interest of the industry has shifted.

"You know what happens — the music business is di-- riders for the better part," Gotti explained. "I understand it ... so they want a Dream beat right now or a Polow Da Don [track] or whatever like that. They're di-- riders. I can say that with the utmost confidence because they di-- rode me for a number of times.

"A lot of people was telling me, 'You was an a--hole, you should get humbled,' " he added. "I did get humbled but, honestly, the game don't have love for you. So if you wanna be an a--hole, go ahead. They only f--- with you when you're hot. If you not hot, they gonna tell your humble ass, 'Get the f--- outta here.' It's no love."

Gotti isn't tripping — he says he'll be back in-demand soon, thanks to the beats he's cooking up in his new studio space.

"I'm gonna go in the studio with my band of thieves and plot and create some sh-- again, 'cause it's just in me to do it. And after I do it, if I wanna be humble, I'll be humble. If I wanna say, 'F--- y'all,' I'll say, 'F--- y'all.' "

Five-Star Stellar Irv-Produced Hits

» Jay-Z (featuring Ja Rule and Amil) - "Can I Get A ... "
» Ja Rule (featuring Ashanti) - "Always on Time"
» Fat Joe (featuring Ashanti) - "What's Luv?"
» Jennifer Lopez (featuring Ja Rule) - "I'm Real"

Hottest Streak Thus Far

From 2000 to 2002, when he dropped Ja Rule's Rule 3:36 and Pain Is Love, as well as Ashanti's self-titled debut LP.

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• Irv Gotti
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Kanye West (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Kanye West and a small entourage checked out "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" composer/songwriter Jon Brion's performance on Friday at Largo in Los Angeles. Apparently this wasn't the first time the Grammy-winning rapper has stopped by to watch Brion play at his weekly residency, but if Kanye would have stuck around for the second set, he would have witnessed inventive bluegrass takes on Radiohead and Strokes songs. ...

Jessica Simpson was treated for dehydration due to a stomach virus at a Chicago hospital on Monday while in town to shoot a segment for Friday's "Oprah." Simpson's stay was brief, and she returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday. Her rep said the singer is "already feeling better." ...

Jay-Z announced Tuesday (February 22) that he's opening an education center focusing on music, sports and fashion. The S. Carter Academy in New York will open in the spring, with enrollment starting in March, around the same time a commercial with Jay and New York Knicks star Jamal Crawford promoting the facility is scheduled to start airing. ... Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, currently incarcerated while awaiting trial on charges of murder and racketeering in the Murder Inc. drug-money scandal, has been put in solitary confinement at the Manhattan Detention Center. According to his lawyer, prosecutors requested that McGriff be taken out of the general population because he is a "problem" inmate. The defense has since complained about the move, causing the judge in the case to look into the matter. McGriff is due back in court on March 18, the same day as Irv and Chris Gotti. ...

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is going solo — in his personal life, anyway. The singer announced Sunday that he is separating from his wife of 17 years, Teresa, according to The Associated Press. He has two kids with Teresa: Chelsea, 16, and Taj, 13. In a statement released by his publicist, Tyler announced the split and said, "We're just a family trying to work through a difficult time." ... Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and Aerosmith's Joe Perry are among the musicians who have designed Gibson guitars to be auctioned off to benefit the Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research. The auction will be held May 3 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles and online at www.juliensauctions.com. ...

Phil Lesh has been tapped to host the fifth annual Jammy Awards, to be held April 26 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The awards, which honor the world's best jam bands, will be given out in eight categories, including Live Performance of the Year, Archival Live Album of the Year and New Groove of the Year. ... Erykah Badu has recently been in the studio with the Neptunes working on her next album. The follow-up to 2003's Worldwide Underground is expected to be released later this year. ...

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Henry Rollins is taking his talking show "Caught in the Zipper" to the Zipper Theater in New York for a slew of dates. The volatile singer/spoken-word artist will perform there March 22-27, March 29, and March 31-April 2. ... Glenn Danzig will reunite with his old Misfits bandmate Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein at shows February 28 at the Roxy Theatre in Boston, March 1 at the Spirit Performance Center in New York, and March 2 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The duo, who performed together for the first time in 20 years at two surprise West Coast dates last year, will play a 30-minute set of Misfits favorites after Danzig's regular set in support of his new album, Circle of Snakes. Danzig also recently completed Black Aria II, the follow-up to 1993's classical album Black Aria, and is writing a movie adaptation of "Gerouge," one of the comic-book titles distributed by his Verotik publishing company. ...

02.18.2005

Nobody can accuse 50 Cent of being stingy. He invited a bevy of radio-contest winners and famous folk like Foxy Brown, Lil Scrappy, Funkmaster Flex, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh to his mansion in Connecticut for an album-release party Thursday night. The festivities took place at a club 50 actually has inside his house, and the whole G-Unit — with the exception of Game — performed. ...

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Phil Spector's trial for the 2003 murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson will begin on September 16, a judge ruled on Thursday, according to Reuters. The legendary record producer is accused of shooting Clarkson at his home near Los Angeles. Spector has claimed that Clarkson committed suicide. ... One of the alleged conspirators in the Murder Inc. drug-money scandal was sentenced to prison Thursday on separate charges of gun possession. Tyran "Ta Ta" Moore, who had refused to cooperate with the federal investigation of Murder Inc. and its connection to drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, was sentenced to prison for six years, with an additional three years of supervised release, a probation-like condition which requires him to continue treatment for substance abuse. As for McGriff, he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on charges of murder and racketeering on Thursday. He's facing the death penalty if convicted. ...

Will Smith has been tapped as master of ceremonies for the March 19 AIDS benefit concert in George, South Africa, which will feature 150 local and international stars who have agreed to perform for free, according to Reuters. The actor/rapper will introduce acts including Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor, Annie Lennox and India.Arie at the 46664 concert, named for former South African president Nelson Mandela's prison number. ... Prince will be honored with the NAACP Vanguard Award at the March 19 NAACP Image Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, according to Reuters. Prince is already up for two awards, while Usher leads the pack with five nominations. The show will air on March 25 on FOX. ...

FOX's "The O.C." will release the fourth installment in the show's mixtape series on April 5. The O.C. Mix 4 features "Scarecrow," off Beck's upcoming album, Guero; "The View," from Modest Mouse's 2004 album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News; and a cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" by Matt Pond PA. Also included are tracks by the Futureheads, Pinback and Sufjan Stevens, among others. ... Conor Oberst currently melts the hearts of indie girls everywhere as the dreamy frontman of Bright Eyes. But that wasn't always the case. And now you can own the proof. Currently up for bid on eBay is the 1995 Creighton Preparatory High School yearbook, featuring the freshman picture of a bespectacled, baby-faced Oberst. Currently, the high bid tops $200. ...

First Jessica and Ashlee Simpson traded barbs over Ice Breakers, and now another sister act is shilling for the mints. Hilary and Haylie Duff star in a commercial where they disagree supposedly for the first time ever. "We agree on absolutely everything," Hilary said in a statement. "So when she thought that Ice Breakers Liquid Ice was liquid and I thought it was ice, well, I knew she had to be right, and she knew I had to be right!" The sisters are also offering an online sweepstakes to go on a Beverly Hills, California, shopping spree with the two of them. ... Xzibit is embarking on a 10-city tour, starting March 18 in San Francisco. The rapper will hit Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Detroit before wrapping things up in Chicago on April 4. ... Danger Mouse has completed production on the new Gorillaz album, Demon Days. The album is due out May 24. ...

"Amerrrrrrricccca, have you heard?/ There's a brand new dance called 'The Bird.' " Well maybe not too new. "The Bird" has to be about 20 years old, but on Thursday night at the Apollo Theater in New York, Morris Day and the Time were flapping their wings just like they did in the Purple Rain days. Mo and co. performed, singing all their hits (except a much-called-for "Ice Cream Castles"). The Ohio Players opened up. ... Richie Sambora taped a guest appearance last week for the CBS sitcom "Still Standing," in which he plays a character named Reverend Roach. Though the Bon Jovi Web site lists the guitarist's episode as airing February 28, a spokesperson for the show said that the episode will now air at a later date, "probably May." ...

• Kanye West
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• The Inc.
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• The Neptunes

Ashanti
Photo: MTV News

The artists on the Inc. frequently speak of the label as family. But what happens to that family if its head — Irv Gotti — is convicted of the money-laundering charges facing him?

Gotti, whose real name is Irving Lorenzo, has an employment contract with the Universal Music Group. (Universal owns Def Jam Recordings, which has a joint-venture agreement with the Inc.) In it, there is a provision that he must not be convicted of any felonies, according to sources familiar with the situation. This is a standard clause and does not reflect the federal investigation (see "Irv Gotti Pleads Not Guilty, Released On $1 Million Bond"), as it predates the 2003 raid on the Inc.'s offices. But should he be convicted, Gotti would be considered in material breach of his employment contract, and it would be automatically terminated.

This would have a ripple effect — because if Gotti is terminated, he'd be unable to fulfill his duties as head of the label, which would automatically dissolve the Inc.'s joint-venture agreement with Def Jam. Def Jam would have the option to buy the remaining 50 percent of the Inc. that it does not already own from Gotti at a reduced price, and effectively take control of the label. Def Jam would then own the artist contracts, the masters and the catalog.

Regardless of their individual contracts, Ja Rule and Ashanti would then become Def Jam artists, as would the other artists still on the roster, such as singer Lloyd and MCs Caddillac Tah and Black Child.

If Irv were unable to helm the label, it's possible that control of the company could revert to his brother Chris, who is the label's president, but since they are up on the same charges, that scenario seems unlikely.

"The company has gone through some negative vibes and things," Ashanti recently said of the label's legal difficulties, "but we're all strong. We're all fighters. I didn't have anything to do with it, but it just made us stronger, made us closer, and we're getting through."

This joint-venture arrangement between the two record labels is scheduled to last until 2007, according to sources — but now it depends on how fast the feds make their case.

• The Inc.
• Irv Gotti
• Ashanti
• Ja Rule