Dame Dash had a heartfelt convo with fellow Hip Hip mogul Irv Gotti just before he passed away earlier this month – despite not having been on the best of terms.
In a recent convo on Dame’s America Nu Network YouTube channel, the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder reflected on the text he sent Irv when he learned he was sick.
“It’s the type of thing where I’m not surprised based on what I knew was going on with his health and the way he was approaching it, but it’s still shocking,” Dame noted. “Regardless to what our relationship was in that very moment, you know we brothers. We known each other almost 30 years.”
He continued: “Me and Irv weren’t seeing eye to eye for the last couple years, but when I found out the struggles, I texted him and I said, ‘Irv, regardless of what – we brothers and I don’t wanna see you die.’ I was looking at the text today. ‘Let me know how I can help you.’
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“And he sent back, ‘Yo, I’m getting better Dame!’ But if I was in his life […] I would have made it a lifestyle for him. I would have made it uncool to neglect your health because, you know, to die over food don’t make no sense. Food is not that good that you should leave this world for it and that your family should have to have you be absent.”
“I don’t wanna see you die.”
Dame Dash reacts to the passing of Irv Gotti and reveals he reached out to Irv Gotti after discovering his struggles with diabetes despite them not seeing eye to eye in the last couple of years of Irv Gotti’s life.
(🎥America Nu Network/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/n3yXI1s9Xa
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) February 7, 2025
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Irv Gotti’s death on Wednesday (February 5), not long after reports broke that he had suffered a second stroke, following one last year.
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Irv, born Irving Lorenzo Jr., co-founded the Murder Inc. label with his brother Chris in 1998. Ja Rule quickly became the label’s flagship artist, with hit albums like Rule 3:36 and Pain Is Love. Many of his most popular songs, like “Holla Holla” and the Ashanti duet “Always on Time,” were produced by Gotti.
Murder Inc. also released projects by Ashanti, Lloyd and Vanessa Carlton, among others.
As a producer, many (though not all) of Irv’s biggest songs involved Murder Inc. artists, including “What’s Luv?” by Fat Joe featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule, and the “Murder Remix” of Jennifer Lopez and Ja’s “I’m Real.” Gotti was also responsible for JAY-Z’s “Can I Live” and DMX’s “What’s My Name.” You can see his full production discography here.
In 2003, Murder Inc.’s headquarters were raided by the federal government, as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering by drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Irv and Chris were charged in 2005 with money laundering, but beat the charges at trial.
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In August of last year, a rep for Gotti confirmed with TMZ that the mogul was recovering after suffering a “minor stroke” about six months prior.
Irv Gotti’s cause of death has not been reported as of this writing.
