Famed music executive Irv Gotti, founder of hip-hop label Murder Inc. which produced superstars including Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died at the age of 54, according to the record’s distributor Def Jam.

A founder of Murder Inc. Records, he helped launch the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti and was credited as a producer on 28 records that made the Billboard Hot 100.

Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. on June 26, 1970, was a key figure in the sound of ‘90s and 2000s hip-hop, when brash lyricism and outsized personalities blended seamlessly with pop hooks and R&B tenderness.

Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at 54. He helped launch careers for talent such as Ashanti, DMX and Ja Rule.

The producer, who died on Wednesday, built Murder Inc. into one of the most influential record labels of the early 2000s. His career was marred by a federal investigation and trial.