Irv Gotti attends the BET Networks 2016 Upfront at Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 20, 2016 in New York City.
D Dipasupil/BET/Getty Images for BET Networks
Irv Gotti passed away earlier this week at the age of 54.
While most remember him as the head of the Murder Inc. record label and their massive hits, Gotti got his start as a producer, talent scout, and an A&R before he talked Russell Simmons and Def Jam into giving him his own label. The Queens product famously had the foresight to introduce both Jay-Z and DMX to the storied label where the two MCs helped Def Jam reach unprecedented mainstream success at the time. Instead of focusing on the hugely successful singles he produced like Ashanti‘s “Foolish” or J.Lo‘s “I’m Real”, I decided to zero in on his non-hit b-sides as some have aged gracefully and have become underrated fan-favorites.
Now, I couldn’t include songs like Mic Geronimo’s “S—t’s Real” or DMX’s “What’s My Name” because those records had varying degrees of chart success when they were released. The same goes for songs like Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A…” featuring Amil and Ja Rule, “Grand Finale” featuring Nas, Method Man, Rule, and X, and Ja’s song “Holla, Holla”. Aside from “Can I Get A…” which introduced most of the world to Ja Rule and was a club banger at the time — the others I mentioned served as “street singles” as a way to placate rap fans who didn’t care much for radio-friendly rap singles when they went to buy certain albums from certain artists.
Irv has proven to be versatile when it came to the art of making beats and the list below further illustrates that versatility. Check out my picks for the 11 best b-sides produced by the late record executive.
May he rest in peace.
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“4 My Click”
Artist: Ca$h Money Click feat. Mic Geronimo
Album: N/A
Co-Producer: N/ABefore Ja Rule was on Murder Inc. and before Cash Money Records took over for the 9-9, he was in a rap group alongside Chris Black and O-1, and their group was named after the Cash Money Brothers from the 1991 film New Jack City. Although they never got to release their debut album, the have tracks like “4 My Click” that made some noise. The beat samples Maynard Ferguson’s “Mister Mellow” and it reminds me of the music you hear during a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas loading screen. The west coast funk influence was strong during this time, thanks to Dre’s game-changing Chronic album.
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“Time to Build”
Artist: Mic Geronimo feat. Ja Rule, DMX, & Jay-Z
Album: The Natural (1995)
Co-Producer: N/AYes, that’s Ja, X, and Jay on the same track way back in 1995 (which feels like ages ago these days). Around this time, Irv was behind Queens MC Mic Geronimo and had the foresight to put them all on the same song together. He knew when he heard greatness and tried to put a spotlight on it. Rappers need to make posse cuts a thing again. Just four wordsmiths on the same song trying to outdo each other.
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“We Don’t Give A F—k”
Artist: DMX feat. Jadakiss & Styles P
Album: Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)
Co-Producer: Dat N—a RebThe words, “Used to be my dawg, you was in my left titty/ Screamed, ‘Ryde or Die!,’ I thought you would die wit’ me/ Found out you a b—ch, you can’t even ryde wit’ me/ Now it’s a war, and you ain’t on the side wit’ me,” are etched into my brain and I will rap along to this song whenever it comes on. Gotti produced this banger alongside Dat N—a Reb during a time in rap when album cuts were almost always better than the lead singles. This one right here is a staple on the workout playlist.
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“Watch Me”
Artist: Jay-Z feat. Dr. Dre
Album: Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
Co-Producer: Lil RobEasily one of my favorite tracks on what has probably become Jay’s most underrated album, I went through a good portion of my life thinking Dre produced this because he’s featured on the hook. The bounce on this joint is nuts and you’ll feel me more once you give it the car test as you find yourself rapping, “Gun too brocky behave, Big Shot/ Plus, I’m feelin’ like Rocky these days.”
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“Story to Tell”
Artist: Ja Rule
Album: Belly OST (1998)
Co-producer: N/AThis one right here is a sleeper on one of the best movie soundtracks of all time, back when film studios cared about that kinda a thing. We really used to be a proper country, let me tell you. Big has a better song with essentially the same title, but this one bangs nonetheless. Ja Rule’s street raps have become underrated over time and that’s a bit unfortunate. This track has always been a favorite of mine whenever I’ve given the Belly soundtrack a spin.
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“You’re Only a Customer”
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: Dangerous Ground OST (1997)/Streets Is Watching OST (1998)
Co-Producer: N/ADo you hear that beat? The way Irv flipped that Mary J. Blige “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” remix should be taught in Hip-Hop Beatmaking 101. And when Jay rapped, “As you thumb through The Source, I read the Robb Report,” it really opened my brain up because I had no clue what the Robb Report was when this song dropped. Jigga was trying to put us onto the finer things in life from the very beginning.
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“Kill ‘Em All”
Artist: Ja Rule feat. Jay-Z
Album: Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)
Co-Producer: SelfI remember this track being teased at the end of the video for “It’s Murda” and then being a bit disappointed that Jay was only on the hook. The beat remained a favorite either way, though. That “Come On and Dream Some Paradise” sample flip is just genius. I do still wish Jay would unleash the verse he had on this. There’s no way he didn’t lay one down after hearing this beat.
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“It’s Murda”
Artist: Ja Rule feat. DMX & Jay-Z
Album: Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)
Co-Producer: Ty FyffeThis song, “Murdergram”, and that XXL cover had the streets in a frenzy — and it’s a damn shame we never got that Jay, Ja, and DMX Murder Inc. album. Shout out Norman Whitfield and David Ruffin for creating the masterpiece that is “Smiling Faces Sometimes,” so that it could be one day sampled to create one of the most gangster rap songs ever to be put on wax. Someone to Jay to get those original Murder Inc. tracks out the vault. They have to exist somewhere. The streets need that!
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“Dial M for Murder”
Artist: Ja Rule
Album: Pain Is Love (2001)
Co-Producer: Ty FyffeI’m gonna be honest here, since this is a safe space and all: Now, I wasn’t fully a 50 Cent fan, but even I was a little turned off to Ja’s pivot to mainstream R&B rap, and wasn’t the biggest fan of this album. I say that to say: This beat is underrated because of that. Everyone really remembers the big singles from this album, like “Livin’ It Up” and “Always on Time” — which were great records to hear at a party or on the radio, but not really for when you’re on the block or hotboxin’ the whip, like this one is. The “Dial M” version I remember most, though, is the “remix” from the Diplomats Volume 1 mixtape where Cam’ron added a disgusting verse to the end.
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“Intro”
Artist: DMX
Album: It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998)
Co-Producer: Lil RobWhen we talk about greatest rap album intros, we have to talk about DMX’s debut. The only needle drop that can compare is when the arena lights go dark and that Undertaker gong hits that part of your soul that makes your hairs stand up. What else needs to be said? This beat is menacing in every sense of the word. Whenever X asks me, “What have you done now?” I feel like I just mistakingly unleashed a demon into the streets of NYC.
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“Can I Live”
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Co-Producer: N/AOne of the most important songs in Jay’s catalog, “Can I Live” can serve as a thesis to the way he chose to live his past life and how he’s applied those experiences to his legit business ventures. An essay can be written on what he says on the track’s intro alone. “We hustle out of a sense of hopelessness, sort of a desperation,” he begins, “Through that desperation, we become addicted, sort of like the fiends we accustomed to servin’. But we feel we have nothin’ to lose, so we offer you, well, we offer our lives, right? What do you bring to the table?”
He then spits a couple of the flyest verses ever put on wax as he rides over Irv’s luxurious beat like a 1996 Lexus GS300. Those strings and horns are life-changing. There’s been a clip floating around of Irv Gotti and Jigga sitting in a studio talking about this specific track as Irv remakes the beat. I suggest you watch it.