Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer and record executive. He co-founded the record label Murder Inc. Records in 1998, which was an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. He received production credits for most of the recordings by artists signed to the label—including Ja Rule, Lloyd, and Ashanti—as well as other artists such as Jennifer Lopez, DMX, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Fat Joe, and Eve, among others. Gotti is also the creator of the BET series Tales.
Vanessa Lee Carlton is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her debut album, Be Not Nobody (2002), released by A&M Records, received a platinum certification in the United States, and her debut single "A Thousand Miles" spent 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nominations. The album also spawned the singles "Ordinary Day" and "Pretty Baby". Her next album, Harmonium (2004) debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200. The album marked a stalwart divergence from pressure from record label executives who wanted to influence the recording. After departing from A&M in 2005, Carlton released Heroes & Thieves in 2007. Despite minimal chart success, the album was a critical success, receiving praise from Metacritic, AllMusic, PopMatters, and USA Today.
Be Not Nobody is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on April 30, 2002, through A&M Records. As of late 2004 the album had sold 1.38 million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan, and Variety magazine reported in July 2003 that it had sold 2.3 million worldwide. Billboard magazine placed Carlton at number twenty-one on its year-end "Top Pop Artists" list for 2002.
Stephan Douglas Jenkins is an American singer, guitarist, and the frontman of the alternative rock band Third Eye Blind. He began his musical career in 1992 as part of the short-lived rap duo Puck and Natty, alongside Detroit rapper Herman Anthony Chunn. Following the breakup of the duo, Jenkins and guitarist Kevin Cadogan formed Third Eye Blind in 1993. The band released their eponymous debut studio album in 1997, which went multi-platinum in the United States. Since then, they have released nine more albums: Blue (1999), Out of the Vein (2003), Ursa Major (2009), Dopamine (2015), We Are Drugs (2016), Thanks for Everything(cover album) (2018), Screamer (2019), Our Bande Apart (2021), and Unplugged (2022). As part of Third Eye Blind, Jenkins has received one Billboard Music Award and eight California Music Awards.
Harmonium is the second album by American pop singer-pianist Vanessa Carlton, released by A&M Records on October 21, 2004. Carlton co-wrote some of the album with Stephan Jenkins, her then-boyfriend and the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, who produced the album. Harmonium debuted outside the top 20 on the US Billboard 200, and sales fell considerably short of those of Carlton's debut album, Be Not Nobody (2002). Its only single in the US, "White Houses", was not a top 40 hit; two other singles, "Private Radio" and "Who's to Say", were released only in Asia. The album wasn't as commercially successful as its predecessor, which Carlton attributed to poor promotion, and led to her departure from A&M Records in mid-2005. She toured through the US during 2004 and '05 in support of the album.
Concrete Rose is the fourth studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on December 14, 2004, by The Inc. Records and Def Jam Recordings. In addition to working with frequent collaborators Irv Gotti, Chink Santana, and 7 Aurelius, Ashanti also enlisted new collaborators Malcolm Flythe, Jimi Kendrix, and Demi-Doc, to assist. The album features guest appearances from rappers T.I., Ja Rule, and Lloyd.
"I'm Real" is the name of two songs recorded by American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, both primarily for her second studio album, J.Lo (2001). The original song was released as the album's third single; Ja Rule of Murder Inc. Records wrote and was featured on a newly-written song with completely different lyrics and production titled "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", which was featured on a re-issue of J.Lo in July 2001, on Lopez's remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002), and on Ja Rule's third studio album, Pain Is Love (2001).
"A Thousand Miles" is the debut single of American pop singer Vanessa Carlton. Produced by Curtis Schweitzer and Ron Fair, the song was released as the lead single for Carlton's first album, Be Not Nobody (2002). First released to US radio in February 2002, it became Carlton's biggest hit in the United States and her only single to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. The song also experienced commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, number three in Ireland, and the top 10 in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
"White Houses" is a song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton and Stephan Jenkins, and recorded for Vanessa Carlton's second album Harmonium (2004). Produced by Jenkins, it was released as the album's first single in 2004.
A Public Affair is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on 26 August 2006 in the United States by Epic Records. The album is Simpson's first effort following her divorce from Nick Lachey.
"Blindfold Me" is a hip hop song by American singer Kelis from her fourth studio album, Kelis Was Here (2006). It was written and produced by Sean Garrett and Polow da Don. A remix, featuring American rapper Nas, was released as the album's second single in the United States on October 3, 2006. Although the Neptunes were long-time collaborators of Kelis, Kelis Was Here was her first album without their involvement as she opted for a more diverse team of record producers, which included Garrett and Polow da Don.
Heroes & Thieves is the third album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released by The Inc. Records on October 9, 2007. It is co-produced by Irv Gotti, Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who produced Carlton's second album, Harmonium (2004), and Carlton co-wrote the tracks with Perry and Jenkins. It is Carlton's only album on The Inc. Records, after Irv Gotti signed her to a record deal there in late 2006, and Gotti has said that Heroes & Thieves is the first album on which he is acting as "co-pilot" rather than "dictator".
Soulful is the debut studio album from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, released on December 9, 2003 by J Records. The record received mixed reviews from critics divided over the quality of the track listing and Ruben's vocal performance. Soulful debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned two singles: "Sorry 2004" and "What If".
Bring Me the Workhorse is the debut studio album from the American rock group My Brightest Diamond.
"Damaged" is a song by American recording group TLC. It was written by band member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and long time contributor Dallas Austin and recorded for the band's fourth studio album, 3D (2002), the latter also serving as its producer. The lyrics of the song talk about freedom and healing from hurt and pain.
"Nolita Fairytale" is a song by Vanessa Carlton, the first single from her third album, Heroes & Thieves, released digitally on the iTunes Store and to American radio stations on July 17, 2007.
"Give It Up to Me" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira featuring American rapper Lil Wayne, taken from the deluxe version of the former's eighth studio album She Wolf. It was released on 19 October 2009, by Epic Records as the third single from the album. The song was written by Shakira, Amanda Ghost, Dwayne Carter and Timbaland. Timbaland also served as the producer of the song. Musically, "Give It Up to Me" is a synthpop and hip hop song that incorporates sexually suggestive lyrics. The song features uncredited vocals from Timbaland.
Jordin Sparks is the debut album by the American pop and R&B singer Jordin Sparks, released on November 20, 2007, in the United States, and November 27, 2007, in Canada. In the United States, it debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 with sales of 119,000 copies in the first week. It contains four top twenty singles, with "Tattoo" reaching number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "No Air" reaching number three. The album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide and is her best-selling album. Sparks supported the album with the As I Am Tour and Jesse & Jordin LIVE Tour. The album was certified Platinum for sales in excess of 1,000,000 by the RIAA in the US on December 12, 2008.
Murder Inc. Records, LLC, also abbreviated as The Inc. Records, is an American record label founded by brothers Chris and Irv Gotti in 1998. The label's flagship artist was Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. had sold over 30 million units worldwide and grossed over $500 million. Murder Inc. was headquartered at One Worldwide Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, while their main studio was The Crackhouse, also located in New York City.
"Love Rain" is a 2000 song by Jill Scott. Co-written with Vidal Davis, the soul song describes a young couple's summer romance, including sexually graphic lyrics and weather metaphors. Scott employs spoken word as well as breathy and syncopated vocals, while a remix includes a verse by American rapper Mos Def.
