BET is launching upcoming original docuseries MURDER INC. detailing “the untold tale of the rise, sudden fall and redemption” of label founder Irv Gotti and Murder Inc. Records, Billboard can exclusively report. Executive produced by Gotti himself and musician Ja Rule, the five-part series will premiere this summer, and includes exclusive archival footage, taking viewers behind the scenes through the label’s roller-coaster trajectory over the last two decades.
“I got to start my record label with Ja Rule by my side,” Gotti said in a statement. “My life was filled with great lows, but I’m not ashamed of those lows. It all helped make me the person I am today. With this documentary series, I plan to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.”
Pushing forward the careers of chart-topping acts including Ashanti, Lloyd, Ja Rule and others, Murder Inc. Records was founded by Gotti, who at the time was an executive at Def Jam Records, having played a paramount role in the successes of DMX and Jay-Z, among others. With the support of Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, Gotti launched Murder Inc. Records in 1999.
The years following Murder Inc.’s rapid rise were tumultuous, including the label’s offices being raided by federal agents in 2003. A number of feuds and financial setbacks occurred for the label, leading to a rebranding as “The Inc.” and eventual decline.
“Pain is love,” Ja Rule, referencing his platinum-selling album on the label, said in a statement. “We endured the pain so others could feel the love.”
In 2017, Gotti began a new chapter for Murder Inc., relaunching the label in partnership with Kevin Liles and 300 Entertainment.
The series will arrive during a trend of successful music documentaries, including Coodie and Chike’s Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.
“Music is in our DNA. We thank our longstanding partner Irv Gotti, and the many talented artists at the iconic label for trusting our brand to tell their personal and inspiring stories,” Tiffany Lea Williams, executive vice president of BET Unscripted Programming, said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing viewers a compelling music documentary series that reveals how this label consequently changed the music industry forever.”