Murder, Inc.
After helping Def Jam with the success of DMX and Ja Rule, Russell Simmons gave Irv Gotti his own label under Def Jam. While watching "Biography" on A&amp;E during gangster week, a Murder, Inc. logo appeared on the screen and Irv Gotti decided to use the name for his label because Murder, Inc. put out hits for murder and Irv wanted to put out hit records. In 1999, Murder Inc. released its first album, "Venni Vetti Vecci" by Ja Rule. The album featured the hit single "Holla Holla" and soon went Platinum in the U.S., which made Ja Rule and Murder Inc. among the most popular artists and labels in the industry, respectively.