FROM DERRICK PARKER:
In January 2002 I decided to retire from the NYPD. Although the decision was made with mixed feelings, I felt that it was the right thing to do. I want to apologize to my many friends of all ranks for not saying good-bye or having a retirement party. It took me some time to write this book, but when you read it you will understand why.
I especially want to thank my parents for having me, my many brothers and sisters, friends; special thanks as well go to my business partner, Glen, and my other partners, A.J. and Harvey. I want to especially thank Adam Lublin (without you we could never get this done) and Mattyoure the best and working with you was fantastic. I also wish many thanks to Joe Pollini for believing in me, and to Retired Chief Louis Anemone many thanks. A very special thanks goes out to Retired Detective Lloyd Henryyou played a big role in my life. On the hip-hop side, I cant forget Eric B. and A. J. Calloway, as well as all the great artists that have inspired me with their music. As well, I cant forget Becki Heller and St. Martins, and Kim Goldstein and the Susan Golomb Agency, for their tireless efforts. Much thanks as well to Steve Brownstein from Papa, Depaola and Brownstein and Craig Bruno of Bruno, Gerbino, and Soriano, LLP, for their sage legal guidance.
FROM MATT DIEHL:
First off, I especially wish to thank Derrick Parker for being an exemplary human being, a stand-up guy, a great, generous collaborator, and for having lived a life so fascinating to write about (a special shout-out to Derricks family for their hospitality).
Adam Lublin, meanwhile, deserves praise as the visionary architect that brought this project together. Of course, huge thanks to Becki Heller and all at St. Martins for their passionate belief in this project; Kim Goldstein and all at the Susan Golomb Agency; RichGreen, Greg McKnight, and all at Creative Artists Agency; and Matthew Guma and Ink Well Management. Other crucial supporters deserving notice include Mike Brillstein and my legal team, Jamie Feldman and Jonathan Shikora.
My good friend and longtime journalist colleague Evelyn McDonnell deserves special praise for her part in bravely breaking the hip-hop cop story in the first place, and for being a brilliant writer, period. I would also like to thank all the amazing writers that have tackled this tough topic and inspired me over the years. They include, in no particular order: Danyel Smith, Elliott Wilson, Sacha Jenkins, John Leland, Chuck Phillips, Anthony Bozza, Keleefa San-neh, Cheo Hodari Coker, Serena Kim, Jon Caramanica, Joseph Patel, Ronin Ro, Sia Michel, Randall Sullivan, Bonz Malone, Alan Light, Anthony DeCurtis, Greg Tate, Ethan Brown, Douglas Century, Kris Ex, Neil Straussthe list could go on and on A special mention must go to Joe Wood (R.I.P.) for inspiring me as a writer so early in my career. Also, many thanks to the artists that made hip-hop the fascinating, vital culture it is today, and to the magazines, newspapers, and editors that have supported me throughout my career.
Lastly, much thanks also to my family and friends, who have tirelessly supported and endured me through this project. You know who you are: to paraphrase the late, great Tupac, you are appreciated .
MURDER ING WAS THE CASE: The Federal Takedown of Hip-Hop Crime
If the nine dont kill em, then the truth will.
Tru-Life, The New New York
B Y 2003, I would find myself moving even deeper into the other side. That was the year that I found myself within the inner circle of Murder Inc., the hip-hop label best known for spawning superstars like rapper Ja Rule and R&B siren Ashanti. Almost as well known in rap circles as the labels stars is Murder Inc.s founder, Irv Gotti Lorenzo.
Irv Gotti is a colorful character, a charismatic music-biz don who models his persona after gangster movies (Gotti himself conceived and directed the Goodfellas homage video for Ashantis breakthrough hit, Foolish). Despite his thugged-out image, Gotti is more than anything a real music man. He started as a D.J. in Queens, gaining local fame as D.J. Irv; Id often see the young Gotti spinning at parks and block parties around the hood. He would later become tour D.J. for Jay-Z (who gave Gotti his mafiosi nickname) before becoming a powerful record-label executive. The mogul-in-the-making then parlayed his ability to choose the right song in the D.J. booth to becoming a rap producer, making beats for rap stars like DMX. Gottis ears eventually landed him A&R positions first with independent label TVT Records and then Def Jam Records. In 1999, after signing DMX and churning out hits for Jay-Z, Gotti was given backing by Def Jam to start his own subsidiary label, Murder Inc.
If theres a theme to Murder Inc.s saga, its that Gottis relentless about Godfather -style family loyalty. If youre an insider within the Murder Inc. camp, youre expected to ride or die for the crew; in The Inc., one for all and all for one goes for everyone, from the man on top through the artists down to the street teams and interns. It was no surprise to me, then, that Irv Gotti chose his brother Chris for Murder Inc.s second-in-command lieutenant. And it was Chris who would be my way in to the Murder Inc. world.
When I was first retiring from the NYPD, Chris Gotti approached me about working with him on his personal-security issues. Security was definitely on Murder Inc.s mind because of the beef between Ja Rule and 50 Cent, which by 2003, was boiling at an all-time high. 50s debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin, had just come out, and it was a smash multi-platinum hit. On numerous songs throughout Get Rich , 50 brutally taunts Ja Rule as a wanksta wannabe. Meanwhile, as 50s star grew, he flaunted their beef in every interview he did, dissing Ja from every concert stage he stood on.
Apparently 50s flagrant taunting got to someone. On January 16, 2003, a shooter went to the offices of 50s management company, Violator, leaving six rounds of retaliatory bullets in his wake. No one was hurt, but the incident left significant property damageand an omnipresent feeling that no one was safe, anywhere. The beef between Ja and 50 was, and remains, a hip-hop crisis, a hot zone that could go off at any time. Considering the street reputations involved, when that beef comes to its inevitable end, its going to be a bloody war to the death.
Beef aside, what made things especially tough for Murder Inc. was that success is always the best revenge, and 50 now had it in spades. Get Rich Or Die Tryin would set records by selling 872,000 units alone in the week following its release on February 6, 2003, and would go on to sell over ten million copies. Alternatively, while most of Ja Rules releases have gone at least platinum, his 2003 album, Blood In My Eye filled with retaliatory rants against 50couldnt even reach gold status (the Record Industry Association of Americas classification for albums that ship at least 500,000 copies).
Yes, in 2003, Murder Inc. was a company under the gunand not just from other rappers. As I would soon learn, the stakes with Murder Inc. were bigger than any mere street shit. With all this turbulence around the company, Chris Gotti wanted someone with him who was reputable, so he reached out to yours truly. After all, who was more reputable than an ex-homicide detective from the NYPD? As for working with a label with such an infamous reputation in the rap game, well, I was nervousbut I wanted to see for myself and experience hip-hop from the inside -inside for once. I wanted to see if all my research and intelligence compiled during my NYPD years really added up.
