Recently Ja's The Mirror got pushed back, what was the main reason for that?

Irv Gotti: Sampling issues. We have a lot of samples that's great with great songs, but as you know with some samples it's like five or six writers on it. You have to reach out to every writer. There's an opera sample on there that's a huge record that we want to be on the album. So, this of course delays and pushes it back. But we're still working and we're still pushing forward, and as soon as we get everything situated the album's coming out.

On the show, you guys argue about having that one smash hit single? was "Uh Oh" the secret weapon that you guys were talking about?

Irv Gotti: No, "Uh Oh" was always just a record that we put out. That was the street record. There are different records, like "Father Forgive Me," "Body," "Judas," "Love is Pain," these are records that are yet to be seen that we are going to unleash. "Father Forgive Me" is a Beatles sample.

Do you think that's the biggest track on the album?

Irv Gotti: For us to pull off the miracle that everyone thinks we can't pull off, which is getting Ja to sell a bunch of records, I think we have to be creative and different. And it has to work and respond to the people. Something like "Eleanor Rigby" and Ja doing it over. I think if that record can work, that can be something that catapults him straight to the top.

Do you think this is his last shot at a comeback? You've said on the show that there's one shot...

Irv Gotti: You know what's funny with that...Look at J. Lo. J. Lo's a huge artist. And Epic is dropping her right now. There are reports all over the Internet that Epic is dropping her. The conversation I had with Ja wasn't a Ja Rule conversation; I was explaining to him from the state of the music business that we're in. The state of the music business that we're in is I don't give a fuck who you are. If you drop the ball, that president is slapping you in the ass and going "Yo, you can get the fuck out of here." Shit is rough right now. And an act like J. Lo, these acts are expensive. Celebrities and stars have it worse off than the new acts. Someone like J. Lo, it's probably 100 grand just to take a picture with her. So how am I taking a picture with her for 100 grand, and she's moving 50 thousand units the first week? It's not going to fly. You're going to have to get her butt out of here.

Right

Irv Gotti: So it's harder on the more established acts. Why? Because the more established acts have made and generated money. If they're making and generating money, they're not going for the okie-doke like the new acts. They're not doing a 360 deal. They're going into the fucking label and they are going to say, "I want my money!" And if they're saying, "I want my money!" the label is going to say, "All right, you better fucking sell some records." And the minute they don't sell any records, they're going to kick their ass right up out of there. So the conversation I was having with Ja wasn't about him per se. It was a nice editing trick in the show. They turned it into that. It does pertain to Ja, but what I'm saying is that it pertains to everybody in the business now.

Makes sense...

Irv Gotti: Look at the sales. Look at "Ay Bay Bay." That was the biggest song in the fucking country and he did 20-fucking-thousand units. This is the music business that we're in. The Internet has totally taken the music business and stuck a big fat dick in its ass and now it's fucked it. Now we're trying to wiggle it out our asses and get that fucking shit up out of our ass and it's tough. And it's tough for everyone. 50 just now went over platinum. I know he's sitting back like "What the fuck is going on?" He's going to bottom out at like a million-two. [laughs]

You said that the label execs will tap them on their ass and tell them to break and be like "Listen, get up out of here"...

Irv Gotti: That's what they're doing to J. Lo's big old ass. They're patting her big old ass to get up out of here. And please, no disrespect to J. Lo. J. Lo is a friend. I love J. Lo and I want to work with her, and I think it's fucked up that Epic is releasing reports like that without cleaning it up. Because it's all over the Internet that they're about to drop J. Lo, and she's one of the biggest stars. Forget music, she's one of the biggest stars in the world. So you know, the wrath doesn't escape anyone.

Ja's kind of like your brother in a sense, but you are almost like his boss. Is that how you feel with him, or could you never do that to him?

Irv Gotti: No... Ja owns Murder Inc. with me. Ja's not just an artist. Ja's family and forever. I don't care if Ja sold one record. He's the owner of Murder Inc. and we'll go sign some new acts. Even if Ja's career is over, he's good. He started Murder Inc. He's the first one that said "It's Murda," with "Holla Holla" and launched my label. So me and him go down in history forever. So, if he's over then Gotti's over.

Say he does brick, does the focus of the label shift?

Irv Gotti: I have a new artist named News, he gives me the same feeling that I had with X, that I'm about to unleash to the world. I got this new group that's kind of like the Black Eyed Peas called The Thundercats. They're based out of Atlanta. I have Channel 7; he's been one of my producers for years. He's coming out. I got a girl group out of Detroit that I'm unleashing in '08. And then I have this new female artist that everyone knows, but I don't want to say her name yet. The deal has been done, but it's a real good sign for me. All of this is coming in '08. '07 was my year to get my deal back, in late August early September, I got my feet wet. I had good success with Lloyd. I'm actually sitting in Mike Kaiser's office. This prick beat me out with Musiq Soulchild. He went number one by five thousand. [yells to Kaiser] You fucking prick! [Kaiser yells back] Fuck you Gotti! Irv Gotti: [laughs] But you know, I had great success with Lloyd. That got my feet back wet. He's trying to creep to platinum. He's a 600,000. I'll be coming with him. It's going to be project after project. Ashanti is coming back at the top of the year. Lloyd is coming with his next album at the end of the first quarter. Second quarter Ja's coming. I'll probably keep him for '08. The onslaught is coming in '08 with the music. Home // CELEBRITIES // WEB EXCLUSIVE // Irv Gotti