As the world of hip-hop continues to mourn the loss of Irv Gotti, some of his closest friends are keeping his legacy alive. This includes Ja Rule, who recently led a moving tribute to the late Murder Inc. founder. It took place during a stop in Ottawa on Nelly's "Where The Party At Tour" earlier this week. Eve is also an opener.
In a clip from the evening, various photos of Gotti and his loved ones are seen flashing on the big screen. Audio of him discussing the death of DMX accompanied the montage.
“Gotti I love you n***a!” Ja Rule said, per HipHopDX. “X, I love you n***a!” He proceeded to perform an touching rendition of his song “I Cry.”
The tribute comes just a few days after Ja Rule opened up about the impact Gotti's passing had on him during an appearance on The Breakfast Club. While he said that he's glad his friend lived his life on his own terms, he admits navigating his death hasn't been easy.
Ja Rule & Irv Gotti
"I felt he was getting better," he recalled. "Something happened, I think he had like a mini-stroke, and went back to see the doctor. And then it just kind of, his health just started kind of deteriorating from there."
Ja Rule added that Gotti's passing put things into perspective, and made him realize how invaluable health really is. "We all out here chasing the money, the this, the that," he said. "Money ain't nothing if your health ain't good."
During the interview, Ja Rule also discussed 50 Cent's cold reaction to Gotti's passing, admitting that he wanted to "go nuclear" on him over it. Fif mocked him in response, prompting him to go on an explosive X rant. In it, he claimed everything 50 Cent does is trash and accused him of being a rat.