Murder Inc. Records co-founder Irv Gotti is clapping back at people who think he has anything but love for the late rapper DMX. The record executive has been on the receiving end of criticism after speaking with Chicago hip-hop and R&B station 107.5 WGCI about the rapper’s death potentially being connected to his drug use.
“They said it was a bad dose of crack, and they said some drug fentanyl was mixed in with the crack and that’s what made him overdose,” said Gotti to the show’s hosts.
Media outlet TMZ first reported the rapper’s grave condition on April 2, noting sources said X suffered a drug overdose that led to a heart attack and ultimately landed him in a New York area hospital until his passing on April 9.
Rapper 50 Cent, who has long-standing issues with both Gotti and rapper Ja Rule, even weighed in on the situation, calling the 50-year-old an “idiot” for his remarks. “This guy is a idiot, 👀did he just say DMX died from smoking crack and fentanyl why would he say that?” he wrote on social media, further fueling criticism.
Now, Gotti says he needs to “address the b——t,” as those on social media feel he should have steered clear of speaking on unconfirmed reports of drug use leading to the rapper’s demise. In a May 1 post on Instagram, Gotti expressed his love for X while also stating that he was only saying what multiple media outlets had already reported.
“Everything I said. Had already been reported in the media,” he wrote. “If you look back at media outlets. everything I said had been out there already. I did not break anything I said. But you know what. I understand. No one wanted to hear it from me.”
He further shared that he reached out to X’s former wife Tashera Simmons after seeing the uproar his comments caused.
“I spoke with @tasherasimmons Who I love also. And I apologized as soon as I seen it went left. I explained to her I was only saying things that I heard reported already. To which she said they don’t know if it’s real yet.”
Reactions to the explanation were mixed.
“You were wrong and your essay wont change that”
“Of all the people in the world, that shouldn’t have come from you.”
“Gotti you don’t need to explain anything to anyone, X always let the world know how you rode for him and always had his back!
“We all learned many lessons From this moment. I pray people can understand you truly meant no harm ❤️ love you Gotti”
X was laid to rest in a private ceremony April 25.
