"I Had talks with him," Gotti explained Monday in New York's Harlem neighborhood. "Me and him really got to kicking it, he's a good dude. I was in Miami, Atlanta, we did the last leg of the tour with him. He's gonna be on Sony, but it will be like Ill Will/ Murder Inc./ Sony. But I will definitely be affiliated and I'll definitely be a part of his projects, me and my brother Ja Rule."

But as soon as they released this song Nas flaked out on em.

Irv seemed confused as to what really happened and you never hear Nas talk about it. Some say he was already beefing with Jay and aligning with Irv and Ja would've put him.against Dre, 50 and Em, which mightve been too much to handle.

I wonder what the strategy was for Nas initially and exactly why did he back out.

Irv & Ja were mad that Jay pulled out of a tour they were all supposed to be on as well as Jay's refusal to do the Jay/X/Ja Murder Inc. album years prior.
I've heard Irv since say he regrets trying to sign Nas and how it damaged his relationship with Hov. He even touched on Nas' non signing....

"I don't want this to come across like any Nas hate. That's my brother, I got love for him. But I'ma say this: He cried out when he did that thing with Hot 97. He cried out for help and for people to support him. He cried out for being a part of a family. He cried out for it openly, like, "Yeah, Yo—Murder Inc. This is as big as 'Pac joining Tha Row!" All the conversations we had. And then he just… I don't know. I don't know what happened. I don't know. He just disappeared. We did "The Pledge" joint, and that was it. He just disappeared. It was almost like he got what he got from it, and then just disappeared. He's a strange guy, but I guess he's happy with who he is."

Always wondered what Nas would've sounded like in his prime with Irv executive producing and Ja and Ashanti helping him cook up hits.

Nas went on to work with Dre and Em after the whole Murder Inc. debacle and a part of me thinks his relationship with Dr. Dre and Irv's affiliation with Suge Knight might have factored into his decision.

We can only imagine what the music would've sounded like or the fallout behind it.

Nas knew these niggas was bout to be destroyed by the Aftermath/Murder Inc beef

He did that video to f*** with Jay-Z but I can see him aligning with Irv without thinking of the consequences and then.backing out when he came to.his senses.

But with Nas on the team, that would've changed the complexion of that beef considerably.

One of those big Hip Hop What If's.

Nas still caught some disses coming from 50, if that was the case I wonder if Jay and 50 would’ve teamed up to diss Nas as well lol

I see.

They only care about Kanye and Drake on here.

That signing would've shifted a few things around as far as who's standing with who.

But Nas backing out was for the better imo. He didnt allow his legacy to get too mired in all the beef s***.

I know Irv was sick when Nas and Jay made up years later.

To this day I dont think Hov f***s with him like that. That was a snake move on his part.

Kanye
Drake
Kendrick
Frank Ocean
The Weeknd
Asap Rocky
Travis

Those are the artists this site cares about. Musical discussion that doesnt involve them is bound to be limited

idc but ja rule a goat

Yeah he would’ve been known as the beef dude. That was a crazy time in hip hop though.

ja and ashanti carried murder inc in its prime

Murder Inc was lowkey a flash in the pan music wise. I can’t remember anything they did besides the obvious Ja Rule/Ashanti songs. All the beef surrounding them,Nas’s beef plus the fact that Nas would’ve had to carry that whole label on his back turnt him off.

ngl the only ones I know from murder inc are Ashanti, Ja Rule, and the evil Irv Gotti

I swear,it honestly feels like only two people were actually making music on that label but if that’s the case,can it actually be called a label (Biggest makes they had besides the obvious were:Shyne,Christina Millian Lloyd,Charli Baltimore and Bobby Brown)

How can Murda Inc not wanna f*** wit
The top hustler - R.O.C. crusha

irv went from "technically producing" supa ugly, releasing it as a murder inc single then was in talks with nas to sign him less than a year later.

It's kinda sad, the lack of reverence for the culture and its history

Shady dude.

Hov isn't a good guy either tho.

He played Irv a couple times prior.

Really?
He had a good run but GOAT?

when did hov play irv?

I wouldnt say a flash in the pan.

Ja was selling a lot of records. Ashanti too.

They had a moment

Lololol so true

As for the Murder relationship to Jay-Z, Ja complains not of betrayal, but of several snubs on the business side. Ja still has love for Jay, whose pen and paperless memorization style of song writing directly influenced Rule's own penchant for crafting hooks in his head. Nevertheless, Gotti and Ja took Jay's decision a couple of years ago to skip out on a full-length Ja/Jay/X LP as a slap in the face. Then, in April of this year, Hov pulled out of a Triple Threat Tour slated for June that would have included the Roc-A­Fella, Bad Boy and Murder Inc. families. Though Jay initially explained he hoped to record over the summer, he changed his mind and joined the Sprite Liquid Mix tour in August. For Ja and Gotti, the Sprite tour was the last straw.

Chilling with P. Diddy and discussing the missed opportunity, Ja two-wayed Jay to ask, "Why the backpack nlggas and not me, your nigga?" Ja found Hova's answer to be dis­turbing. "Jay-Z said, 'I'ma tell you this one time, 'cause I feel I f***ed up, but don't ever ask me my personal business again,"' Ja recounts in amazement.

But would that have happened if Nas was on the team?

it was a chess move by nas in the hov battle but a really bad one he quickly found out hence why he jumped ship real quick. was doing it to get at hov but then releasing he just joined the soon to be losing team with the 50 beef just round the corner.