The Inc. Records was founded in 1999 by Irving "Irv Gotti" Lorenzo and his brother. At the time Irv was a DJ and went under the moniker DJ Irv. He knew a young Jay-Z and produced for him he also knew Earl "DMX" Simmons, both young New York rappers. While at a friend's house, he heard a recording from the Cash Money Click. This helped promote the label, but their first glimpse of success and popularity came in 1998, when Jay-Z featured main artist Ja Rule on his hit single Can I Get A..., which catapulted Ja Rule into a long and successful career.