When Irv Gotti appeared on Drink Champs, he likely didn’t expect an anecdote about Ashanti to go viral. But after it did, he had the unfortunate task of reliving his admittedly inappropriate relationship with the former Murder Inc. artist in multiple interviews while fielding backlash for his comments. Even his former artist Ja Rule spoke out, admonishing him for the way he talked about Ashanti.
So, on Sunday, when Gotti was asked about his responses by The Shade Room at the MTV VMAs, he was candid about why he kept talking about Ashanti. “That’s why,” he replied when the reporter asked. “You keep asking me. Did I bring Ashanti up? You did it. Here’s what I’m going to say: I wish Ashanti nothing but the best. I’m not hooked on her, like, ‘I can’t get over her.’ It’s none of that sh*t. I got paid to do a documentary on my life and on Murder Inc. If I didn’t talk about Ashanti, you’d be like, ‘What type of bullsh*t is this?’ She’s too important to Murder Inc. and his life.”
He then said he felt like “they tried to #MeToo me,” referring to the wave of accusations of sexual misconduct that took place a few years ago. While the situation is a little different — fans critical of his relationship with Ashanti have noted the unbalanced power dynamic between label head and artist, as well as a large age difference (Irv was also married at the time) — it’s clear he felt as though he was being accused of sexual misconduct.
In the comments of The Shade Room’s Instagram post, Irv elaborated, saying, “Please believe. It’s gonna be NO COMMENT from here on in. But I felt like at least trying to make y’all understand. Moving forward. it will be limited interviews and no comments. I tell the truth cause I want the people to know the real. But honestly. Y’all don’t give a f*ck about the truth. Y’all gonna say and do whatever y’all want. So why keep giving y’all the real? It’s better to be like everyone else. Lie to y’all. Alter the truth. Or don’t say sh*t to y’all and keep you in the dark. Hahahha. I got slandered for telling y’all the absolute truth. Lol.”
Irv Gotti has placed moments of intimacy shared between him and Ashanti into the public eye recently. During appearances on Drink Champs and in The Murder Inc Story, Gotti revealed they hid a relationship, but now he is putting all of the information out there.
Despite the criticism of the general public, Irv Gotti is standing by his words, citing, “I just told my truth.”
“It’s my life. They paid me a bunch of money to talk about my life at Murder Inc. and I caught all this flack because of it,” Gotti said to Essence. “It’s my life. I’m not a lying type person. I wish Ashanti all the best. If you’re watching Ashanti, I wish you all the best. But I just told my truth.”
During the conversation with DJ EFN and N.O.R.E., Irv revealed Ashanti’s single “Happy” was the product of the two having sex.
“Let me explain the relationship and how it worked, and how it worked to our advantage,” Gotti said. “We just finished sleeping together, or whatever, I’m taking a shower. I’m in the shower, a nigga be creative after [sex]. I think of the whole track in the shower.”
Gotti said afterward he called producer Chink Santana to create the beat and then tapped back in with Ashanti to craft the lyrics. “That record came about ’cause of our energy,” Gotti said.
TMZ caught up with Judge Mathis in New York City and he stated Ashanti should send a cease-and-desist or go to court for a gag order.
You can hear the full conversation on Drink Champs and Judge Mathis’ opinion below.
Irv Gotti became the talk of the internet following his Drink Champs interview earlier this month. The Murder Inc. founder had used the episode to basically talk about his relationship and escapades with Ashanti, ultimately admitting that he was hurt by her and still hasn’t gotten over it.
Irv recently took to the comments section in Instagram where he announced that he would no longer be answering questions about Ashanti.
The Shade Room had posted a clip of an interviewer asking Irv why he kept answering questions about Ashanti, to which he replied: “Cause that’s why. You askin’ me. Did I bring Ashanti up? You did it. Here’s what I’m going to say. I wish Ashanti nothing but the best. I’m not hooked on her, like ‘I can’t get over her.’ It’s none of that shit.”
He went on to add: “I got paid to do a documentary on my life and on Murder Inc. If I didn’t talk about Ashanti, you would have been like what kind of bullshit is this that he didn’t speak about her. She’s too important to Murder Inc. and his life. They tried to #MeToo me. You know what the fuck they said. Stop it Shade Room. You the shadiest ones.”
Someone then asked Irv in the comments why he kept answering questions about Ashanti. Irv responded saying that he would no longer answer questions about her, adding that he got “slandered” for telling the truth.
“Oh. Please believe. It’s gonna be NO COMMENT from here on end,” he replied. “Haha. But I felt like at least trying to make y’all understand. Moving forward. It will be limited interviews and about of no comments. I tell the truth cause I want the people to know the real. But honestly. Y’all don’t give a fuck about the truth.
“Y’all gonna say and do whatever y’all want. So why keep giving y’all the real. It’s to be like everyone else. Lie to y’all. Alter the truth. Or don’t say shit to y’all and keep you in the dark. Hahaha I got slandered for telling y’all the absolute truth. Lol.”
Gotti was put under fire for the most recent episode of the Murder Inc. documentary on BET. Gotti was labeled a “predator” for sexualizing a then 19 year old Ashanti and saying that he kissed her and “grabbed her ass.”
Irv Gotti a whole fuckin’ predator, but we’re supposed to care that he’s “hurt” that Ashanti moved on to someone more age appropriate. He can rot! https://t.co/GYPVnRH6qg
After the drop of the Murder Inc. Documentary, Black Twitter is not letting up on Irv Gotti after disturbing comments of his were directed at Ashanti. The Murder Inc. CEO is being bashed on Twitter for his comments about his former artist, Ashanti, in the Murder Inc.Story. In a tweet by @TheJessiewoo, she stated she […]
Business mogul and producer Irv Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. has been in a number of headlines recently revealing details of his past relationship with Ashanti, the early days of his career in the music industry, and the creation of Murder, Inc. just ahead of The Murder Inc Story five-part documentary series premiere.
The Murder Inc Story premieres on Tuesday, August 9 at 9PM ET on BET.
The five-part documentary will examine Irv Gotti’s initial success as a music executive at Def Jam and how he masterminded a new label that would forever shift and influence the music industry for generations to come.
Murder, Inc. Records played a pivotal role in launching careers of some of the most influential voices in Hip Hop, Soul, and R&B, including Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, Charli Baltimore, Vita, Black Child, Caddillac Tah, and many more.
The documentary will not only cover the music of Murder, Inc, but also the drama surrounding the label. From feuds with Aftermath, Shady and G-Unit Records, along with the federal charges he faced, Gotti, 52 is finally ready to reveal his authorized untold story of the rise, sudden fall, and redemption of his iconic record label..
The Source’s KimSoMajor caught up with Irv Gotti via zoom from his home in New York for a passionate and transparent discussion on the future of his company, Visionary Ideas Entertainment, learning what his purpose is, the upcoming Murder Inc. docu-series, why he would not do a reunion tour without Ashanti and much more.
What’s the biggest reason that you wanted the Murder, Inc. documentary to come out and why now?
The biggest reason is I felt it was a great time for me. I felt the ups and downs. The story needed to be told. Because people have been wanting me to do a doc — Been because they just like how I run my mouth. I’m a pretty good interview piece cuz I just keep it real. Right. But I felt this cuz, I knew I was on my way back up Kim. And I’m on my way back up. Even bigger than the legendary sh*t that I’ve done. Because now I’m doing it, not only in music, but movies and films and I’m owning it, you know?
When people say, ‘the universe is aligning,’ you know, when you hear that kind of bullsh*t —it is aligning for me. Yeah. [Laughs] That bullsh*t is, it’s kind of real for me and things just started falling into place and they’re continuing to fall into place with this doc and Tales following the doc, the one, two punch, I love Tuesday 9 and 10 PM on BET. So I just felt like it felt right. It felt right to tell my story because I have the come up part. I have the success. I have the Def Jam. Then the feds, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, the downfall. What should have been my downfall of 50 [Cent] bombing on me. If the feds wasn’t enough, it’s 50 bombing on me. I’m supposed to be buried and done. And then low and behold I’m coming back like a hundred times stronger.
Also, I wanted to tell my story as an inspiration and I know this is gonna sound corny, but it’s real. I wanted kids and my ni**as to see and hear my story because when I was filming it, one of the execs at BET —I almost moved to tears cuz she was like, I want my son to see this. My son has to see this. And I was like, why? “Cuz” she said, “Yo, you’re saying everything that he’s going through.” And what I was saying was until my dad got laid off, I was f**king off life.
I wasn’t applying myself. I wasn’t taking it serious. So what I said to the viewers and everyone that watches, it’s like, I take myself out of being Irv Gotti, and I basically compare myself to them and I’m like, Yo, I was just like you, I’m 22 years old. I’m playing f**king John Madden 93 for money at a barber shop. And that’s my day. I’m f**king off life. I’m not taking it serious. I had the same talent that I have now, but I wasn’t applying myself. I wasn’t going for it.
That’s what launched you into a savage?
Yeah, my dad was gonna get a pension and his job fired him and I’m at home. And I don’t know why God put me to see this, but he put me to see this. And you know, my dad is talking to my mom and he’s like, “I got no education like that.” He says, “Like, I don’t know what’s gonna happen to us or me,” and that sh*t just put a fire in me, Kim, that still burns right now.
I’m glad that you mentioned that because I wanted to ask you what you felt your meaning and the purpose is. But just taking it back to those earlier moments, I seen a clip where you gave your dad the keys and just the emotion over it. I wanted to tear up. What was that feeling like?
I’m gonna talk about my dad. If I start crying, I start crying, but you know, my dad, —I just, love the f*ck out of him, Kim, him and Nene. ….So that moment is an immortal moment for me because it was the first time I seen my dad cry. He’s crying and he was hugging me and he was like, “My boy, my boy,” he was so f**king happy. And it wasn’t about the car. It was about, my boy is a man. He was like, my boy is a man.
It meant the world to me. He means the world to me. And I give him and Nene all of the credit and all of the props for me because I could honestly say if my dad didn’t get fired, I probably would’ve still been in that stupid ass barber shop playing Sega. And it wouldn’t no Irv Gotti.
Check out the full interview where we get into Irv’s $300M deal and his plans for his company, Visionary Ideas Entertainment and more.
Be sure to catch Tales , following the The Murder Inc Story Tuesdays at 9PM ET on BET.
If ever the “Where’s Ja?” meme was unironically appropriate, it was this week after Irv Gotti’s appearance on the Drink Champs podcast. During the inebriated chat, Gotti waxed nostalgic about the success of Murder Inc., but also messily shared details of his inappropriate relationship with Murder Inc. artist Ashanti. Disappointed fans called him out on Twitter, while Ashanti collaborator Fat Joe stood up for her on his own podcast. But the voice people most wanted to hear tugging on Gotti’s elbow to check his out-of-pocket behavior was the tentpole artist of the label Gotti once helmed.
Ja didn’t disappoint, either, putting up a supportive Instagram post featuring photos of Ashanti performing with him. In the caption, he wrote, “Brotherly love… The last few days have been very turbulent for me but it’s time to land the plane… I love my sis I love my bro but I DO NOT condone or agree with the behavior nor the way Gotti handled things on drink champs.” However, he also asked to be left out of the situation between the two, referring to himself as “Switzerland” (the nation is famous for its neutrality in geopolitical conflict). “I hope y’all understand how uncomfortable this is for me being in the middle of something I wish to not be,” he wrote. “Going forward all I ask is to be left out of this please and thank you!!! Sincerely, Switzerland Bennett.” (As in, “my name’s Bennett, and I ain’t in it.”)
While it might not have been the outspoken stand that Fat Joe took earlier this week, Ja does appear to be someone that has Irv’s ear. Hearing that one of his closest peers doesn’t rock with his comments might be enough to shake him out of his melancholy funk.
