Irv Gotti says he was hurt after he found out Ashanti was dating Nelly when they attended a NBA game together.
Not only did Irv Gotti profit off of Ashanti, but the label executive also seemed to want her for himself as he revealed in a new interview on Monday that he was “in love” with Ashanti and he was hurt when he learned about her relationship with Nelly.
In a Drink Champs interview preview, Gotti says he learned about the relationship between the two from a TV report which came as a surprise. The Murder Inc boss and his friend Ja Rule appeared on the talk show where they spoke about the events of the 2000s when music was at a creative high not seen since.
There have been rumors she and Gotti might have dated, but neither has ever confirmed or denied the rumors. According to Gotti, he was in love with his former artist, but the way he found out about her love life caused him pain.
“I could get past you wanting to be with Nelly,” said Irv. “Listen, at the time, it happens, any man is hurt. The chick that you f*ckin’ are in love with is with this n****a.”
N.O.R.E. then chimed in to call Nelly by his classic hit, “Country Grammar.”
Gotti added, “You wanna hear how I found out? Only on Drink Champs, it’s on the documentary, too,” Irv Gotti said about his Murder Inc docuseries. “I was at home… Listen to this sh*t. This was God wanting me to find out. Was at home, NBA package, I like watching sports. My God, what’s this commotion going on in the stadium? We just found out what the commotion is: Nelly has walked in with Ashanti.”
Nelly and Ashanti were not only together, but they had a solid 11-year relationship before splitting in 2014.
Gotti ain’t over it ??? pic.twitter.com/7eLW6RF0ou
— N.O.R.E (@noreaga) August 2, 2022
Meanwhile, many fans have reacted to Gotti bringing up Ashanti’s name, especially as the two are no longer on speaking terms due to problems with her masters. Gotti has refused to sell or hand over the rapper’s masters, leading to her announcing last year that she was in the process of re-recording all of her past albums so she could own the rights to her music.
The 41-year-old singer had appeared on The Breakfast Club show in late December, where she revealed plans to re-record her 2002 self-titled debut album Ashanti. She also revealed the reason behind it but did not name Gotti.
“So as an artist, when you are in the game for a certain amount of time, you pay your dues and things are supposed to come back to you,” she told the hosts when pressed about her motives. “You have a legal team that does what they’re supposed to do so that you can function and own (your work). So with my album being 20 years old in April (2022), obviously it makes sense for me to go in and re-record so that I can collect my coins,” she said.
Irv Gotti, however, appeared incensed about Ashanti’s plan as he revealed that she found a legal loophole to re-record the project.
“What she is trying to do is re-record all those great records, and put them out on her label,” Gotti wrote in an Instagram comment section of the Breakfast Club Show.
“She can do this under the COVER laws. But she is basically trying to f*** me out of my masters. And make people decide which album to listen too or stream. Hoping her loyal fans will choose her version. But hey. I stand on the Magic that was created. And I wanna see her duplicate that Magic. It’s f*** up really. But such is life.”
Gotti not only produced the album but also owned the masters.
On Twitter, fans dragged him for talking about Ashanti, especially since he was married at the time.
“This is Irv Gotti’s second time talking about Ashanti on Drink Champs, fam. Leave that woman alone,” one fan wrote.
“Irv Gotti got a lot of f**ing nerve. Ashanti living her best life and here his funky as come with all this nonsense making an allegation that Ashanti was out here home wrecking,” another fan said.
“Ashanti don’t give a fk about u. She out here living her best life on vacation touring and you still mad because she didn’t want to marry you , so you messed up her career on purpose. We don’t feel no sympathy for you . fk off Irv gotti,” another fan told Gotti.
“Irv Gotti needs to stop talking about Ashanti, he’s been doing it for over a decade. His stories are just as inconsistent as his diet plan, and here’s proof,” one fan said as he shared a video of the many times Gotti has brought up Ashanti, including a snippet from a Wendy Williams interview where he outrightly denied that he ever slept with the singer.
Damn Ashanti did Irv Gotti dirty stepping out with Nelly..Good thing he had his wife's shoulder to cry on https://t.co/BO2wJWnkX5
— BIG MALCOLM X PLAY COUSIN (@Omowale99949437) August 2, 2022
A reminder: Men gossip more than women.
Also, Ashanti is minding her business, now he has to deal with this foolishnes ? https://t.co/kIxMe90pkU
— Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) August 2, 2022
"The chick you are in love with… is with this n**ga."
Mind you, he was married at the time. ? But he's talking about Ashanti. https://t.co/BZSBh8no1U
— April (@ReignOfApril) August 2, 2022
now mind you he’s on record many times saying that he and Ashanti were never actually a thing. so i’ma assume that he thought he was in “love” with Ashanti and Ashanti was not trying to be bothered with his married ass ? https://t.co/d1A1uoi9r6
— cp ? (@theBKbelle) August 2, 2022
