Ashanti is a businesswoman through and through, so it makes sense why the Grammy winner would wait till she had a new single to address the recent confessions of her former lover and business partner Irv Gotti. Ashanti recently sat down with Angie Martinez, where she told her side of the story and thanked fans for their undying support.
Irv Gotti recently aired a Murder Inc documentary on BET, retelling the history of his now-defunct label. Responsible for the success of Ja Rule and Ashanti, Irv wanted his flowers for ushering in an iconic era of Hip-Hop and R&B. Unfortunately, he got a little too excited during some of his sitdowns and began spilling the tea on his private relationship with Ashanti, one that neither of them had ever publicly acknowledged.
Ashanti’s historically unproblematic nature came in handy as fans rushed in to defend and protect the “Happy” singer. Many felt that Irv was out of line for exposing their relationship and gross for trying to discredit the singer 20 years after their intimate connection ended. He also vented about her leaving him for Nelly and writing some of their biggest hits together after making love.
Ashanti has been busy doing what she does best, vacationing and promoting her various businesses. Now she is gearing up for a new single titled “Falling For You,” which drops this Friday, and she is finally doing her rounds to discuss the song and Irv’s comments. Ashanti kept it coy on the Ebro show, saying that while she and JaRule have hashed things out, she has no plans to talk to Irv. Ashanti says she was honored by the outpouring of support from fans, and while she would be open to an apology from Irv, she does not need anything beyond that.
Over on Angie Martinez’s IRL, Ashanti let loose a bit more, taking advantage of her long-standing friendship and chemistry with Martinez to get comfortable and open up more. Ashanti says that her relationship with Irv, both professional and romantic, has been done for years. As a result, when asked to participate in the Murder Inc documentary, she declined.
Ashanti says that what we see now in the public eye is only a taste of who Irv has been behind the scenes this whole time, so understandably she did not want to be a part of any project with him. Still, Ashanti is saddened by how his actions have soiled the Murder Inc legacy, as Ashanti is very proud of the work she did while at the label.
Elsewhere, Ashanti opens up about Irv’s mental state, claiming that he has not been in a good place for a while, and his actions are a reflection of this. Angie Martinez complimented Ashanti on how quiet she has been over the years, despite her and Irv’s relationship being well-known within the industry. Ashanti says that things are different now because Irv can no longer intimidate or manipulate her. The singer went on to compare his behavior to women after months of gossiping. “I see a lot of feminine qualities,” Ashanti said with a serious face before Angie started laughing.
She feels a lot of Irv’s pain is from not being able to let go and feeling like he’s lost control.
