Irv Gotti has come back with another Ashanti story. On his upcoming third appearance on the Drink Champs Podcast, the Murder Inc. CEO is expressing his feelings about his former artist leaving him for another man. However, fans are flaming Gotti because he notably had a wife during the time he’s upset about. The record producer is currently trending after preview clip from upcoming episode went viral.
Gotti ain’t over it 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/7eLW6RF0ou
— N.O.R.E (@noreaga) August 2, 2022
Exact details are unclear as to when Irv Gotti – real name Irving Lorenzo Jr. and his former wife, Deb Lorenzo, got married and divorced. However, the former couple share three children together, Angie, JJ, and Sonny. Rumors once began to widely circulate about an extramarital affair between Irv Gotti and his then-artist, Ashanti. Many also believed that the “Happy” singer was the cause of their split.
But the rumors were untrue as far as Ashanti being the reason that Irv Gotti and Deb Lorenzo separated. However, she did confirm in an interview with Essence that there was incessant infidelity on her ex-husband’s end that contributed to their demise. “I can honestly say that I used to hate Irv and everyone affiliated with him because I was so angry, bitter, and hurt,” said Deb Lorenzo. Furthermore, she insisted that she was no longer in love with Gotti and said there was “nothing there” between them.
Irv Gotti further addressed their split during an interview on The Wendy Williams Show, where he insisted that Ashanti was not the cause of their divorce. Instead, he says that Deb caught him in Baltimore in his hotel room with another woman, as reported by HipHopDX.
Then during an episode of the WE Tv reality series Growing Up Hip Hop, Irv Gotti and Deb Lorenzo held a conversation where they further spoke on Ashanti. The producer and CEO expressed that the two no longer speak and haven’t in some time and spoke on their differing versions as to why the relationship is strained. Deb Lorenzo chimed in to share that she also has a take concerning Ashanti. In a confessional, she reveals that Gotti and his artist began dating while they were separated in their marriage. She said she became accustomed to his travels but never became used to the women.
This is not the first time that Irv Gotti has spoken about his delicate relationship with Ashanti. Once thick as thieves, the two separated when legal troubles began to surround Irv Gotti’s record label, to which she was signed. Ashanti’s fourth studio album, The Declaration, was her final album released on The Inc. In 2007, Gotti spoke to Angie Martinez where he reflected on her decision to depart from the label. He said he felt he handled her wishes to be released from the label well once she declared that she was hurt and no longer wanted to be signed there. However, it hurt him to see Ashanti leave.
“This is someone I’ve invested a lot of time, energy, effort, [and] love into,” he said. He would also speak on her again in 2021 under a post on Martinez’s Instagram that showed a clip of Ashanti speaking on re-recording her masters. Irv Gotti slammed the singer and expressed that she is “basically trying to [screw him] out of [his] Masters, and make people decide which album to listen [to] or stream.”
Irv Gotti’s recent Ashanti recollection has to do with her dating Nelly. During his upcoming interview on Drink Champs, he speaks about the moment he found out that they were dating, which he says “hurt” him immensely. In addition, he revealed that he was “in love” with the singer. According to Gotti, he found out about their relationship because “God wanted [him] to find out.” The CEO details being home watching a basketball game on television when suddenly there was a commotion in the stadium. Eventually, they announce that Nelly and Ashanti arrived together.
If you took a trip on social media today, you were sure to see how the fans called Irv Gotti out for his recent admission. Fans particularly noted him being upset about their relationship while he was seemingly married to Deb Lorenzo.
“Damn Ashanti did Irv Gotti dirty stepping out with Nelly..Good thing he had his wife’s shoulder to cry on,” wrote one person on Twitter. Another noted, Irv Gotti really sounded like he felt betrayed by Ashanti. A married man feeling salty that his single “girlfriend” was stepping out with a single man. He was watching the game with his wife distraught seeing her & Nelly.”
“Irv Gotti is so bitter it’s been 20 years and he is still crying about Ashanti that time he had a whole wife. Make it make sense,” commented another. Finally, another Twitter user chimed in, saying, “Irv Gotti tryna throw shade at Ashanti coz she chose to date Nelly. Meanwhile, this [man] had a whole wife home at the time. Decades later, he’s still going on about this rejection. Ashanti & Nelly ain’t even together no more, smh.”
