Just when you think the Irv Gotti and Ashanti drama was over, the Murder Inc. executive stopped by for another “Drink Champs” appearance to address more about their alleged former affair, which seemingly led to the dissolution of his brotherhood with Fat Joe.
In August 2022, Gotti admitted to being in love with the R&B Princess and having an affair with her while married to his now ex-wife Debbie Lorenzo. He also expressed his hurt by her dating rapper Nelly and alleged that he inspired her song “Happy,” which she denied. Judge Greg Mathis advised Ashanti to get a cease-and-desist order to stop what seemed like a smear campaign.
Now, in a new 2-1/2-hour interview, Gotti was able to talk about how hurt he felt when his Bronx brother publicly blasted him on social media for discussing the decades-old relationship and repeatedly calling Ashanti a “b—h” on the same show about a year ago.
The Terror Squad rapper called Gotti a “sucka” during his Instagram Live for the things he said and for appearing to be obsessed with the singer decades later. “When you keep ranting about somebody 20 years later, it feels like he’s not over the young lady, right?” said Joey Crack.
The comment came after the “Tales” producer revealed the layers of his relationship with the “Foolish” singer and how it destroyed the label he built at Def Jam.
Gotti delved into his claims that they were in a relationship and she broke up for Nelly. The biggest part of the injury came when he found out about it while watching a basketball game, and an announcer spotted them booed up in the crowd. It was said their date was causing chaos.
While Fat Joe was defending Ashanti’s honor, the singer seemed to be unfazed and unbothered, not even publicly responding even to Joe’s chivalrous remarks and thinly rebuking her alleged ex. But Joe’s comments did impact someone.
Gotti, the man behind Ashanti and Ja Rule’s biggest songs, said comments like that helped him see that the rap O.G. is no longer his brother.
“Fat Joe was my brother. I do not feel Fat Joe is my brother anymore,” the hip-hop producer said nearly an hour into the conversation. “Once you show me who you are or you speak negatively about me, it’s over. His defense and Ja’s defense is they do shows with Ashanti, but Rule will never come out and say, ‘Gotti’s a sucker.”
He continued, “Fat Joe said, ‘Oh, Gotti’s a sucker.’ I gotta pull back and regress from that. Because If I was to go respond or anything with that, it could get crazy.… He was on some ‘If I’m your brother I should be able to tell you when you’re wrong.’
“My thing is like, ‘You don’t know what went on with me and Ashanti. So for you to say anything is crazy because you don’t know what the hell went on with me and her. Rule knew. He was there.”
Gotti admitted that Ja Rule addressed him privately, while Joe, on the other hand, never even called, which added to the offense because he thought they were closer than going to social media.
He also acknowledged that Ashanti wants nothing to do with him and noted that the matter made him come to the realization that he doesn’t really need “friends.” Instead, he enjoys spending time with his mother and children.
“I don’t need you, n##ga. I’m a sucka? You need to get away from me,” Gotti said, adding, “I have so much of a comfort with my family, I don’t need people around me. Fat Joe was once someone I thought was my family.”
He no longer is family to Joe. But the Puerto Rican Papi said he has a family of his own and they all came out to hang out on a yacht with him on his 53rd birthday party.
Moreover, Gotti said people play “divide and conquer” to make people think they don’t love each other, but in reality, those in the culture really do.
