Ashanti is clapping back at her former music partner Irv Gotti and denying his claims of carrying on a romantic affair while working together in the early 2000s.
On Wednesday, the “Happy” singer didn’t hold back while appearing on Angie Martinez’s IRL podcast and giving her side of what she had with Irv during her time on Murder Inc Records.
“Let’s clear this up,” Ashanti said. “We dealt with each other, but was Irv my boyfriend? Was I his girlfriend? Never.”
“Irv had several girlfriends, so I’m a little confused by the label and the description.”
Irv spoke openly about his private relationship with Ashanti that took place while she was an artist on his label. In an August appearance on Drink Champs, Irv dished about his intimate moments with Ashanti and even claimed she recorded the song “Happy” after they had sex.
He openly admitted to dating his artist while married and continued his reveals in the BET docuseries, The Murder Inc Story
, that Ashanti opted out of participating in. The “Foolish” singer called Irv a “narcissist” who often spoke down on her and would tell her he made her “fu*k-able.”“It’s a little sad to see a grown man conduct himself in that manner,” Ashanti told Martinez.
Ashanti called out the “lies” in Irv’s claims and expressed her lack of surprise at his actions.
“It wasn’t surprising to me,” Ashanti said of Irv bringing up the two-decade-old dirt. “Irv has flat-out lied about a lot of things.”
“I think Irv definitely has his side, his version,” she continued. “You know, like, you may think that it’s something and the other person knows that it’s not.”
“And you manifest this thing into something big and it’s really not that. And when that person finally realizes that it’s not that, it turns them into a completely different person.”
Ashanti is on the heels of celebrating her 42nd birthday and setting the internet on fire with her steamy bikini photos.
“I am beyond grateful as I continue to thrive and unfold my journey,” she shared in her heartfelt caption.
Ashanti is still “Happy” and unbothered by those who are bothered.