Irv Gotti’s brother, Chris Gotti, has let it be known that he’s not a fan of Ashanti seemingly downplaying Irv and Murder Inc.’s role in her success.
Speaking on the Lets Keep it 100 Podcast, Chris, who co-founded Murder Inc. with his late brother, didn’t hold his tongue when touching on the subject.
“For her to act like it ain’t Murder Inc. that made her is fucking bullshit—or Irv made her, it’s crazy,” he said around the 56:45 minute mark. “Like, something with y’all chemistry worked out! Respect it. That’s all. Not saying you have to talk about the n***a, but respect the magic that was made. That’s all I said.”
He continued: “I’m not gonna let no one talk about my brother, [we’re] gonna have a problem, simple and plain. Especially someone who he made that career. Like, I was there. He made you sing records the way you sang them ‘cause you would’ve never sang it that way if it was up to you.”
Chris’ comments appear to be in response to Ashanti’s remarks on Angie Martinez’s IRL podcast from 2022. At the time, the singer claimed Irv was manipulative towards her during her time at Murder Inc. “He would say stuff like, ‘No one wants to record with you, nobody fucks with you like that,'” she told the radio host.
Ashanti explained that she doesn’t want to “expose” anything, but suggested Gotti feels frustrated because he no longer has “control” over her.
The singer was signed to Irv’s label until he dropped her in 2009. She released five albums under Murder Inc. including her 2002 self-titled debut, Ashanti.
Irv Gotti died on February 5, 2025 after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke at 54 years old. Ashanti addressed her feelings surrounding his death on a recent episode of Martinez’s IRL podcast.
“It was a lot to process,” Ashanti said. “I was really sad and I’m still sad that it ended like this. There was a time where things were just amazing and I know that I always wanted peace for both of us and to be cordial. I wished peace for him and I prayed for him to be at peace. You don’t really see this coming. It came out of nowhere.”
