What happened between Ashanti and Irv Gotti? Singer pays tribute to the Murder Inc. co-founder in the wake of his passing

The renowned New York City hip-hop music executive Irv Gotti recently passed away at the age of 54. On Wednesday, February 5, Def Jam Recordings, Murder Inc.'s original parent label, posted a message on Instagram to confirm the news. It said:

"Def Jam Recordings and the extended def Jam family of artists, executives and employees, are deeply saddened at the loss of Irv Gotti. His contributions at Def Jam... helped pave the way for the next generation of artists and producers, a force that reshaped the soundscape of hip hop and R&B.”

However, the statement did not include information on Gotti's cause of death. On the other hand, shortly after the news was made public, rapper Ashanti took to Instagram to pay tribute to Gotti even though they reportedly had a strained relationship.

Although the two were linked together, Ashanti and Irv reportedly never dated. As per TMZ’s February 8 report, a few years ago, Irv opened up in one of the Drink Champs episodes, which led to a verbal altercation with Ashanti. He further went on to discuss their "relationship."

However, shortly after the episode went viral, Ashanti retaliated by claiming that he no longer controlled her career and that it was never that serious to her. She further accused Gotti of being sour.

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Irv Gotti and Ashanti reportedly never dated and had a strained relationship

Ashanti left a heartfelt note for Irv (Image via Getty Image)

According to reports, Ashanti never dated Irv. On October 26, 2024, she discussed her alleged relationship on the IRL podcast, saying:

“Let’s clear this up.. 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.”

As per Vultures’ February 6 report, the podcast episode focused on Murder Inc. Records' founder and producer, who initially claimed to have dated Ashanti. During his visit to the Drink Champs podcast, he said that after they had a physical and romantic relationship, the singer recorded her 2002 hit song Happy.

Ashanti, however, was not happy by these assertions and went on to say in the same podcast interview with IRL that Irv Gotti turned their previous connection "into something big, and it's really not that." She further said that he allegedly became "a completely different person," as it became clear that she would not feel the same way about him.

Ashanti then alleged:

“Irv has flat-out lied about a lot of things. It’s weird. It’s very weird when you know you’re lying and you just keep lying. That’s where it becomes a little scary and a little mental.”

However, recently, Ashanti spoke out about Irv Gotti's passing. In an Instagram post on Friday, February 7, Ashanti described the late Murder Inc. co-founder as a "musical genius" with the "ability to push me to be my best."

She further wrote:

“I can't believe things ended like this.... and it makes me so sad… We weren't on the best terms the past few years but as I've always said, through our ups and downs I will forever be grateful for everything that you've done for me…”

The message about Irv Gotti continued:

“We made history and that will remain infinite.. I've always respected your musical genius and ability to push me to be my best.. All the greatness and positive things that came, far outweigh the dark and negative times. I have always prayed for you to find peace. Sending love and prayers to the entire family.... Rest in Peace Irv..”

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On the other hand, on February 6, Irv's three kids wrote a message on Instagram stating that Irv Gotti passed away quietly while being surrounded by his loved ones. They also added that their father was an amazing man who revolutionized the hip-hop scene.

They then asked for privacy and cooperation from his fans in these trying times. Nevertheless, they never revealed any information on the cause of his death.