What Irv Gotti’s Ex-Wife Has Said About His Relationship With Ashanti
Some relationships involve imbalanced power dynamics. In the case of Irv Gotti and Ashanti, that appears to be the case. He owned the record label she signed to, and she was also more than 10 years his junior, but Gotti says he was in love.
Eventually, their relationship soured, and he didn’t hesitate to dog her out publicly. Neither did his ex-wife. At the time of Gotti and Ashanti’s romance, he was legally married to Deb Lorenzo.
Irv Gotti details his alleged relationship with Ashanti
Ashanti and Gotti met while she was writing and producing tracks for other artists on his record label. In his The Murder Inc. Story documentary, the music mogul discussed their blooming friendship. Gotti reveals that after driving her home one evening from the studio, he took the chance to kiss her. From there, he says the two were inseparable.
Gotti claims that he was separated from his wife, Deb, at the time. He purchased a condo in NYC and says Ashanti moved in. Over the next few months, Gotti says they spent most of their time together crafting her debut album and molding her into a superstar. Other artists on the label say Gotti made it his mission to make Ashanti the biggest R&B act, and it worked, with her having the highest-grossing R&B album debut record sales in history.
But Gotti says Ashanti wanted to keep their relationship under wraps, despite their peers and other industry insiders being aware. He says the singer didn’t want to receive the label of homewrecker due to his legal marriage. According to Gotti, Ashanti also didn’t want outsiders to believe her success was due to her relationship with the label executive.
Deb Lorenzo speaks on Irv Gotti and Ashanti’s relationship
Gotti and his family appeared on Growing Up Hip Hop: New York. During one season, Gotti discussed plans for a reunion tour of Murder Inc. acts but expressed his estrangement from Ashanti.
“Everyone knows, the world knows I don’t f–k with Ashanti,” he tells his ex-wife and kids. “We haven’t spoke in I don’t know how long. With Ashanti, it’s a delicate situation. She is a big part of Murder Inc. The fans want that, everybody wants that. It’s weird. Just like I have my version of what happened with me and Ashanti, she has her version.”
Deb chimed in, “And I have my version,” she stated. In a confessional, she elaborated. “We were still married, but we were separated when they were dating,” Deb explained. “I was used to it from the beginning with him going and traveling, I just wasn’t used to the women. That was new, like, ‘Where did these hoes come from?’”
Both Gotti and Deb allege that when Murder Inc. was under federal investigation by the federal government, Ashanti was nowhere to be found. Gotti considers Ashanti disloyal, while Deb has hinted she believes Ashanti used him to further her career.
Ashanti has yet to speak publicly about the matter
The singer has opted not to associate herself with the Murder Inc. brand anymore, specifically Gotti. She admits their relationship is non-existent and there’s bad blood, but she prefers to keep her distance. Regarding the alleged relationship with Gotti, Ashanti has never confirmed one.
