When Irv Gotti appeared on Drink Champs, he likely didn’t expect an anecdote about Ashanti to go viral. But after it did, he had the unfortunate task of reliving his admittedly inappropriate relationship with the former Murder Inc. artist in multiple interviews while fielding backlash for his comments. Even his former artist Ja Rule spoke out, admonishing him for the way he talked about Ashanti.
So, on Sunday, when Gotti was asked about his responses by The Shade Room at the MTV VMAs, he was candid about why he kept talking about Ashanti. “That’s why,” he replied when the reporter asked. “You keep asking me. Did I bring Ashanti up? You did it. Here’s what I’m going to say: I wish Ashanti nothing but the best. I’m not hooked on her, like, ‘I can’t get over her.’ It’s none of that sh*t. I got paid to do a documentary on my life and on Murder Inc. If I didn’t talk about Ashanti, you’d be like, ‘What type of bullsh*t is this?’ She’s too important to Murder Inc. and his life.”
He then said he felt like “they tried to #MeToo me,” referring to the wave of accusations of sexual misconduct that took place a few years ago. While the situation is a little different — fans critical of his relationship with Ashanti have noted the unbalanced power dynamic between label head and artist, as well as a large age difference (Irv was also married at the time) — it’s clear he felt as though he was being accused of sexual misconduct.
In the comments of The Shade Room’s Instagram post, Irv elaborated, saying, “Please believe. It’s gonna be NO COMMENT from here on in. But I felt like at least trying to make y’all understand. Moving forward. it will be limited interviews and no comments. I tell the truth cause I want the people to know the real. But honestly. Y’all don’t give a f*ck about the truth. Y’all gonna say and do whatever y’all want. So why keep giving y’all the real? It’s better to be like everyone else. Lie to y’all. Alter the truth. Or don’t say sh*t to y’all and keep you in the dark. Hahahha. I got slandered for telling y’all the absolute truth. Lol.”
You can watch the interview above.