Irv Gotti Recalls Moment He Realized Ashanti Was Dating Nelly: 'Any Man Is Hurt'

Ahead of Irv Gotti’s forthcoming appearance on Drink Champs, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN have shared a preview of their interview with the Murder Inc. founder.

Back in the early 2000s, Gotti’s Murder Inc. label was a powerhouse thanks to the popularity of its two biggest artists, Ja Rule and Ashanti. At the time, Irv and Ashanti were rumored to be in a relationship, which the former addressed in 2019.

During his interview on Drink Champs, Gotti opened up about how he found out that Ashanti had started seeing Nelly.

“I could get past you wanting to be with Nelly,” Irv said in the clip. “Listen, at the time, it happens… any man is hurt. The chick that you fuckin’ are in love with is with this n***a.”

From there, Gotti recalled exactly when he learned Ashanti was dating Nelly.

“I was at home… Listen to this shit,” he shared. “This was God wanting me to find out. Was at home… NBA package. I like watching sports. My God, what’s this commotion going on in the stadium? We just found out what the commotion is. Nelly has walked in with Ashanti.”

Back in 2019, Gotti spoke about his past relationship with Ashanti during a conversation with Wendy Williams, who asked the Murder Inc. boss if he cheated on his ex-wife with the R&B star.

“No, Ashanti is not a homewrecker,” Irv said. “Ashanti had nothing to do with me and Deb. Deb caught me when I was directing ‘I Cry’ in Baltimore. Deb, being the vicious person she is, she came down unannounced, ‘I’m Mrs. Lorenzo, give me the room key.’ The door was latched, but she knows I’m in there. That’s what broke me and Deb up.”

Also during the interview with Williams, Gotti said that he and Ashanti “don’t speak.” He continued, “I’d talk to her. It’s nothing to me.”