The hip-hop world came together to mourn the loss of one of its biggest executives and producers, Irv Gotti, earlier this year. Chief among these tributes was Ashanti, who penned a heartfelt message to her longtime collaborator despite the rifts in their relationship that emerged in their later years, whether due to alleged romantic jealousy or other business dealings. During the singer's recent interview with Angie Martinez on the IRL podcast, she revealed that she tried to make things right, but will always set the record straight on Gotti's indelible impact.
"Definitely unexpected," Ashanti remarked concerning Irv Gotti's passing. "It was a lot to process. It's a lot of different feelings and emotions. And I think honestly, what I said is really how I feel. I was really sad and I'm still sad that it ended like this. Because there was a time where things was just amazing. I know in my heart that I always just wanted peace for both of us. For us to be cordial, and I wished peace for him, I prayed for him to be at peace.
Ashanti & Irv Gotti
"You don't really see this coming," Ashanti continued. "It really just came out of nowhere. I really wanted [reconciliation] to happen. Because like I said, we made history together. That is infinite. My son is going to know that we made these records together. I'm sad that the last few years, we weren't seeing eye to eye. What I do know is that I tried. I do know that I extended the olive branch. I just wanted things to be cool, I didn't want no smoke."
"That [bond] will never change," Ashanti concluded. "Even in the interview that we did, even though we weren't on great terms... I genuinely will always feel grateful. I will always be thankful and be honest about all of that. And obviously, I spoke with all the guys. The whole situation was just so sudden. I don't know, it's just really hard to kind of wrap your mind around everything. Especially, like, for me, I have so many amazing things happening in my life right now, and it's just so positive. Honestly, when you're in such a good place, you wish everybody well. Even if you're not getting along, you want to kind of give off some of that positive energy, that good love. [...] It's sad and it's tough on everybody, you know?"
